Pitcher, San
Diego Padres
Age: 24 (May 23)
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’1” Weight: 185
Prior to 1976:
Born in
Lafayette, Indiana, Clarence Edward Metzger, who acquired the nickname “Butch”
in his youth, grew up in Sacramento, California. Excelling in American Legion
baseball and at John F. Kennedy High School, where he also played football,
Metzger, whose best pitch was a rising fastball, was drafted by the San
Francisco Giants in 1970 and signed for a $27,000 bonus. Initially assigned to
Great Falls of the Rookie-level Pioneer League, he started 13 games and
produced a 2-9 record with a 4.17 ERA and 92 strikeouts over 82 innings
pitched. Starting the 1971 season with the Decatur Commodores of the Class A
Midwest League, he encountered difficulty, going 3-7 with a 6.49 ERA and 48
walks and 65 strikeouts over 68 innings before being demoted back to the
Pioneer League, this time with the Magic Valley Cowboys where he was 6-5 with a
3.91 ERA and 108 strikeouts over 106 innings pitched. His control improved in
1972, which he split between Decatur and Amarillo of the Class AA Texas League.
His combined record was 6-7 with a 3.15 ERA and 152 strikeouts over 140
innings. Returning to Amarillo in 1973, Metzger was 10-3 with a 2.75 ERA and
117 strikeouts before being promoted to Phoenix of the Class AAA Pacific Coast
League, where he again encountered difficulties and was 2-5 with a 4.63 ERA.
Back with Phoenix in 1974 after failing to catch on with the Giants in the
spring, he compiled a 12-10 tally with a 4.72 ERA and 148 strikeouts while
pitching 204 innings. He received a September call-up to San Francisco and was
1-0 in ten relief outings with a 3.55 ERA. In the offseason Metzger was dealt
to the Padres along with veteran second baseman Tito Fuentes for second baseman
Derrel Thomas. Assigned to the Hawaii Islanders of the Pacific Coast League in
1975, Metzger was utilized primarily as a reliever and was 15-7 with a 3.62
ERA, 5 saves, and 114 strikeouts over 169 innings. Receiving a late call-up to
the Padres, he made four relief appearances and was 1-0 with a 7.71 ERA.
Metzger pitched extremely well during the 1976 Cactus League season and earned
a spot in the San Diego bullpen.
1976 Season Summary
Appeared in 77
games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]
Pitching
Games – 77 [2,
tied with Charlie Hough]
Games Started –
0
Complete Games
– 0
Wins – 11
Losses – 4
PCT - .733 [Non-qualifying]
Saves – 16 [5]
Shutouts – 0
Innings Pitched
– 123.1
Hits – 119
Runs – 44
Earned Runs – 40
Home Runs – 5
Bases on Balls
– 52
Strikeouts – 89
ERA – 2.92
[Non-qualifying]
Hit Batters – 3
Balks – 1
Wild Pitches – 0
Midseason
Snapshot: 5-0, ERA - 2.09, G – 38, SV – 8, SO - 46 in 64.2 IP
---
Most
strikeouts, game – 4 (in 2 IP) at Philadelphia 7/10, (in 2 IP) at Montreal 8/14
Batting
PA – 12, AB – 8,
R – 1, H – 0, 2B – 0, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 0, BB – 2, SO – 2, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG
- .000, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 2, SF – 0
Fielding
Chances – 23
Put Outs – 5
Assists – 17
Errors – 1
DP – 0
Pct. - .957
Awards & Honors:
NL Rookie of
the Year: BBWAA (co-winner)
3rd in
NL Cy Young voting (62 points, 1 first place vote, 30% share)
NL ROY Voting:
Butch Metzger,
SD: 11 of 24 votes, 46% share
Pat Zachry,
Cin.: 11 votes, 46% share
Hector Cruz,
StL.: 2 votes, 8% share
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Padres went
73-89 to finish fifth in the NL Western Division, 29 games behind the
division-winning Cincinnati Reds. The Padres started the season well and were
surprisingly in second place, just five games behind the Reds, on June 22. With
a lack of hitting they slumped in the season’s second half.
Aftermath of ‘76:
The signing of
ace closer Rollie Fingers in the offseason by the Padres caused Metzger to
become trade bait. Following a
rough spring in 1977, Metzger appeared in 17 games, one of them his only major
league start, and had no decisions and a 5.56 ERA when he was traded to the St.
Louis Cardinals for RHP John D’Acquisto and infielder Pat Scanlon in May. In 58
relief appearances for St. Louis the rest of the way, he was 4-2 with a 3.11
ERA and 7 saves. The Cardinals release Metzger prior to the 1978 season and he
was picked up by the New York Mets. Unimpressive in 25 appearances with the
Mets, Metzger was sold to the Philadelphia Phillies in July, who assigned him
to the Oklahoma City 89ers of the Class AAA American Association where he was
utilized as a starter and struggled to a 3-7 record with a 4.50 ERA. After
failing to make the Phillies in 1979, Metzger pitched for Caracas of the
Inter-American League and had two wins in as many appearances. He spent his
final professional season with Richmond of the Class AAA International League
where he returned to the bullpen and went 3-6 with a 3.26 ERA. Overall in his
brief major league career, Metzger appeared in 191 games and was 18-9 with a
3.74 ERA, 23 saves, and 175 strikeouts over 293.1 innings pitched. He went 12-4
with a 3.46 ERA, 16 saves, and 101 strikeouts for the Padres. Following his
baseball career, he returned to Sacramento and became a firefighter and, later,
a scout for the Texas Rangers.
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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of
the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America
(1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from
its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major
league.
