Davey Lopes Passes Away
The Dodgers announced today that Davey Lopes passed away today at the age of 80. Lopes made his debut as a player in the early 1970s and went on to have a career as a coach and manager, making him a staple of the game for the bulk of five decades.
Lopes was a late bloomer. He didn’t make it to the majors until 1972, which was his age-27 season. Even then, he only got into 11 games for the Dodgers. The following year, his age-28 campaign, he finally established himself as a big league regular. He became the club’s second baseman and showed off the speed that would become his standout trait. He swiped 36 bags that year, his first of what would eventually be a 14-year streak of stealing at least 15 bases.
He stayed on the Dodger roster through the 1981 season, mostly covering the keystone but also with occasional action at shortstop, third base and in the outfield. The Dodgers had a very consistent infield during that stretch, with Steve Garvey the mainstay at first, Lopes at second, Bill Russell at short and Ron Cey at third.
Lopes played in 1,207 games for the Dodgers from his 1972 debut until the end of that 1981 campaign. He hit .262 in that time and launched 99 home runs but the eye-popping stat was his 418 stolen bases. He led the league in steals in both 1975 and 1976, with 77 in the former and 63 in the latter. The second instance was particularly impressive as injuries limited him to only 117 games. In 1978, he won a Gold Glove and also made the All-Star team, the first of four straight All-Star selections.
The Dodgers were quite good in that time but couldn’t quit win a title for most of it. They lost the World Series to the Athletics in 1974, then to the Yankees in both 1977 and 1978. In 1981, they were able to get the job done, topping the Yankees 4-2. Lopes stole ten bases in in 16 postseason games that year.
Prior to the 1982 season, he was traded to the A’s, kicking off the journeyman phase of his career. He would also bounce to the Cubs and Astros, playing past his 42nd birthday. He finished his career with 7,340 plate appearances over 1,812 games. He racked up 1,671 hits, including 155 home runs. He scored 1,023 runs and drove in 614. His 557 steals put him 26th on the all-time list.
He quickly pivoted to his post-playing career by becoming a bench coach with the Rangers. That was followed by stints as a first base coach with the Orioles and Padres. He was hired to manage the Brewers for the 2000 season. The club did not fare well and he was fired early in 2002. He never got another managerial gig and had a 144-195 record in that job. He then went back to being a first base coach, starting with a return to the Padres, followed by stints with the Nationals, Phillies, Dodgers and back to the Nationals. He retired from coaching after the 2017 season.
We at MLB Trade Rumors join the rest of the baseball world in sending condolences to the Lopes family as well as everyone else mourning him today.
Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images
Wayne Granger Passes Away
Former MLB reliever Wayne Granger passed away on Wednesday at 81. The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced the news this evening.
Granger, a 6’4″ right-handed pitcher, was a native of Springfield, Massachusetts. He signed with the Cardinals as an amateur free agent and debuted with St. Louis during the 1968 season. Granger tossed 44 innings of 2.25 ERA ball as a rookie. He made one mop-up appearance in that year’s World Series, getting through two scoreless innings in a blowout loss in Game 6 against the Tigers. Detroit would win the decider the next night, coming back from a 3-1 series deficit.
That wound up being Granger’s final appearance of his first stint in a St. Louis uniform. The Cardinals traded him to Cincinnati alongside 23-year-old outfielder Bobby Tolan for Vada Pinson, a star center fielder who was by that point in the decline phase of his career.
It turned out to be a win for the Reds. Pinson played one season with the Cardinals, hitting .255 with 10 homers, and was traded to Cleveland a year later. Tolan had a brief peak but had three excellent seasons as a table-setter in front of the bigger bats as the Big Red Machine dynasty developed.
Granger was a bullpen workhorse over his three seasons in Cincinnati. He led the majors in appearances (90) and games finished (55) during his first year with the Reds. Granger threw 144 2/3 innings — a huge amount out of the bullpen even at a time when most relievers went multiple innings — and worked to a 2.80 ERA. The ’69 season was the first in which MLB officially recognized the save statistic. Granger picked up 27, tying him for third-most in the majors.
He had a similar showing the following year. Granger again posted a sub-3.00 ERA while logging 84 2/3 innings during the regular season. He led the majors with a career-high 35 saves, which was at the time the most in a season in MLB history (including retroactive tallies from before it was officially recognized as a stat).
That was mostly a reflection of the changing way in which teams used their relievers. It certainly didn’t hurt that a 102-win Cincinnati team gave Granger plenty of opportunities to shut the door. He pitched quite well in his own right, however, although that unfortunately didn’t extend to the postseason. Granger gave up five runs in two innings over a pair of appearances in the 1970 World Series. The Reds dropped a five-game set to the Orioles.
Granger played one more season in Cincinnati, again leading the National League in appearances in 1971. The Reds traded him to the Twins after that season. Granger pitched one year in Minnesota before kicking around to a handful of clubs (Yankees, a second stint in St. Louis, White Sox, Astros and Expos).
He retired after the 1976 season and was inducted into the Reds’ team Hall of Fame six years later. Granger finished his career with a 3.14 ERA across 638 2/3 innings. He recorded 108 saves and struck out 303 opponents. MLBTR sends condolences to his family, friends, former teammates and loved ones.
Bill Mazeroski Passes Away
The Pirates announced this morning that Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski passed away yesterday at age 89. The team’s statement included a tribute from chairman Bob Nutting, who described Mazeroski as “one of a kind — a true Pirates legend, a National Baseball Hall of Famer and one of the finest defensive second basemen the game has ever seen.”
“His name will always be tied to the biggest home run in baseball history and the 1960 World Series championship, but I will remember him most for the person he was: humble, gracious and proud to be a Pirate.”
A career Pirate who played 17 seasons in the big leagues from 1956-72, Mazeroski is best-known for his legendary walk-off home run in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series. The Pirates had won their first National League pennant since 1927 on the strength of eight All-Star players, including Mazeroski. Still, they faced a challenge in overcoming a powerful Yankees roster featuring Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Whitey Ford, and others.
With the Series tied at three games apiece, it was Mazeroski who delivered the winning blow in the bottom of the 9th of a wild Game 7. On a 1-0 count against Yankees pitcher Ralph Terry, Mazeroski drilled a high fastball over the left-center field wall to clinch the Pirates’ 10-9 victory and the championship. It was their first World Series title since 1925 and the first time a World Series ended on a walk-off home run. To this day, Mazeroski’s blast stands as one of the most iconic home runs in the history of the sport.
Mazeroski joined the Pirates organization out of high school in 1954, and made his MLB debut in July 1956 at the age of 19. He played his first full season in 1957 and established himself as a contact-oriented second baseman, batting .283 with 149 hits and 59 runs scored. His 1958 season was arguably his best, as Maz batted .275/.308/.439 in 607 plate appearances with 156 hits and 19 home runs, the latter being a career high. He was an All-Star for the first time and also earned his first Gold Glove while finishing eighth in NL MVP voting.
In addition to being a contact hitter, Mazeroski’s career came to be defined by his defense. He won a total of eight Gold Gloves, including five straight from 1963-67. His defense alone was valued at 24.0 bWAR, which ties him for 23rd all-time. Mazeroski holds the record for most double plays turned (1709) as a second baseman, and his 6685 assists from the keystone ranks fifth all-time. No discussion of the game’s best defensive players is complete without mention of Mazeroski’s accomplishments.
In an 11-year stretch from 1958-68, Mazeroski tallied 1,608 of his 2,016 career hits while batting .263/.300/.374 and accumulating 32.1 bWAR. He was remarkably durable, playing at least 130 games with 527 PA or more every year from 1957-68. He earned a total of seven All-Star nods, the last of those coming in 1967 when he led the NL in games played and tallied a career-high 167 hits. He became more of a part-time player at the end of his career and won a second World Series in 1971 against the Orioles. He retired in 1972 at the age of 35.
Overall, Mazeroski batted .260/.299/.367 with 2,016 hits, 138 home runs, and 853 runs batted in. He became eligible for Hall of Fame admission in 1978 but did not meet the required threshold before falling off the ballot in 1992. Most pointed to his lower-than-usual offensive output as a reason for exclusion, but the Veterans Committee disagreed in 2001, admitting Mazeroski to the Hall in recognition of his defensive excellence.
We at MLBTR extend our condolences to Mazeroski’s family, friends, loved ones, former teammates, and baseball fans around the world.
Elroy Face Passes Away
The Pirates announced this evening that former All-Star reliever Elroy Face has passed away at 97. He pitched parts of 16 seasons in the big leagues, all but the final of which came in Pittsburgh.
“It is with heavy hearts and deep sadness that we mourn the passing of Pirates Hall of Famer Elroy Face, a beloved member of the Pirates family,” chairman Bob Nutting said in a statement. “I was fortunate to get to know Elroy personally, and I will always be proud that we had the chance to honor him with his induction into the Pirates Hall of Fame. Elroy was a pioneer of the modern relief pitcher — the ‘Baron of the Bullpen’ — and he played a critical role in our 1960 World Series championship, leading the league in appearances and recording three saves against the Yankees. Our thoughts are with his three children — Michelle, Valerie and Elroy Jr. — and his sister Jacqueline.”
An upstate New York native, Face began his career in the Phillies organization in 1949. The 5’8″ righty, a sidearmer whose specialty was the forkball, emerged as a favorite of Hall of Fame executive Branch Rickey, who acquired him when he was Dodgers’ GM over the 1950-51 offseason. Rickey took the same position with the Pirates the following year and added Face during the 1952-53 winter, at which point the pitcher was in Double-A.
Face pitched poorly as a rookie and was sent back to Double-A for the ’54 season. He returned to the majors the following year, working in a swing role before making a full-time bullpen conversion by 1956. Face would lead the majors with 68 appearances that season, tossing 135 1/3 innings of 3.52 ERA ball. The Pirates used him mostly at the back of games at a time when many teams didn’t have set closers. Face led the National League in games finished in four of five seasons between 1958-62.
The save statistic didn’t come into use until 1969. Face was retroactively credited as the NL saves leader in three of those seasons, including MLB high marks in 1958 (20) and ’62 (28). He posted a sub-3.00 earned run average in four of those years, including a career-low 1.88 mark over 91 innings during the ’62 campaign.
Even if saves weren’t around at the time, Face’s accomplishments were appreciated during his career. He appeared on MVP ballots each season between 1958-60. He was an All-Star every year between 1959-61 and technically was selected to six All-Star Games, as MLB had both a midseason and postseason All-Star Game for a brief stretch during Face’s peak.
The 1960 season is etched into baseball history. Face tossed 114 2/3 innings of 2.90 ERA ball with 61 games finished for a 95-59-1 team that won the pennant. The respective best regular season teams in each league went to the World Series in those days. Pittsburgh went up against a Yankees club that had Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Whitey Ford in their primes.
The Pirates would go on to win one of the most iconic series in league history. Face got the save in each of their first three victories: Games 1, 4, and 5. He pitched the sixth through eighth innings of Game 7. That wasn’t his sharpest outing, as he gave up a go-ahead home run to Yogi Berra, but Pittsburgh would come back to take the lead in the bottom of the eighth. After the Yankees tied it in the top of the ninth, Bill Mazeroski connected on what remains the only Game 7 walk-off home run in history.
That World Series was the only time that Face would pitch in the postseason, but he remained in Pittsburgh for most of the 60s. He added four sub-3.00 ERA seasons well into his 30s and had brief stops in Detroit and with the Expos to finish his career.
The Pirates have been around for more than 140 seasons. Face remains the franchise’s all-time leader in pitching appearances (802), games finished (547) and saves (186). He pitched nearly 1400 innings with a 3.48 ERA and recorded 877 strikeouts. Face topped 100 wins — including an astounding 18-1 record out of the bullpen in 1959 — and came up just shy of 200 saves overall, as he added five more during his final season in Montreal. Face was inducted into the Pirates Hall of Fame three years ago. MLBTR sends condolences to his family, friends and loved ones.
Jason Mackey of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette first reported the news.
Terrance Gore Passes Away
Longtime Royals outfielder and pinch-running specialist Terrance Gore passed away yesterday at age 34. According to a social media post from Gore’s wife Britney, Gore unexpectedly passed following what was supposed to be a routine surgical procedure.
A veteran of eight Major League seasons, Gore had one of the more unique careers of any player in baseball history. Gore played in 112 big league games, but made only 14 starts and 85 trips to the plate, as Gore was almost exclusively utilized as a pinch-running specialist. Gore didn’t hit much in the majors (.216/.310/.270 over his 85 PA) or even in the minor leagues, yet he carved out a niche for himself due to his glovework and blazing speed.
On the basepaths, Gore stole 43 bases out of 52 attempts, and scored 33 career runs. As a defender, Gore posted +2 Defensive Runs Saved and +6 Outs Above Average over 188 1/3 regular-season career innings in the outfield, seeing time at all three positions.
Kansas City selected Gore in the 20th round of the 2011 draft, and he spent five of his eight seasons in a Royals uniform. The majority of Gore’s big league time at the plate came during his 2019 season with the Royals, and he delivered a .275/.362/.353 slash line across 58 PA. Gore was a member of the Royals’ pennant-winning teams in 2014 and 2015, stealing four bases in five attempts over eight postseason games in those two iconic seasons in K.C. baseball history.
The Royals’ 2015 championship marked the first of three times Gore played for a World Series-winning team, as he also earned rings with the 2020 Dodgers and 2021 Braves. The back half of Gore’s big league career saw him bounce around to several postseason contenders (the Cubs, Yankees, Dodgers, Braves, and Mets) looking to bolster their baserunning situation heading into the playoffs. Gore played in two regular-season games with the 2020 Dodgers but didn’t see any playoff action, and he then spent the entire 2021 regular season in the Braves’ minor league system before being included on Atlanta’s NLDS roster.
We at MLB Trade Rumors send our condolences to Gore’s family, friends, and loved ones.
Mickey Lolich Passes Away
The Tigers announced Wednesday that three-time American League All-Star and 1968 World Series MVP Mickey Lolich passed away this morning. He was 85 years old.
Debuting as a 22-year-old during the 1963 season, Lolich quickly seized a spot in Detroit’s rotation. He became a mainstay on the Tigers’ staff for the next decade-plus, calling greats like Hall of Famer Jim Bunning and two-time Cy Young winner Denny McLain teammates along the way.
After several years as a steady contributor, Lolich carved out a lasting legacy with a historic performance in the 1968 World Series. The left-hander started Game 2, Game 5 and the pivotal Game 7 against the Cardinals, not only securing three victories but going the distance in each of those wins. In one of the greatest individual World Series performances ever seen, Lolich hurled three complete games, held St. Louis to just five runs on 20 hits and six walks (1.67 ERA) and punched out 21 opponents. His final start during that year’s Fall Classic came on just two days’ rest, but he nonetheless held Lou Brock & Co. to one run on five hits and three walks in a 4-1 victory.
That performance alone would’ve cemented Lolich’s place in Tigers lore, but it’s just one of many highlights over his stellar career. The Portland native made the first of three All-Star appearances the following season in 1969 and, in 1971-72, enjoyed a pair of top-three finishes in American League Cy Young voting, losing out to legends Vida Blue and Gaylord Perry, respectively.
Lolich finished top-10 in American League MVP voting in both of those Cy Young runner-up seasons and, in ’71, paced the American League with 45 games started and 376 innings pitched. He completed 29 games that year and did so while maintaining an ERA just shy of 3.00 (2.92). Both those 45 games started and 376 innings are the second-highest single-season marks for any pitcher in the past century; Lolich trails only Wilbur Wood in each category (376 2/3 innings, 49 games started).
Lolich spent the first 13 seasons of his career with the Tigers before being traded to the Mets in a Dec. 1975 swap that sent six-time All-Star Rusty Staub back to Detroit. He briefly retired following his lone year as a Met before returning as a reliever with the Padres in 1978-79 and again calling it quits — this time for good.
All told, Lolich pitched in 16 major league seasons and compiled a 217-191 record with a 3.44 ERA over the life of 3638 1/3 innings. His 2832 career strikeouts rank 23rd all-time, just 33 behind his rookie teammate, the aforementioned Bunning. Lolich is one of just 122 pitchers to ever record 200 wins in his career and is tied with Freddie Fitzsimmons for 87th all-time. His 47.9 wins above replacement (per Baseball-Reference) tie him with another standout lefty, Ron Guidry, for 116th on the all-time list. We at MLBTR offer our condolences to Lolich’s family, friends and countless fans on the loss of one of his generation’s great talents.
Wilbur Wood Passes Away
Longtime big league knuckleballer Wilbur Wood passed away on Saturday at age 84. A left-handed workhorse starter, Wood was a three-time All-Star over a 17-year MLB career that included stints with the White Sox, Pirates, and Red Sox.
It took Wood a while to really establish himself in the big leagues, as after making his MLB debut with Boston in 1961, Wood threw only 159 2/3 innings over 73 appearances from 1961-65. A trade from the Red Sox to the Pirates in 1964 at least gave Wood regular bullpen duty during the 1965 season, but after spending the entire 1966 campaign with Pittsburgh’s Triple-A team, he was traded to the White Sox in the move that really unlocked Wood’s career.
Future Hall-of-Famer Hoyt Wilhelm was a member of that Chicago team, and the veteran took Wood under his wing by teaching him some of the tricks of Wilhelm’s knuckleball. Wood had thrown the pitch on-and-off in the past, but under Wilhelm’s tutelage and encourage, Wood adopted the pitch on a regular basis and the rest was history. Over 292 games and 495 2/3 innings from 1967-70, Wood posted a 2.49 ERA as a fireman out of the White Sox bullpen, often tossing multiple innings in all sorts of situations as a closer, leverage set-up man, or just innings-eater.
The White Sox moved Wood back into the rotation in advance of the 1971 season, setting the table for a five-year run of numbers that seems impossible by today’s modern pitching standards. Wood posted a 3.08 ERA over 227 appearances (224 of them starts) and a whopping 1681 2/3 innings from 1971-75, leading the majors in starts four times over that span and twice leading MLB in innings. Wood’s success was recognized with a runner-up finish in AL Cy Young Award voting in 1972, and he also finished third in the Cy race in 1971 and fifth in 1973. Wood was named to the AL All-Star team in 1971, 1972, and 1974.
Even in an era when starters were expected to carry a heavier workload and four-man rotations weren’t uncommon, Wood’s knuckler-powered durability stood out. Wood’s 376 2/3 IP in 1972 is the highest single-season mark of any pitcher from 1918 to the present day. To put Wood’s 1972 season in perspective, MLB’s top two leaders in innings pitched in 2025 (Logan Webb and Garrett Crochet) combined for 412 1/3 innings last year.
Unfortunately for Wood, the White Sox weren’t particularly competitive during his five-year dream run. He became one of only a few pitchers in modern baseball history to both win and lose 20 games in a season when Wood went 24-20 in 1973. Wood won at least 20 games every year from 1971-74, and he also lost 20 more games in 1975.
Wood’s amazing run of durability ended when his kneecap was broken by a line drive off the bat of the Tigers’ Ron LeFlore in May 1976, which ended his season. Wood was never the same after the injury, as the southpaw posted a 5.11 ERA over 290 2/3 innings for Chicago in 1977-78. He decided to retire, concluding his career with a 164-156 record, a 3.24 ERA, 6.5% walk rate, and 12.7% strikeout rate over 651 games and 2684 innings.
We at MLB Trade Rumors send our condolences to Wood’s family, loved ones, and many fans.
Dave Giusti Passes Away
Former big league right-hander Dave Giusti has passed away, the Pirates announced this morning. He was 86 years old.
“We are saddened by the loss of such a beloved member of the Pirates family,” Pirates chairman Bob Nutting said in this morning’s press release. “He was a vital member of our World Series winning team in 1971 and spent seven of his 15 big-league seasons with the Pirates before eventually making Pittsburgh his home. We extend our sincere condolences to his wife, Ginny, his daughters, Laura and Cynthia, and the entire Giusti family.”
Giusti made his major league debut in 1962 — his age-22 campaign — with the Houston Colt .45s and posted an inauspicious 5.62 earned run average through his first 73 2/3 innings. He didn’t pitch in the majors in ’63 and logged only 25 2/3 MLB frames in ’64. In 1965, he established himself as a member of Houston’s staff, tossing 131 1/3 innings with a 4.32 ERA. That was a ways higher than the 3.50 league average at that time (77 ERA+, 125 ERA-), but it kicked off a run of four seasons that saw Giusti log regular work as a starter in Houston. From 1965-68, he pitched a combined 814 innings with a 3.90 ERA.
Houston traded Giusti to the Cardinals in the 1968-69 offseason. The Cardinals lost him to the Padres in October 1968’s expansion draft, only to reacquire him two months later. He spent one season with the Cards (3.61 ERA, 99 2/3 innings) before being traded to the Pirates, with whom he’d make his lone All-Star team, tally three separate top-10 finishes in National League Cy Young voting, and win a World Series.
Giusti had been almost exclusively a starting pitcher over his final seasons in Houston, but he made only one start with Pittsburgh in 1970 and only three over his seven seasons in black and gold. Giusti transitioned near seamlessly to relief at a time when doing so wasn’t nearly as common as it is in today’s game. He saved 26 games for the Pirates in 1970, pitching 103 innings with a 3.61 ERA along the way.
Over the next several years, Giusti was a pivotal endgame arm for the Bucs. He saved a career-high 30 games in 1971, pitching to a 2.93 ERA in 86 regular-season frames before tossing 10 1/3 shutout innings during the playoffs as the Pirates went on to win the World Series. Overall, Giusti pitched 618 regular-season innings with the Pirates from 1970-76, piling up 133 saves and a recording a tidy 2.94 earned run average along the way.
The Pirates traded Giusti to the A’s in the 1976-77 offseason — part of a nine-player swap that included notable names like Phil Garner, Rick Langford and Tony Armas. Giusti pitched 85 2/3 innings between the A’s and Cubs, working to a 3.89 ERA in the 15th and final season of his major league career.
Giusti retired with a career 100-93 record, 145 saves, a 3.60 ERA and 1103 strikeouts in 1716 2/3 innings pitched. He won a World Series with the Pirates in ’71, made the All-Star team in ’73, garnered MVP votes in ’70 (sixth) and ’71 (14th), and drew Cy Young votes in ’70 (fourth), ’73 (seventh) and ’74 (ninth).
Fans of Giusti will want to check out Jason Mackey’s tribute to him over at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, wherein former teammates Milt May and Steve Blass discuss the right-hander’s transition to the bullpen, the efficacy of his signature palmball, and the never-give-in mentality that made him such a natural fit for high-leverage spots late in the game. We at MLBTR extend our condolences to Giusti’s family, friends, former teammates and the countless fans he amassed over a lengthy and successful big league career.
Andy Kosco Passes Away
Ten-year MLB veteran Andy Kosco passed away earlier this month. He was 84 years old. Kosco played in 658 games for the Twins, Yankees, Dodgers, Brewers, Angels, Red Sox, and Reds from 1965-74. Primarily a corner outfielder, he appeared at all three outfield positions, as well as first and third base.
Born October 5, 1941 in Ohio, Kosco grew up a multi-sport star but ultimately chose baseball, signing his first professional contract with the Tigers in 1959. However, he did not make the majors until he joined the Twins, with whom he debuted at 23 years old in 1965.
Kosco’s best tool was his power. He hit double-digit home runs in three seasons, with a personal best of 19 for the Dodgers in 1969. All told, he racked up 73 home runs and 156 extra-base hits in his career, good for a .394 slugging percentage and .158 isolated power. His isolated power was 29% better than the league average during the years in which he played. In the field, Kosco was a fine defender, finishing with a .980 fielding percentage and a +6 total zone rating as an outfielder. He recorded 29 outfield assists in his career, including 10 with the Yankees in 1968, which tied him for eighth-most in the American League.
Kosco played his last professional season for the Toledo Mud Hens, then the Triple-A affiliate of the Phillies, in 1975. He retired after the 1975 season. We at MLB Trade Rumors extend our sincerest condolences to Kosco’s family, friends, and fans.
Longtime Athletics Scout Will Schock Passes Away
The Athletics announced today the passing of longtime scout Will Schock. He was 61. Schock had been a part of the organization since getting drafted by the team in 1987. General manager David Forst released a statement about Schock’s passing.
“Will was a beloved part of the A’s organization for the better part of the last four decades. After being drafted by and pitching for the A’s for five years, he dedicated his life to scouting and made a lasting impact on both our amateur and pro staffs. His easygoing nature always made him a joy to be around, and his passion for the game and its players made every conversation with him an opportunity to learn from his years in the game.
We were lucky to have him as a teammate and friend. Our thoughts are with his family today, particularly his mother Trubee, his sister-in-law Jeanine, and his longtime partner Mary Coons.”
Schock, a right-handed pitcher, was initially drafted by the Giants out of high school in 1982. He instead chose to pitch in college at the University of California, Berkeley. Schock was taken in the 22nd round of the 1987 draft by the Athletics. He spent five seasons in the A’s system, topping out at Triple-A. Schock also briefly pitched in the Reds organization. He wrapped up his playing career with a respectable 3.95 ERA across 121 minor league appearances.
We at MLB Trade Rumors extend our condolences to Schock’s family, friends, and loved ones.
Photo courtesy of Robert Edwards, Imagn Images