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Jim Sundberg

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Jim Sundberg
Catcher
Born: (1951-05-18) May 18, 1951 (age 73)
Galesburg, Illinois
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 4, 1974, for the Texas Rangers
Last MLB appearance
September 24, 1989, for the Texas Rangers
MLB statistics
Batting average.248
Home runs95
Runs batted in624
Teams
Career highlights and awards

James Howard Sundberg (born May 18, 1951) is an American former professional baseball catcher known for being one of the best defensive catchers of his era.[1][2] He played for a number of Major League teams, most significantly the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals, with whom he won a World Series. He batted and threw right-handed.

Playing career

Born in Galesburg, Illinois, Sundberg graduated from the University of Iowa.[3] While attending the University of Iowa he joined The Delta Upsilon Fraternity. On January 10, 1973, he was selected by Texas Rangers in the 1st round of the secondary free agent draft.[4] In 1974, he made the rare jump from Class A level baseball to the major leagues with the Rangers. As a rookie, Sundberg was selected to be a reserve in the 1974 All-Star Game and finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year balloting (teammate Mike Hargrove won the award).[5][6] Sundberg had 101 assists in 1975, becoming the first American League catcher to have more than 100 assists in a season since the end of the Second World War.[7]

Sundberg established himself as one of the top defensive catchers in the American League by winning six consecutive Gold Glove Awards from 1976 to 1981.[8] In December 1983, after ten years with the Rangers, he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers.[9] After playing one season with the Brewers, he was traded to the Kansas City Royals. Sundberg's veteran experience helped bolster the Royals' young pitching staff, and the team's combined earned run average improved to second best in the American League.[10][11] The Royals went on to win the 1985 World Series. In Game Six of that series, Sundberg scored the dramatic ninth inning winning run by sliding into home plate, skillfully avoiding the tag of St. Louis Cardinals catcher Darrell Porter. Sundberg reached base when he laid down a sacrifice bunt that resulted in a force out at third.[12] In 1986, Sundberg helped the Royals pitching staff lead the league in earned run average, however they fell to third place in the American League's Western Division.

Sundberg was traded to the Chicago Cubs in 1987, before signing back with Texas where he ended his career at the end of the 1989 season.[9]

Career statistics

In a sixteen-year major league career, Sundberg played in 1,962 games, accumulating 1,493 hits in 6,021 at bats for a .248 career batting average along with 95 home runs, 624 runs batted in and an on-base percentage of .327.[3] His .993 career fielding average was 8 points higher than the league average over the span of his playing career.[3] Sundberg led American League catchers six times in fielding percentage, putouts and assists.[3][13] He completed 145 double plays in 1,962 games in his career, and holds the major league record for the best ratio of double plays to errors of any catcher in major league history behind the plate for at least 1,000 games.[3][14]

Sundberg was the first catcher to win six American League Gold Gloves, although Bob Boone won five in the American League and two more in the National League. His 1976 Gold Glove was the first by any Rangers player. He caught 130 shutouts in his career, ranking him fifth all-time among catchers.[15] Sundberg played more games as a catcher than any other player in Rangers history (1,512).[16] At the time of his retirement, Sundberg had caught more major league games than any man in history except his contemporary Bob Boone.[17] He still ranks fifth today.[18] Richard Kendall of the Society for American Baseball Research devised an unscientific study that ranked Sundberg as the third most dominating fielding catcher in major league history.[19]

Galesburg High School has named their main baseball field after Sundberg.[20] Sundberg stepped down from his position as senior executive vice president with the Rangers on July 2, 2014, after spending 10 years in the front office.[21]

Highlights

References

  1. ^ Jim Sundberg Adds Hitting to his Skills on Defense, by Randy Harvey, Baseball Digest, December 1977, Vol. 36, No. 12, ISSN [https://www.worldcat.org/search?fq=x0:jrnl&q=n2:0005-609X 0005-609X]
  2. ^ Jim Sundberg: Does He Rate As The Number 1 Catcher?, by Phil Elderkin, Baseball Digest, November 1978, Vol. 37, No. 11, ISSN [https://www.worldcat.org/search?fq=x0:jrnl&q=n2:0005-609X 0005-609X]
  3. ^ a b c d e Jim Sundberg at Baseball Reference
  4. ^ 1973 Amateur Free Agent Draft at retrosheet
  5. ^ 1974 All-Star Game at Baseball Reference
  6. ^ 1974 Rookie of the Year voting results at Baseball Reference
  7. ^ "Yearly League Leaders & Records for Assists as Catchers". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
  8. ^ American League Gold Glove Award winners at Baseball Reference
  9. ^ a b Jim Sundberg Trades and Transactions at Baseball Almanac
  10. ^ Jim Sundberg: Forgotten Man in the Catching Derby, by Bob Nightengale, Baseball Digest, December 1988, Vol. 47, No. 12, ISSN [https://www.worldcat.org/search?fq=x0:jrnl&q=n2:0005-609X 0005-609X]
  11. ^ 1985 American League Team Statistics and Standings at Baseball Reference
  12. ^ 1985 World Series Game 6 box score at Baseball Reference
  13. ^ Baseball Digest, July 2001, Vol. 60, No. 7, ISSN [https://www.worldcat.org/search?fq=x0:jrnl&q=n2:0005-609X 0005-609X]
  14. ^ For Catchers, The Name of the Game is Defense, by George Vass, Baseball Digest, May 2005, Vol. 64, No. 3, ISSN [https://www.worldcat.org/search?fq=x0:jrnl&q=n2:0005-609X 0005-609X]
  15. ^ "The Encyclopedia of Catchers - Trivia December 2010 - Career Shutouts Caught". The Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  16. ^ Most Games Caught for Team at The Encyclopedia of Catchers
  17. ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE: BASEBALL; Sundberg to Retire". The New York Times. September 12, 1989.
  18. ^ Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers 800 Games Caught - List By Games Caught Table
  19. ^ Dominating Fielding Catchers at The Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers
  20. ^ "Galesburg's Sundberg retiring from Rangers". The Register-Mail. 2014-02-07. Retrieved 2014-03-07.
  21. ^ "Rangers VP Sundberg ending long career with club". ESPN.com. Associated Press. July 2, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  22. ^ September 22, 1977 Rangers-Angels box score at Baseball Reference
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