#41 Buck Rodgers

1963 Topps and 1962 Topps

Robert Leroy Rodgers
Catcher
Bats: Both, Throws: Right
Height: 6' 2", Weight: 190 lb.
Born: August 16, 1938 in Delaware, OH
Debut: September 8, 1961 Los Angeles Angels
Final Game: October 1, 1969 California Angels

Drafted 12th by the Los Angeles Angels from the Detroit Tigers in the 1960 expansion draft.

1963 Topps Peel-Offs

ANGELS DEBUT:
Entered game in the 10th as a pinch-hitter for Rocky Bridges and grounded out in a 5-3 loss to the Chicago White Sox at Wrigley Field, LA on September 8, 1961.

ANGELS RECORD:
1961 - 1969
Batted .232 with 704 hits in 932 games. Had .988 fielding percentage as a catcher.
Hit 32 doubles in 1962.
1962 Topps All-Star Rookie Team

1967 The Enquirer Newsprint Photo (also signed by Jake Gibbs)

1967 The Enquirer Newsprint Photo (also signed by Steve Whitaker)

wikipedia:
Rodgers attended Ohio Wesleyan University and Ohio Northern University. As a player, he signed his first professional contract with the Detroit Tigers and was selected by the Angels in the 1960 MLB Expansion Draft. He was a top defensive catcher and a switch-hitter who played nine major league seasons (1961-69), all with the Angels, compiling a .232 batting average with 31 home runs in 932 games. Rodgers caught Bo Belinsky's no-hitter on May 5, 1962.

1991 Ticket Stub

ANGELS MANGERIAL RECORD:

1991 - 1994
313 games, 140-173 .447


In August 1991, the Angels fired Doug Rader and hired Rodgers as their new pilot. Buck - still well-liked from his playing days in Anaheim - led the Halos to a 20-18 record for the remainder of the campaign, and was 39 games into his first full season as Angel manager in 1992 when a bus carrying the California club was involved in an expressway accident; Rodgers was seriously injured and missed almost 90 games. He returned, but still felt the after-effects of his injuries. Perhaps more damaging, the Angels did not respond to his leadership. They posted a losing mark in the final weeks of 1992, finished 20 games below .500 in 1993, and were only 16-23 in May 1994 before Rodgers was replaced by Marcel Lachemann.
In between his playing and managing careers, Rodgers served as a coach for the Minnesota Twins (1970-74), San Francisco Giants (1976), and the Brewers (1978-80). He managed in the Angels' farm system in 1975 and 1977.