Doug Gwosdz’ last name was a crazy mixture of letters leading to his nickname, “Eyechart”. It was actually pronounced “Goosh”. Though he lasted four years as a catcher for the Padres, he never hit above .176 in his first three seasons and hit only one lifetime homerun.
It was in 1983 when he hit that one homer. He also only hit .109 in 55 at-bats. With one double and four singles to go with his homer, he seemed more proficient at striking out.
| Split | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 Totals | 39 | 64 | 55 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 19 | .109 | .210 | .182 |
Rather than going with the double columns, APBA handled Gwosdz’ one double and one homer by giving him one single column 5 at 66. Not precise by some APBA purists’ standards, I know, but I don’t mind this for players with minimal playing time like Gwosdz. After that, it’s two 8s and two 9s giving him a 55-36.
Gwosdz’ 1983 card isn’t totally useless. He’s a respectable C-7 and does have four 14s. You do have to watch out for his three 24s, though.
Ugly numbers: 55-36, 11-8, 15-36
‘Goosh’ finished out his career in 1984 with just 10 at-bats. He had a lifetime .144 batting average in 123 plate appearances over four years.
I’m truly amazed how these guys stay up as long as they do, at least back then. “Eye Chart” sounds like a APBA nickname, but since he was not a good hitter, maybe he should have been tested with an eye chart. Gwosdz, what a name!
not surprisingly, a lot of these bad hitters who stick around are catchers. Since catchers play such an important role in the game outside the game (warming up pitchers in the pen and between innings) managers tend to value them more. They probably have insights into the pitching staff that we don’t even consider.
I’ll always remember Gwosdz from Craig Wright’s The Diamond Appraised where he looks at “Catcher’s ERA” (or whatever he called it). Gwosdz’s number was off the charts. Over an admittedly small sample he for a couple years turned every pitcher who threw to him into Dwight Gooden. In today’s game with sophisticated pitch-framing metrics and an increasing industry-wide belief that much of what we ascribe the pitcher should instead be credited to the catchers and fielders, some club like the Rays or Pittsburgh might have signed him to a three-year deal hoping he could slice 30-50 points off the team ERA.
Whether his C-ERA was a real skill or a fluke is something we can never know at this stage, but I know Wright was impressed. And to think APBA gave him only a C-7 for his efforts!
Happy Base Ball
BTW, The Diamond Appraised is a good book. Dated, but still a fun read.
very interesting, beignet. never knew that.
Catchers are a different breed and have such an impact on the game. The fact that so many go on to become managers is not a coincidence.
And “Gwosdz” to “Goosh” has to be among the great anti-phonetic names in baseball history.