When Dave Stapleton came up in 1980 with the Red Sox, he was a promising infielder prospect batting .321 in his rookie year. By 1986, he left baseball with a dying gasp.
In 1986, Stapleton batted only accumulated 39 at-bats. It was third year in a row he batted less than a 100 times for the Sox. That year, he went 5 for 39 for a .128 average with one double. He walked twice and struck out tem times.
| Split | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 Totals | 39 | 42 | 39 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | .128 | .171 | .154 |
To give Stapleton his due, he is a 1B-4 and plays two other infield positions. Beyond that though, it’s hard to say much nice about this card. He gets a single column 6 for the one double in 42 plate appearances. After his three 8s and two 9s, there’s precious little to save him. He has two 14s but one of them is at 25.
Ugly numbers: 11-8, 15-37, 25-14
Worth mentioning: Stapleton has a 26-24 but only because APBA put the 12 at 41 in 1986, moving the 24s over.
I remember when Stapleton came up as a rookie. Some of us in the Illowa APBA League were wowed by his .321 average. I’m going on memory but I think Chuck’s Northside Hitmen picked him up in the rookie draft. Appropriate.
Stapleton trivia: Red Sox Dave Stapleton played from 1980-1986. In 1987, the Brewers brought up a pitcher named Dave Stapleton. He played for two years for Milwaukee. Capt. Obvious here but “Not the same guy”.
Stapleton will be remembered for two things:
1. He’s the guy who should have come in as a defensive replacement for Bill Buckner in game 6 of the 1986 World Series.
2. He played parts of 7 seasons and his batting average declined each and every year!
Hi Bob,
Re #2, nice catch! Didn’t notice that one.
Tom