NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1979 BUTCH METZGER

 

On the blog today we have a "not so missing" 1979 card for former National League Rookie of the Year Butch Metzger, who sadly developed arm problems and was out of the Majors three years after his award winning season:

Metzger appeared in 25 games for the New York Mets in 1978, going 1-3 with an earned run average of 6.51 in 37.1 innings.

Just two seasons earlier with the San Diego Padres he was co-R.O.Y. when he appeared in 77 games as a Freshman, saving 16 games while posting a record of 11-4 with a 2.92 ERA in 123.1 innings pitched.

Sadly he soon developed arm problems and saw his 1977 season split between the Padres and St. Louis Cardinals, going 4-2 with a 3.59 ERA over 115.1 innings, with seven saves.

After a full season in the Atlanta Braves system in 1980, he would call it a career, ending up with a record of 18-9 with an ERA of 3.74 over 191 appearances and 293.1 innings pitched in parts of five seasons between 1974 and 1978.

 

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1975 BUTCH METZGER

Today on the blog we have a "not so missing" 1975 card for FUTURE National League Rookie of the Year Butch Metzger, who made his Big League debut during the 1974 season with the San Francisco Giants, appearing in 10 games:

Over those ten relief appearances, Metzger went 1-0 with an earned run average at 3.55, striking out five while walking 12 over 12.2 innings.

His 1975 season was more of the same, as he'd only appear in four games, now for the San Diego Padres, again posting a record of 1-0 with an ERA at 7.71 in 4.2 innings.

In 1976 he had quite a rookie season, appearing in 77 games and posting a very nice record of 11-4, with an ERA of 2.92 over 123.1 innings, all in relief.

He closed out a league-leading 62 games that year, picking up 16 saves while striking out 89 with 52 walks.

Those numbers got him a shared Rookie of the Year Award, which he split with the Cincinnati Reds Pat Zachry.

Sadly, that would end up being the high point of what turned out to be a short Big League career, as Metzger would falter a bit in 1977, even getting traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for John D'Acquisto and Pat Scanlon and going a combined 4-2 over 75 appearances with a 3.59 ERA in 115.1 innings, with only seven saves.

He would find himself a New York Met in 1978, appearing in 25 games while pitching to a 1-3 record with a 6.51 ERA over 37.1 innings, the last innings he'd pitch in the Majors, still only 26 years of age.

After a full season in the Atlanta Braves system in 1980, he would call it a career, ending up with a record of 18-9 with an ERA of 3.74 over 191 appearances and 293.1 innings pitched.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR- 1977 SUB-SET

Next in the fun on-going 1970’s sub-set Awards series are the 1976 rookies of the year for the 1977 set, featuring three players since the National league had a tie:

In the N.L., two pitchers topped the voting for the rookie award, the Reds’ Pat Zachry and the Padres’ Butch Metzger, a starter and a reliever.
Beginning with the starter Zachry, how sweet it must have been to come up with the “Big Red Machine” Cincinnati Reds in 1976, post a record of 14-7 with a sweet 2.74 earned run average, while your team was steamrolling to their second straight championship with a sweep of the New York Yankees in the World Series.
Zachry appeared in 38 games, 28 of which were starts, and put in 204 innings of work for the champs, with 143 strikeouts and a shutout along with six complete games.
For Metzger, (who I admittedly had to use his actual 1977 card image since there was no other usable shot to use), he had an equally impressive debut season, appearing in 77 games for the Padres, posting 16 saves while going 11-4 with a 2.92 E.R.A.
Typical of the era, even though all of his appearances were out of the bullpen, he still logged 123.1 innings of work, striking out 89 batters while finishing a league-leading 62 games.
In the American League, we all know who took home the award, an icon of 1970’s baseball, Detroit Tigers’ pitcher Mark “The Bird” Fidrych, who became a cultural phenomenon on his way to a freshman record of 19-9 with a league=leading 2.34 E.R.A. and completing an astounding 24 of 29 starts!
Those numbers not only got him the rookie award, but also had him start the 1976 All-Star game for the A.L., while also finishing runner-up to Jim Palmer for the Cy Young Award.
Sadly for him (and Detroit), Fidrych developed arm troubles and could never reach that level of success in the Majors again, pitching parts of the following four seasons, winning only 10 more games before calling it a career.
Nevertheless, the mark he left on the game will never be forgotten, joining a select few who would become a symbol of an era beyond the scope of sports.