Dan Dobbek

From BR Bullpen

Daniel John Dobbek

Bats Left, Throws Right
Height 6' 0", Weight 195 lb.
School Western Michigan University
Debut September 9, 1959
Final Game October 1, 1961
Born December 6, 1934 in Ontonagon, MI USA

[edit] Biographical Information

Before the 1955 season, Dan Dobbek was signed by the Washington Senators as an amateur free agent. Scouts in the Washington organization were touting Dobbek as a potential power hitter in the mold of Harmon Killebrew when he came up to the Senators in 1959 after hitting 23 home runs for the Chattanooga Lookouts.

The left-handed-hitting outfielder out of Western Michigan University hit 10 homers in 110 games in 1960 but was last seen in the majors with the Minnesota Twins in 1961, finishing with a .208 average and 15 home runs in 198 games overall. On January 30, 1962 the Twins traded Dobbek to the Cincinnati Reds for Jerry Zimmerman.

A serious shoulder injury he sustained crashing into an outfield wall in Kansas City set back his career. The Boston Red Sox didn't want to pitch to Dan on April 22, 1960, as he tied a major league record when he received three intentional bases-on-balls in one game.

Dan would spend the rest of his pro baseball career in the minors and would finish up with the AA Macon Peaches in 1963. He would be in pro baseball from 1956 through 1963. He would appear in 515 games in the minors, hitting 65 home runs and ending up with a .269 batting average.

Dobbek resides (as of last notice) in Portland, OR where he has been employed with a laundry company.