Johnny Weekly
From BR Bullpen
Johnny Weekly
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 200 lb.
- Debut April 13, 1962
- Final Game April 23, 1964
- Born June 14, 1937 in Waterproof, LA USA
- Died November 24, 1974 in Walnut Creek, CA USA (automobile accident)
[edit] Biographical Information
Johnny Weekly was part of the original 1962 Houston Colt .45's team. The team eventually went with youngsters, and Weekly was one of the older crowd.
It's well known that the 1964 Houston Colt .45's were full of youngsters such as 17-year-old Larry Dierker, 20-year-old Joe Morgan, 20-year-old Rusty Staub, and others, but the teams from 1962-64 were not particularly young overall. The 1962 team was 29.5 years old on average, the 1963 team was 27.0, and the 1964 team was 27.9 years old. It was only after the youth movement took hold that the team age dropped as low as 25.6 in 1968.
Weekly was 25 years old in 1962, and so was a youngster on an old team, but by 1964, he was 27 and much older than the youngsters that Houston would end up using in the long run.
Weekly was an outfielder, and while his batting stats look bad, they have to be considered in the context. In 1963, when he got 2/3 of his lifetime major league at-bats, he hit .225, on a team that hit .220. Teammate Rusty Staub hit .224, second baseman Ernie Fazio hit .184, and shortstop Bob Lillis hit .198.
On September 27, 1963, when the team made news by fielding an all-rookie team, Weekly was the first non-rookie to appear, when he came in as a pinch-hitter.
