Rick Cerone
From BR Bullpen
Richard Aldo Cerone
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11", Weight 192 lb.
- School Seton Hall University
- Debut August 17, 1975
- Final Game July 10, 1992
- Born May 19, 1954 in Newark, NJ USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Although Rick Cerone hit only .245 lifetime in the majors, his 1980 season got him a lot of attention and people always felt he might do it again. Cerone ended up playing 18 years in the majors.
Cerone was a first-round pick in 1975 by the Cleveland Indians and came to the majors that same year for seven games. His only time in the minors was at the Triple A level. He was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays before the 1977 season, and gradually got more and more playing time with them from 1977-79 but never hit as high as .240.
Traded to the New York Yankees before the 1980 season, he had his best year in 1980, hitting .277 with 14 home runs and 30 doubles on a Yankee team that won 103 games. He finished # 7 in the MVP voting. In the four following seasons with the Yankees, he never hit over .244 (he suffered from injuries), and then was traded to the Atlanta Braves for one year, where he hit .216.
The last years of his career were spent as a journeyman, making seven major league stops in eight years.
In 1987, the Yankees used him twice as a pitcher, and he gave up no hits or runs in two innings.
