Roger McCardell
From BR Bullpen
Roger Morton McCardell
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 200 lb.
- School Boston University
- Debut May 8, 1959
- Final Game June 8, 1959
- Born August 29, 1932 in Gorsuch Mills, MD USA
- Died November 13, 1996 in Perry Point, MD USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Catcher Roger McCardell attended Boston University. He was sent from the Harlan Smokies of the Mountain States League to the Boston Braves in August of 1950 in an unknown transaction. The 17-year-old responded by playing in 71 games and hitting .337 with 10 home runs. Roger would spend 1951 and '52 with the Quebec Braves of the Provincial League with a poor .215 average in '51, but he popped back up to .285 in 1952. McCardell would then spend the next two years (1953-54) in the United States Military Service during the Korean War.
After his tour of duty, Roger would spend the next five seasons (1955-59) climbing up the ladder towards his shot at the major leagues. Along the way, he had two very noticeable years, one in 1957 when he hit .303 with 22 homers for the Sioux City Soos of the Western League and the second when he would hit .306 with 10 homers in a split season with the Springfield Giants and the Phoenix Giants in 1958. This all came about after Roger had been drafted by the New York Giants from the Milwaukee Braves in the 1956 Rule V Draft.
Roger would make his debut in the major leagues with the Giants on May 8, 1959 and would go hitless in four plate appearances in four games. So after about 30 days in the bigs, this was it for Roger and he went back to Phoenix where he finished out the year hitting .260 with seven home runs. On November 30, 1959 Roger was traded by the San Francisco Giants along with Jackie Brandt and Gordon Jones to the Baltimore Orioles for Billy Loes and Billy O'Dell.
McCardell would spend the next three years in the minors with average success with several different teams. He would finish up his 11-year minor league run with the San Antonio Missions of the Texas League, hitting .267 with eight home runs. This would give Roger a career record of .271 at the plate along with 81 home runs while appearing in 911 games. After baseball, Roger worked in home construction and died November 13, 1996, at age 64 in Perry Point, MD.
