| Dave Rader | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: (1948-12-26)December 26, 1948 (age 77) Claremore, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 5, 1971, for the San Francisco Giants | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 5, 1980, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .257 |
| Home runs | 30 |
| Runs batted in | 235 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
David Martin Rader (born December 26, 1948) is anAmerican former professionalbaseball player.[1] He played as acatcher inMajor League Baseball from1971 through1980, with theSan Francisco Giants (1971–1976),St. Louis Cardinals (1977),Chicago Cubs (1978),Philadelphia Phillies (1979) andBoston Red Sox (1980).[1] He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.[1]
Rader was selected by the San Francisco Giants as their number one pick in the1967 Major League Baseball draft.[2] He became the Giants' starting catcher in1972, posting a .259batting average in 127games.[1] Rader finished as runner-up toJon Matlack for the1972National LeagueRookie of the Year Award, and wonThe Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award.[3][4]
The next season, he posted career-highs inhome runs (9),runs (59),runs batted in (41) andfielding percentage (.991) but hit for only a .229 batting average in 148 games.[1] In1974 and1975 he averaged .291 each season.[1] In October 1976, Rader was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals where he served as a reserve catcher working behindTed Simmons during the1977 season.[1][5]
After one year with the Cardinals, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs in December 1977.[5] Rader became the Cubs' regular catcher during the1978 season, playing in 114 games but, only managed to post a .203 batting average and, in February1979, he would be traded to the Philadelphia Phillies.[1][5] He served as a third string catcher with the Phillies, backing upBob Boone andTim McCarver. Rader would be traded a final time in March1980 to the Boston Red Sox where he backed up regular Red Sox catcher,Carlton Fisk.[5] In November 1980, the Red Sox granted Raderfree agency. He signed with theCalifornia Angels in February 1981 but was released two and a half months later.[1]
In a ten-year major league career, Rader played in 846games, accumulating 619hits in 2,405at bats for a .257 career batting average along with 30 home runs and 235runs batted in.[1] Rader had a career .983fielding percentage.[1] Rader was the Giants catcher on August 24,1975 whenEd Halicki pitched ano-hitter against theNew York Mets.[6]
· Baseball Almanac