| Tom Veryzer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Shortstop | |
| Born:(1953-02-11)February 11, 1953 Port Jefferson, New York, U.S. | |
| Died: July 8, 2014(2014-07-08) (aged 61) Islip, New York, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 14, 1973, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 7, 1984, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .241 |
| Home runs | 14 |
| Runs batted in | 231 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Thomas Martin Veryzer (/vʌˈraɪzər/vuh-REYE-zer;[1] February 11, 1953 – July 8, 2014) was an Americanbaseballshortstop. He played 12 years inMajor League Baseball, appearing in 979 games for theDetroit Tigers (1973–1977),Cleveland Indians (1978–1981),New York Mets (1982), andChicago Cubs (1983–1984). He ranked third in theAmerican League in 1977 with arange factor of 5.16 per nine innings at shortstop.[2] His career range factor of 4.841 per nine innings at shortstop ranks as the 25th best in Major League history.[3]
Veryzer was born inPort Jefferson, New York, in 1953. He attendedIslip High School inIslip, New York.[4] In high school, he played shortstop for Islip's baseball team and compiled a .467 batting average.[5] He also played soccer and basketball at Islip where his father was the athletic director and basketball coach.[6]
Veryzer was drafted by theDetroit Tigers in the first round (eleventh pick overall) of the1971 Major League Baseball draft. He signed a bonus contract with the Tigers in June 1971.[5] His older brother, James, had been drafted by theKansas City Athletics in the 49th round of the1967 Major League Baseball draft,[7] but had also moved to the Tigers' organization by 1971 as well.
Veryzer played for theBristol Tigers upon graduating from high school in 1971. He batted just .225 with four home runs and 20 RBIs, but his defensive play earned himAppalachian League MVP honors.[6] He was promoted to theMontgomery Rebels in theSouthern League in 1972 where he hit .220.[4]
During spring training in 1973, Veryzer received acclaim for his potential. A Detroit scout predicted that Veryzer would be the greatest shortstop since Honus Wagner. A Chicago scout predicted he would be one of the five greatest shortstops of all time. Detroit managerBilly Martin called Veryzer "the best looking young shortstop I've ever seen."[8] Despite the acclaim, Veryzer began the 1973 season with theToledo Mud Hens of theInternational League where he raised his batting average to .250.[6]
In August 1973, Veryzer was called up by the Tigers.[9] At age 20, he was the sixth youngest player in the American League when he was called up.[4] WithEd Brinkman at shortstop, Veryzer saw little playing time in 1973; he batted .300 (six for 20) and had an RBIsingle off theMinnesota Twins'Dave Goltz in his first major leagueat-bat.[10]
Veryzer returned to the minor leagues in 1974 season, batting .296 in 223 at bats with theEvansville Triplets.[4] In August 1974, he was again called up by the Tigers when the team dealtJim Northrup to theMontreal Expos.[11] On September 20, 1974, he hit a two-runhome run in the second inning to give the Tigers a 2–1 lead. After the Tigers surrendered the lead, he hit an RBI single in the seventh to tie the game back up. In all, he went three-for-four with a home run, twowalks and fourruns batted in.[12]
The Tigers traded Brinkman in November 1974,[13] and Veryzer became the Tigers' starting shortstop in 1975, appearing in 128 games at the position.[4] On June 8, 1975, hedoubled with twoout in the ninthinning to break-up a no-hitter byKen Holtzman.[14] For the season, he batted .252 with five home runs and 48 RBIs (both career highs) while also hitting thirteendoubles to be named the shortstop on theToppsRookie All-Star team. However, his 24errors at short were fourth highest in the league.
Injuries limited Veryzer to 97 games in 1976.[15] He returned healthy in1977, but a horrible month of May (.093batting average, five RBIs and two errors on the field) caused him to lose playing time toMark Wagner andChuck Scrivener. The three combined to bat .174 with three home runs and 33 RBIs while committing 26 errors. Veryzer was dealt to theCleveland Indians forCharlie Spikes at theWinter Meetings on December 9, 1977,[16] opening the door forAlan Trammell to assume the starting shortstop job in Detroit for the next 16 years.
Larvell Blanks won the starting shortstop job out ofspring training1978, but inconsistent fielding led to his being replaced by Veryzer at the start of May. WithDuane Kuiper at second andBuddy Bell at third, the Indians boasted one of the better fieldinginfields in theAmerican League, however, light hitting relegated them to a sixth-place finish in theAmerican League East. For his part, Veryzer batted .271 with one home run and 32 RBIs. His most memorable moment of the season may have come on September 13 when he drove in the winning run of the Indians' 2–1 victory over theBoston Red Sox with a successfulsuicide squeeze bunt,[17] knocking the Red Sox out of first place.
His offensive numbers slumped to .220 with no home runs and 34 RBIs, but he had his finest season with the glove in1979. Veryzer figured in ninetydouble plays while logging a career high .974fielding percentage in a career high 702 chances.Tendinitis caused Veryzer to miss two weeks at the start of June,[18] and a month of play in the second half of the1980 season. He was at his best when healthy, however, batting .271 and putting up a .971 fielding percentage.
Likewise, injuries caused Veryzer to miss two weeks toward the end of the1981 season.[19] On May 15, 1981, Veryzer made a brilliant play on anAlfredo Griffin ground ball up the middle to record the first out of the day's match-up with theToronto Blue Jays. From there, IndianspitcherLen Barker retired the next 26 batters he faced for the firstperfect game in the majors since1968.[20]
In January 1982, Veryzer was traded to theNew York Mets for pitcherRay Searage.[21] Veryzer competed withRon Gardenhire for the starting shortstop role with Gardenhire winning the spot. Veryzer appeared in only 16 games at shortstop for the Mets, though he also filled in for 26 games at second base. He was batting .333 on June 1 whenClaudell Washington ran into him trying to break up a double play. Veryzer sustained a clean break in the left fibula, ending his season.[22]
In April 1983, Veryzer was traded to theChicago Cubs for two minor league pitchers.[23] WithLarry Bowa at short andRyne Sandberg beginning hisHall of Fame career at second, Veryzer saw very little playing time with the Cubs. In two seasons with the Cubs, he made just 175plate appearances, batting .198. However, playing with the Cubs allowed him to reach the post-season for the only time in his career in his final season. He appeared in three of the five games of the1984 National League Championship Series as a late inning defensive replacement, logging his only career post-season at-bat in game four. He popped out toGarry Templeton in foul territory.[24] He was cut by the Cubs during spring training in 1985.[25]
Veryzer played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball, compiling a career batting average of .241, 687hits, 231 RBIs, and 14 home runs.
Veryzer and his wife, Vivian, had three children, Tom Jr., Billy, and Jennie. He was inducted into theSuffolk Sports Hall of Fame onLong Island in 1985. He died in July 2014 after suffering a stroke.[26]
· Baseball Almanac, orThe Ultimate Mets Database