Who am I? August 5 edition

[dukecrunchybagel]

Only five players have played all nine positions in one game. I was the second one to accomplish the feat.

Although I came up thorugh the Reds farm systems, I was traded before I could make the big league club for a lefty reliever in the sixties. I became known as a super sub for my new team, which was not strictly true because I never appeared in less than 140 games before being traded to the Phillies for three players.

I hold the single season record for games played in the American League.

Who am I?

[schellis]

Bert Campaneris

[dukecrunchybagel]

Sorry, no.

Perennial All Star "Campy" Campaneris was the first player to ever play all nine positions in a 1965 Charlie Finley stunt.

Campaneris came up with A's back in their Kansas City days and only saw Cincinnati in the 1972 World Series.

[quantumfootball]

Is this Cesar Tovar?

[dukecrunchybagel]

Yes it was.
Tovar came up through the Reds farm system before being traded in 1964-65 to the Twins for southpaw Gerry Arrigo (who would have two stints with the Reds).

In 1967, Tovar appeared in 164 games for the Twins, the only American Leaguer to accomplish the feat (which has been matched by seven other NLers and surpassed by Maury Wills's 165 games).

Tovar was a mainstay of some pretty good Twins squads from 1965 to 1972, playing wherever was needed -- largely CF, 3B, and LF. He was traded after the 1972 series where he largely played third base before losing to job to a rookie named Mike Schmidt.

He finished his career with the A's, Rangers, and Yankees.

On Sept. 22, 1968, Tovar played all nine positions in an end of the year stunt, in order - he was the actual starting pitcher and batted lead off!

retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1968/B09220MIN1968.htm

Here is a nice article about Tovar, who passed away in 1994.

aarongleeman.com/2011/03/25/top-40-minnesota-twins-23-cesar-tovar/

[psuhistory]

I remember Tovar with the Twins, never knew the Reds developed him...

[rufralf]

Aug 5, 2013 10:40:42 GMT -5 dukecrunchybagel said:

Only five players have played all nine positions in one game. I was the second one to accomplish the feat.

Although I came up thorugh the Reds farm systems, I was traded before I could make the big league club for a lefty reliever in the sixties. I became known as a super sub for my new team, which was not strictly true because I never appeared in less than 140 games before being traded to the Phillies for three players.

I hold the single season record for games played in the American League.

Who am I?

Easy one. Cookie Rojas