I have not been able to find out why John Simicich left baseball following the 1959 season at the age of 20.. But the Philadelphia Phillies' third base prospect had one of the most impressive professional debuts of any player who promptly went nowhere.
Breaking in at age 18 with Brunswick in the Class D Georgia/Florida League, Simicich had a season young players could only dream of: he was batting champion with a .358 average; he also led the league in hits (156) while also drawing 103 walks (a .484 OBP!) and driving in 104 runs in under 120 games played. He did, however, commit 29 errors over the full season at third.
Moved to the 3-I League as a 19-year-old, he had a moderate dropoff (7-64-.267) with 39 errors. And that was it; career over.
Don't know whys and wherefores, but it seems a crying shame to end it at age 20 with that kind of start. Anyone know background?
