[Terry D]

Bob Porter was an outfield prospect in the Braves chain in the late 70s and early 80s, a third round high school draft pick from Napa California. Bob made slow progress in the minors, finally reaching AAA in 1981, his fifth year as a pro. He posted an OPS of .738 at Richmond that year, and this earned him a cup with the big club. Bob appeared in 17 big league games in the 81 strike year, hitting .286 in 16 plate appearances. Unfortunately, Bob had several things against him. His minor league defensive stats were poor, and he had no speed. What was worse, the Braves system at that time was chock a block with young outfield prospects: Brett Butler, Rufino Linares, Terry Harper, Larry Whisenton, Eddie Miller, Brad Komminsk, Gary Cooper, Albert Hall. To stand out in that crowd you really had to have more than one skill to offer, and Bob didn't. His defensive limitations were obvious from the start: the Braves did not let him play the field during his 1981 call up. They seem to have viewed him as a pinch hitter only, and that is a very, very difficult role for a young player to succeed at. Bob posted an .803 OPS at Richmond in 1982 and got another call to Atlanta. This time he hit just .111 in 24 games. Bob went back to AAA in 1983, had a bad year, and was gone. He returned to Napa, where he made a career in the jewelry business. Not long ago a pair of teenage jewel thieves assaulted Bob and beat him so badly that he was in a coma for a while. The thugs were caught and tried but I don't know how the trial came out. Bob was reported to have recovered. This shot came from a California TV station and it shows Bob with the No. 22, which he wore for the Braves in 1981. I don't think big league photos of him are very common, so if anyone has him with the No. 7 he wore in '82 I'd be glad to see it.