Quote:
Originally Posted by Merkle923
Every time Reds spring trainings of the '60s come up, I'm reminded of this guy. He was in a McCarthy collection I obtained some time ago - two color poses and two black and whites, likely from different years, only one set dated.
In the dated shots (1963) he's in a catcher's crouch, in a windbreaker under the vest, wearing number 57.
In this second batting pose, you can see the "5" but not the second number. It's possible this is also from 1963 but not only is he in shirtsleeves with a slightly different haircut but it looks like the signs on the outfield wall are different. My hunch is this shot is 1964. He's not Tom Tischinski, Larry Himes, Dick Kennedy, or Jim Saul, nor any of the Reds' big league backstops - each of them was shot separately by McCarthy.
Any evidence as to who this Reds catcher might be?
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This is the best photo I have of Bob Weaver, and it isn't very good. But it looks a bit like the unidentified Reds catcher. Bob Weaver was a non-roster invitee with the Reds in 1965 and 1966. The photo is from the Troy (NY) Record of June 6, 1962 and shows him with the Salisbury Braves.
One concern I'll admit about this suggestion is that Weaver was supposedly a left-handed batter, and the catcher was pictured as a right-handed batter.
The only other catchers I know of who were in the Reds' camp during the appropriate time period and haven't been mentioned by you, Merkle, or weren't major leaguers were Pedro Rafael "Jake" Martinez (1962-64 and 1967 NRI) and Roger Wayne Hyden (1963 NRI). I've not been able to find photos of those two.
Robert Weaver Register Statistics & History | Baseball-Reference.com
Pedro Martinez Register Statistics & History | Baseball-Reference.com
Roger Hyden Register Statistics & History | Baseball-Reference.com