| Tim Blackwell | |
|---|---|
| Catcher | |
| Born: August 19, 1952 San Diego, California |
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| Batted: Switch | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| July 3, 1974 for the Boston Red Sox | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 17, 1983 for the Montreal Expos | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .228 |
| Home runs | 6 |
| Runs batted in | 80 |
| Teams | |
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Timothy P. Blackwell (born August 19, 1952 in San Diego, California) is a former professional baseball player.[1] He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1983 for the Boston Red Sox, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Chicago Cubs and the Montreal Expos.[1] He was a switch-hitter who threw right handed. Blackwell was known as a light-hitting, defensive specialist with good pitch-calling skills and, possessed a strong, accurate throwing arm.[1][2]
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Blackwell was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 13th round of the 1970 Major League Baseball Draft.[3] He made his major league debut during a pennant race in July 1974, filling in for an injured Carlton Fisk while the Red Sox were in first place in the American League Eastern Division.[2][4] Unfortunately, the Red Sox faltered at the end of the season, falling to third place in the final standings.[5] Blackwell was a reserve catcher behind Fisk and Bob Montgomery in 1975 as the Red Sox won the American League Eastern Division title. Although he provided good defensive abilities, he only had a .197 batting average and, the Red Sox elected to use Montgomery as reserve catcher in the post-season as, they defeated the Oakland Athletics in the 1975 American League Championship Series, before losing to the Cincinnati Reds in the 1975 World Series.[6]
In April 1976, Blackwell was purchased from the Red Sox by the Philadelphia Phillies.[7] He served as a reserve catcher behind Bob Boone before being traded to the Montreal Expos in 1977 for Barry Foote.[7] After hitting for a .091 average as Gary Carter's back up, Blackwell was released by the Expos in January 1978 and, signed a contract to play for the Chicago Cubs.[2] With the Cubs he played as a reserve catcher behind Dave Rader and Barry Foote, who had been traded by the Phillies. When Foote was injured in 1980, Blackwell became the Cubs starting catcher, posting career-highs with a .272 batting average along with 16 doubles, 5 home runs and 30 runs batted in.[1] He also led National League catchers in double plays, range factor and baserunners caught stealing, and finished second in assists behind Gary Carter.[8]
In 1981, Jody Davis took over as the Cubs main catcher, although Blackwell still managed to finish second among the league's catchers with a .993 fielding percentage in 56 games.[9][10] Blackwell was granted free agency at the end of the season and, he signed with the Montreal Expos where he served as a reserve catcher behind Gary Carter for one season before retiring as a player in May 1983.[7]
In a 10 year career, Blackwell played in 426 games, accumulating 238 hits in 1044 at bats for a .228 career batting average along with 6 home runs and 80 runs batted in.[1] He ended his career with a .981 fielding percentage.[1] While he was a light-hitting catcher, Blackwell had a strong throwing arm with a quick release and, was a good pitch caller.[11]
Following his playing career, Blackwell became a catching instructor and coach with Toronto Blue Jays organisation, and then became a minor league manager for the Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies, Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants and New York Mets organizations.[2][12] He managed the 1989 Pittsfield Mets of the New York-Penn League to the playoffs and garnered Manager of the Year honors, and then led the Columbia Mets to the South Atlantic League championship in 1991.[2][12] He last managed the Winston-Salem Warthogs of the Class A Carolina League in 2008.[12]
| Preceded by Mike O'Berry |
Frederick Keys Manager 1996 |
Succeeded by Julio Gargia |
| Preceded by Bob Miscik |
Bowie Baysox Manager 1996 |
Succeeded by Tim Ferguson |
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