1977 Topps Baseball #89 - Butch Hobson

• Butch Hobson played  both football and baseball at the University of Alabama. He decided to pursue a baseball career and was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 1973.
• Butch played in the minors from 1973-1975. He was a September call-up in 1975 and went 1 for 4 in two games.
• After starting the season in AAA, Hobson was brought up and became the starting third baseman for the Red Sox in June 1976. He replaced longtime third baseman Rico Petrocelli, who was in his final season. Butch batted .234 with 8 HR and 34 RBI in 76 games.
• Hobson had a nice year in the power department in 1977 and got a little bit of support for AL MVP (23rd in the balloting).
• Butch didn't hit quite as well in 1978 -- he batted .250 with 17 HR and 80 RBI. He had bone chips in his elbow, an injury left over from  his college football days. Hobson also had problems with his knees.
• Hobson had surgery on his elbow after the 1978 season and it seemed to help him. Butch had his best year in 1979, batting .261 with 28 HR and 93 RBI.
• Shoulder problems plagued Butch in 1980 and he eventually was replaced by Glenn Hoffman. Hobson batted .228 with 11 HR and 39 RBI in 93 games.
• After the 1980 season Butch was traded (with Rick Burleson) to the California Angels for Carney Lansford, Rick Miller, and Mark Clear. In 1981 Hobson batted .235 with 4 HR and 36 RBI in 85 games.
• Hobson was traded to the New York Yankees for Bill Castro during spring training in 1982. Butch batted .172 in 30 games and spent some time in the minors.
• Butch played for AAA Columbus from 1983-1985 without getting back to the majors. 
• After his retirement Hobson managed in the minors from 1987-1991.
• Butch was named the manager of the Red Sox after the 1991 season. Hobson managed the club from 1992 through 1994 and wasn't very successful. Alcohol abuse  may have been a factor in Hobson's performance as manager. Butch was fired after the 1994 season.
• After his stint with the Red Sox, Butch returned to  managing in the minors. He was managing the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre club when he was arrested in his hotel room on May 4, 1996 and charged with felony cocaine possession. Hobson was fired from his position as manager, but he was able to avoid jail time by entering a first-time offenders program.
• Hobson returned to the Red Sox organization as a scout in 1998 and then managed their class A Sarasota farm club in 1999.
• Butch became the manager of the independent Nashua Pride in 2000. He managed the club from 2000-2007 before moving on to other teams. Butch is now the manager of the Lancaster Barnstormers.
• Here is a link to his SABR biography.
• 1977 Stats: .265, 30 HR, 112 RBI, 162 strikeouts (led AL) in 159 games
• 1977 Highlights:
• July 22 - Hit a 2-run double as the Red Sox shut out the Cleveland Indians 3-0.
• Aug 25 - Hit a 3-run homer to help the Red Sox to a 9-6 win over the Texas Rangers.
• Other card blogs: 1982, 1978