1977 Topps Baseball #175 - Butch Wynegar

• Butch Wynegar was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 1974. He played in the minors in 1974 and in 1975.
• Wynegar  made the jump all the way from single-A ball to the majors in 1976. Butch enjoyed an excellent season. He finished second to Mark Fidrych in Rookie of the Year voting, made the AL All Star team (he walked in his only at bat), and batted .260 with 10 HR and 69 RBI. Wynegar did all of this at the age of 20.
• Butch Wynegar: The Twins' Budding Star - November 1976 Baseball Digest
• Butch had another good year in 1977. He batted .261 with 10 HR and 79 RBI and made the AL All Star team again (he went 1 for 2 with a run scored).
• How the Tigers Missed Out in Drafting Butch Wynegar - November 1977 Baseball Digest
• Wynegar had a drop-off in offense in 1978. He batted .229 with four HR in 135 games.
• Butch bounced back in 1979 by batting .270 with 7 HR and 57 RBI. 
• In 1980 Wynegar batted .255 with 5 HR and 57 RBI.
• In January 1981 Wynegar signed a big contract with the Twins. The Twins were known more for losing players to free-agency, so this was a pretty big deal.
• Butch got off to a tough start in 1981. He was batting .209 in 24 games when he was traded to the New York Yankees on May 13. The Yankees needed a replacement for the injured Rick Cerone and the Twins were in the process of trading their high-priced veterans. Butch batted .293 in 63 games for the Yankees in '82.
• Wynegar and Cerone split time behind the plate for the Yankees in 1983. Butch batted .296 in 94 games.
• The 1984 season was Wynegar's last one as the main starting catcher. He played in 129 games and batted .267 with 6 HR and 45 RBI.
• Butch played in 102 games in 1985 but his offensive numbers were down (.223, 5 HR, 32 RBI). Wynegar was used more as a defensive replacement for Ron Hassey.
• In 1986 the Yankees used three catchers -- Wynegar, Hassey, and Joel Skinner. Hassey had the better bat while Wynegar and Skinner were better defensively. Butch batted .206 in 61 games for the Yankees in '86.
• After the 1986 season Butch was traded to the California Angels for Ron Romanick and Alan Mills. Butch spent the next two seasons as a backup catcher, batting .207 in 31 games in 1987 and .255 in 27 games in 1988.
• Wynegar struggled with injuries in 1988 and didn't play after May 24. Butch was released after the season and he retired.
• After his playing career Butch coached and managed in the minors for several years.
• Butch Wynegar Enjoyed A Meteoric Rise to the Majors - July 1996 Baseball Digest
• 1977 Stats: .261, 10 HR, 79 RBI in 144 games
• 1977 Highlights:
• June 16 - Scored the winning run with two out in the 9th inning as the Twins beat Nolan Ryan and the California Angels 2-1.
• July 7 - Went 3 for 3 and drove in three runs, helping the Twins beat the Angels 8-6.
• July 14 - Chosen for his second straight AL All Star team.
• Aug 2 - Hit a 3-run homer to help the Twins beat the Cleveland Indians 9-4.
• Other card blogs: 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988