Mervin Weldon Rettenmund (born June 6, 1943) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

player and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

as an

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

from through , most notably as a member of the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

dynasty that won three consecutive American League pennants from 1969 to 1971 and, won the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the Worl ...

in 1970. Rettenmund also won world championships as a player for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

and, as a coach for the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...

Early years

Rettenmund attended Flint Southwestern High School, where he played

and

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

. In the summer after his senior year, he played as a catcher for the Buick Colts of the Michigan American Legion, contributing to the team winning the city and state championships. He turned down a contract offer from the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

of MLB. He accepted a football scholarship from

Ball State University Ball State University (Ball State, State or BSU) is a public university, public research university in Muncie, Indiana. It has two satellite facilities in Fishers, Indiana, Fishers and Indianapolis. On July 25, 1917, the Ball brothers, indust ...

, so the school could sign more

players. He lettered in

and football, receiving all-league honors in both sports. As a football player, he played at

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Th ...

and wide receiver. As a senior, he only played in 3 games after suffering a severe ankle sprain. He set the school career record for rushing yards per attempt: 7.6 yards (on 161 career carries). In baseball, he was a two-time All-Indiana Collegiate Conference selection. He set the school career home run record. In 1976, he was inducted into the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Rettenmund was selected by the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

in the 19th round (257th overall) of the 1965 NFL Draft. Unbeknownst to the Cowboys, he had signed a professional

contract with the

of MLB one day earlier on November 28. In 1965, he was assigned to the Single-A

Stockton Ports The Stockton Ports are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Stockton, California, and are named for the city's seaport. The team plays its home games at ...

to finish out the year. In 1966, he played in the

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major L ...

and received All-Star honors after hitting .307 with 21 home runs in 127 games. In 1967, he hit .286, before suffering a separated shoulder late in the summer. He played in the

Venezuelan Professional Baseball League The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) is the professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. History Early years Baseball exp ...

during winter. In 1968, he received the Minor League Player-of-the-Year award. He helped the Orioles win the 1969 and 1971

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league b ...

pennant, the 1970 World Series (including hitting a home run in the deciding Game 5 over the Cincinnati Reds) and the 1973 AL Eastern Division, the Reds win the

1975 World Series The 1975 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1975 season. The 72nd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Boston Red Sox and the Natio ...

and the Angels win the 1979 AL Western Division. He also served as hitting coach for the

1989 World Series The 1989 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1989 season. The 86th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Oakland Athletics and the Nat ...

champion

, as well as the Athletics' 1990 A.L. pennant-winners, and the 1998 National League champion

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

. He finished 19th in voting for the 1971 American League Most Valuable Player Award after compiling a .318 batting average (which was third-best in the American League), with 11 home runs, 75 runs batted in, and 81 runs scored. After the trade of

Frank Robinson Frank Robinson (August 31, 1935 – February 7, 2019) was an American professional baseball outfielder and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for five teams, from to . The only player to be named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of both ...

to the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League West, West division. Established in 1883 i ...

in early December 1971, Rettenmund began the 1972 season as the Orioles' starting

right fielder A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In ...

. By

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

, he was out of the starting lineup due to injuries, prolonged batting slumps and the emergence of Al Bumbry and

Rich Coggins Richard Allen Coggins (born December 7, 1950) is a former outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles (-), Montreal Expos (), New York Yankees (-) and Chicago White Sox (). Coggins helped the Orioles win the 1973 and 1974 American League Eastern Divisio ...

. Rettenmund, along with

Junior Kennedy Junior Raymond Kennedy (born August 9, 1950) is an American former professional baseball second baseman, who played during seven Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons. Junior's older brother, Jim Kennedy, played for the 1970 St.Louis Cardinals ...

and Bill Wood, was sent to the

for Ross Grimsley and Wally Williams on December 4, 1973. In 13 seasons, he played in 1,023 games and finished with a .271 batting average, 66 home runs and 329 runs batted in. He recorded a .985 fielding percentage while playing all three outfield positions. After his major league playing career, Rettenmund served as hitting coach for the Texas Rangers (1983–85), the Athletics (1989–90), the Padres (1991–99), the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in ...

(2000–01), and the

(2002). After three years out of the majors, Rettenmund returned as hitting coach of the Padres in June, 2006, replacing Dave Magadan. However, he was replaced on July 31, 2007 by

Wally Joyner Wallace Keith Joyner (born June 16, 1962) is an American former professional baseball player. He played for four major league teams during a 16-year career, most notably for the California Angels, for whom he was an All-Star. He was a member of ...

Personal life

Rettenmund currently resides in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Other honors

* Named a Distinguished Graduate of Ball State University in 1972. * Inducted as a charter member of the Ball State University Hall of Fame in 1976.

References

External links

Merv Rettenmund
at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
Pura Pelota

Well, He's That Kind of Guy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rettenmund, Merv 1943 births Living people Baseball players from Flint, Michigan Baseball players from Detroit Ball State Cardinals baseball players Ball State Cardinals football players Ball State University alumni Elmira Pioneers players Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Tiburones de La Guaira players Rochester Red Wings players Baltimore Orioles players Cincinnati Reds players San Diego Padres players California Angels players Atlanta Braves coaches Detroit Tigers coaches Florida Instructional League Orioles players Major League Baseball hitting coaches Major League Baseball left fielders Major League Baseball center fielders Major League Baseball right fielders Oakland Athletics coaches San Diego Padres coaches International League MVP award winners Southwestern High School (Michigan) alumni