Robert Joyce "Shorty" Raudman (March 14, 1942 – December 17, 2020) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

player, 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 c ...

whose eight-season (1961–68) career included 16

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Baseball ...

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 (AL) ...

, divided between the and

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

. Listed at tall and , Raudman signed with the Cubs after attending

Monroe High School Monroe High School may refer to: *Monroe High School (Tehachapi) — Tehachapi, California * Monroe High School (Los Angeles) — Los Angeles, California *Monroe High School (Florida) — the former high school for negro students in Co ...

in what is now

North Hills, California North Hills, known previously as Sepulveda, is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles. North Hills was originally part of an agricultural community known as Mission Acres. After WWII, the newly-developed ...

. Despite his size, he was a power hitter in minor league baseball, amassing 17 or more

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run is ...

in four of his eight pro seasons. Raudman's first Cub trial came after he hit 20 homers with 84

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

for the 1966 Tacoma Cubs of the Triple-A

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Bas ...

. He started eight games in

left field In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering syst ...

in September and collected seven

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album s ...

, including two doubles. In 1967, he hit 17 home runs for Tacoma, sandwiched between brief appearances with the Cubs in April and September, then was traded on November 21, 1967, to the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive ...

(to complete an earlier deal for

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...

Dick Radatz Richard Raymond Radatz (April 2, 1937 – March 16, 2005) was an American relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. Nicknamed "The Monster", the , right-hander had a scorching but short-lived period of dominance for the Boston Red Sox in the ...

). The Indians then immediately packaged Raudman, pitcher

George Culver George Raymond Culver (born July 8, 1943), is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Ph ...

and

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the major ...

Fred Whitfield Fred Whitfield may refer to: * Fred Whitfield (baseball) * Fred Whitfield (rodeo) * Fred Whitfield (executive) Fred Whitfield (born in 1958) is the chief operating officer, president, vice chairman, alternate governor, and minority owner of the ...

to obtain outfielder

Tommy Harper Tommy Harper (born October 14, 1940) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder and third baseman. He played with the Cincinnati Reds (1962–67), Cleveland Indians (1968), Seattle Pilots / Milwaukee Brewers (1969–71), Boston Red S ...

from 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 ...

. Raudman died on December 17, 2020, at the age of 78.

References

External links

1942 births 2020 deaths Amarillo Gold Sox players Baseball players from Los Angeles Carlsbad Potashers players Chicago Cubs players Dallas–Fort Worth Spurs players Fort Worth Cats players Indianapolis Indians players Major League Baseball outfielders People from North Hills, Los Angeles Salt Lake City Bees players St. Cloud Rox players Tacoma Cubs players Tri-City Braves players Wenatchee Chiefs players Sportspeople from Erie, Pennsylvania {{US-baseball-outfielder-1940s-stub