Ron Henry (baseball) explained

Ron Henry
Position:Catcher
Bats:Right
Throws:Right
Birth Date:7 August 1936
Birth Place:Chester, Pennsylvania
Death Place:Denver, Colorado
Debutleague:MLB
Debutdate:April 15
Debutyear:1961
Debutteam:Minnesota Twins
Finalleague:MLB
Finaldate:October 2
Finalyear:1964
Finalteam:Minnesota Twins
Statleague:MLB
Stat1label:Batting average
Stat1value:.130
Stat2label:Home runs
Stat2value:2
Stat3label:Runs batted in
Stat3value:8
Teams:

Ronald Baxter Henry (August 7, 1936 – May 14, 2016) was an American professional baseball player. He was a catcher who spent one full season (1961) and part of another (1964) in Major League Baseball as a member of the Minnesota Twins. Born in Chester, Pennsylvania, he threw and batted right-handed, stood 6feet tall, and weighed .

Henry's career lasted for 15 seasons (1954–68). The first seven were spent in the farm system of the Milwaukee Braves. He was chosen in the 1960 Rule 5 draft after batting .310 for the Austin Senators of the Double-A Texas League, and spent the entire 1961 campaign with the Twins in their first season in the Twin Cities. He was the club's third-string catcher (behind Earl Battey and Hal Naragon) and played in only 20 games, 14 as a pinch hitter. Henry batted only .143 with four hits, then spent the next 2 seasons in the minor leagues until his recall to Minnesota in June 1964. With Battey, a five-time American League All-Star, still entrenched as the Twins' regular receiver, Henry's opportunities again were limited. He appeared in 22 games, 13 as a catcher, and logged 41 at bats. He hit his only two Major League home runs, off Don Lee and Dave Vineyard,[1] but made only three other hits.

Altogether, Henry appeared in 42 MLB games, with nine hits in 69 at bats. He resumed his minor league playing career in 1965.

Henry died on May 14, 2016, aged 79, in Denver, Colorado, of cardiovascular disease and end stage renal disease.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ron Henry. retrosheet.org. June 6, 2016.
  2. News: Ron Henry, swingin' Denver singer, dies at 79. Claire. Cleveland. June 2, 2016. The Denver Post. Denver, Colorado. June 6, 2016.