Robert Lyle Stoddard (born March 8, 1957) is an American former professional baseball
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
who played for the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...
,
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 ...
,
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 penna ...
and
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
of
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), ...
(MLB). Stoddard attended
Fresno State University
California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bache ...
and he threw and batted
right-handed
In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...
.
Stoddard, who was 6'1" and 200 (some sources say he was 190 or 210) pounds, was drafted four times. He was drafted in the 19th round of the
1975 MLB draft
First round selections
The following are the first round picks in the 1975 Major League Baseball draft. Many baseball draft experts consider the 1975 draft to be the weakest in MLB history.
Other notable selections
''*'' Did not sign
N ...
by the
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...
, in the 3rd round of the
1976 MLB draft
First round selections
The following are the first round picks in the 1976 Major League Baseball draft.
''*'' Did not sign
Other notable Selections
''*'' Did not sign
Background
The 1976 Arizona State University team, considered by ma ...
by 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 te ...
. In 1976, he was drafted by 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) National League East, East division. The Braves ...
in the third round too, this time in a different draft (there are multiple drafts held each year). He was not drafted at all in 1977, and in 1978-when he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 10th round-he finally decided to sign.
Stoddard had spent less than four seasons in the minor leagues when he made his MLB debut on September 4, 1981, at the age of 24. He experienced two successful seasons in 1981 and 1982, posting
ERAs
Eras is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed by Albert Boton and Albert Hollenstein and was released by the International Typeface Corporation (ITC) in 1976. Eras is licensed by the Linotype type foundry.
A distinct and curious feature of E ...
of 2.60 and 2.41 in each of those two seasons, respectively. In 1983, his statistics went "downhill"-his win–loss record was a mediocre 9-17. After that season, his ERA reached under 3.00 only once more. His final MLB game was September 19, 1987.
References
External links
Venezuelan Professional Baseball LeagueStods Batting and Pitching Cages & Lessons
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stoddard, Bob
1957 births
Living people
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
Baseball players from San Jose, California
Calgary Cannons players
Denver Zephyrs players
Detroit Tigers players
Fresno State Bulldogs baseball players
Gavilan Rams baseball players
Kansas City Royals players
Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players
Leones del Caracas players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Major League Baseball pitchers
Nashville Sounds players
Norfolk Tides players
Omaha Royals players
Salt Lake City Gulls players
San Diego Padres players
San Jose Missions players
Seattle Mariners players
Spokane Indians players
Stockton Mariners players
Tacoma Tigers players