Robert Anthony (Casper) Asbjornson (June 19, 1909 – January 21, 1970) was a

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

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), ...

who played for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

(-) and Cincinnati Reds (-). Asbjornson batted and threw right-handed. He was born in

Concord, Massachusetts Concord () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. At the 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is near where the confl ...

. Asbjornson was 19 years old when he debuted with the Boston Red Sox in 1928, being one of seven catchers used by the Red Sox in an unsuccessful attempt to replace retired

Grover Hartley Grover Allen Hartley (July 2, 1888 – October 19, 1964) was a backup catcher in Major League Baseball. From 1911 through 1934, he played for the New York Giants (1911–13, 1924–26), St. Louis Terriers (1914–15), St. Louis Browns (1916–17, ...

. Later, he saw more action with the Cincinnati Reds as a backup for

Clyde Sukeforth Clyde Leroy Sukeforth (November 30, 1901 – September 3, 2000), nicknamed "Sukey", was an American professional baseball catcher, coach, scout and manager. He was best known for signing the first black player in the modern era of Major League ...

and

Ernie Lombardi Ernesto Natali Lombardi (April 6, 1908 – September 26, 1977), was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher for the Brooklyn Robins, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Braves, and New York Giants during ...

in part of two seasons. His best year was , when he posted career-highs in

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

(.305),

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 ...

(22) and games played (45). In a four-season career, Asbjornson was a .235 hitter with one

home run 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 i ...

and 27 RBI in 97 games. Asbjornson died in

Williamsport, Pennsylvania Williamsport is a city in, and the county seat of, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. It recorded a population of 27,754 at the 2020 Census. It is the principal city of the Williamsport Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a popul ...

, at the age of 60.

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1909 births 1970 deaths Major League Baseball catchers Boston Red Sox players Cincinnati Reds players Akron Tyrites players Baltimore Orioles (International League) players Dallas Steers players Fort Worth Cats players Pine Bluff Judges players Pittsfield Hillies players Nashville Vols players Toledo Mud Hens players Waco Cubs players Williamsport Grays players Baseball players from Concord, Massachusetts Sportspeople from Williamsport, Pennsylvania Baseball players from Pennsylvania {{US-baseball-catcher-1900s-stub