David Lee Schneck (born June 18, 1949) is a former

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), ...

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 ...

. He played parts of three seasons, from 1972 until 1974, with the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

. Originally drafted as a

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 ...

by the Mets in 1967, he did not begin his professional career until 1968 due to a shoulder injury. He was converted into an outfielder, and he started 1968 with the rookie class

Marion Mets The Marion Mets were a minor league baseball team based in Marion, Virginia that played in the Appalachian League from 1965 to 1976. They were affiliated with the New York Mets and played their home games at the Marion High School baseball field. ...

. At 19, he was drafted into the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

and served 14 months in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

. After missing the 1969 and 1970 seasons while serving in the Army, Schneck continued to progress through the minor leagues until 1972, when he made his Major League debut. After spending most of 1973 back in the minor leagues with the

Tidewater Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesap ...

, Schneck got his longest shot at the majors in 1974. He played 93 games with the Mets that season, batting .205 with 5 home runs. However, that proved to be the end of his Major League career. Schneck went 2–11 at the plate on September 11, 1974, during a 25 inning marathon night game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Those 11 at bats tied a Major League record for most at bats in a game. Schneck was traded along with

Tug McGraw Frank Edwin "Tug" McGraw Jr. (August 30, 1944 – January 5, 2004) was an American professional baseball relief pitcher and long-time Major League Baseball (MLB) player, often remembered for coining the phrase "Ya Gotta Believe", which became ...

and Don Hahn from the Mets to the Philadelphia Phillies for

Del Unser Delbert Bernard Unser (born December 9, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a center fielder and utility player from to , most prominently with the Philadelphia Phillies, where he was ...

John Stearns John Hardin Stearns (August 21, 1951 – September 15, 2022), nicknamed "Bad Dude", was an American professional baseball catcher and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the New York Mets from 1975 to 1984 after playing a single ...

, and

Mac Scarce Guerrant McCurdy "Mac" Scarce (born April 8, 1949) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher, who played in parts of five Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons from –. During his short career, the left-hander pitched for the ...

at the

Winter Meetings Representatives of all 30 Major League Baseball teams and their 120 Minor League Baseball affiliates convene for four days each December in the Winter Meetings to discuss league business and conduct off-season trades and transactions. Attendees in ...

on December 3, 1974. He started the 1975 season with their top farm club, the

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

, and on August 5 he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for

John Vukovich John Christopher Vukovich (July 31, 1947 – March 8, 2007), nicknamed "Vuk" or "Johnny Vuk", was an American professional baseball utility infielder, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB),

. He played with their top farm team, the Indianapolis Indians, until the end of the 1976 season. During that offseason, he was traded again, this time to the Chicago Cubs, for outfielder

Champ Summers John Junior "Champ" Summers (June 15, 1946 – October 11, 2012) was a Major League Baseball outfielder and first baseman for six teams during his eleven-year career that spanned from 1974 to 1984. Summers played with the Oakland Athletics, Chic ...

. After playing one more season in the minors, for the

Wichita Aeros The Wichita Aeros were an American minor league baseball franchise based in Wichita, Kansas, that played in the Triple-A American Association from 1970 through 1984. The Aeros were established as an expansion franchise when the Association gre ...

, Schneck retired. Schneck currently owns a company known as Schneck Waterproofing in

Northampton, Pennsylvania Northampton is a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. Its population was 10,395 as of the 2020 census. Northampton is located north of Allentown, northwest of Philadelphia, and west of New York City. The borough is part of the Lehigh ...

Early life

Schneck graduated from Whitehall High School, where he was a pitcher.

References

External links

Dave Schneck
at Baseball Almanac
Dave Schneck
at Ultimate Mets Database
Dave Schneck
at Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Professional Baseball League)
Dave Schneck
at Baseball Gauge {{DEFAULTSORT:Schneck, Dave 1949 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Baseball players from Allentown, Pennsylvania Florida Instructional League Mets players Indianapolis Indians players Leones del Caracas players Major League Baseball outfielders Marion Mets players Memphis Blues players New York Mets players Raleigh-Durham Mets players Tidewater Tides players Toledo Mud Hens players United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War United States Army soldiers Visalia Mets players Wichita Aeros players Whitehall High School (Pennsylvania) alumni