Mark Randall Bobb (January 1, 1948 – June 13, 1982) was a right-handed

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

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), ...

for the

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 located ...

. Originally drafted by the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

in the 3rd round (43rd overall) of the 1966 amateur draft out of Verdugo Hills High School in Tujunga, California, Bobb did not sign, opting to play at

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

. The year of college baseball paid off, as the Chicago Cubs made Bobb the second overall selection in the first round of the June 1967 draft's secondary phase. Bobb made his major league debut just 14 months later, catching the final four innings of an 8-0 Cubs defeat on August 15, 1968. He made his first major league start six days later in the second game of a doubleheader against 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 ...

. His first (and only) major league hit came in the 4th inning, a single off

Ron Reed Ronald Lee Reed (born November 2, 1942) is a former two-sport star who spent two seasons as a power forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) before spending nearly two decades as a Major League Baseball pitcher. Early life and educa ...

. Bobb appeared in four more games that season with the Cubs and was the eighth-youngest player to appear in the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

in 1968. Bobb was again called up to the majors in September 1969 as the Cubs were undergoing an historic collapse that would see them lose the division title to 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 ...

. Bobb appeared in three games, going 0-for-2 at the plate. Before the 1970 season, the Cubs traded him to the Mets for 32-year-old catcher

J.C. Martin J. C. Martin may refer to: * J. C. Martin (baseball) :For the former long-term mayor of Laredo, Texas, see '' J. C. Martin (Texas politician)''. Joseph Clifton Martin (born December 13, 1936) is an American former professional baseball player. He ...

, who would go on to be the Cubs' backup backstop for the next three years. Despite just being 21 years of age, Bobb never returned to the major leagues. Bobb died on June 13, 1982 following a car accident.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bobb, Randy 1948 births 1982 deaths Baseball players from Los Angeles Chicago Cubs players Major League Baseball catchers Road incident deaths in California Arizona State Sun Devils baseball players Caldwell Cubs players Arizona League Cubs players San Antonio Missions players Lodi Crushers players Tacoma Cubs players Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players Portland Beavers players Tidewater Tides players Memphis Blues players Midland Cubs players Knoxville Sox players