Bob Spicer

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Robert Oberton Spicer

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 173 lb.
• High School Newport News High School
• Debut April 17, 1955
• Final Game September 22, 1956
• Born April 11, 1925 in Richmond, VA USA
• Died February 27, 2016 in Fayetteville, NC USA

BR page

Biographical Information

22-year-old Bob Spicer was signed as an amateur free agent by the Chicago Cubs before the 1947 season. He was fresh off of a three-year enlistment in the United States Armed Forces, serving with the Army during World War II. The right-hander was assigned to the Lumberton Cubs of the Tobacco State League and promptly showed them how to play. He went 16-7 with a 3.18 ERA and had a .311 batting average.

By the end of 1954, Spicer had been with six different clubs in six different minor leagues, had a record of 117-75 with a 3.42 ERA and a .271 batting average. On November 22, 1954 he was drafted by the Kansas City Athletics from the Cubs in the 1954 Rule V Draft. He received a pair of two-game trials out of the Kansas City bullpen in 1955 and 1956, in which he had no decisions while being racked up for 15 runs and 15 hits in five innings. That equates to a 27.00 ERA and in this case a bus ticket to Savannah, GA,

This little incident didn't bother Spicer a bit, the 31-year-old went right on playing and went 12-4 with a 3.08 ERA for the Columbus Jets of the International League in 1956 but his hitting fell to a .235 average. Bob kept his spirit up and stayed in the game until 1961, a total of 15 seasons (1947-1961) finishing out his pro baseball career with the Williamsport Grays of the Eastern League with a career minor league record of 166-120, with a 3.64 ERA. Plus, the 36-year-old pitcher had a lifetime .244 batting average. Just for the record Spicer appeared in 526 contests on the mound and went to the plate 888 times.

Spicer became a salesman in the shoe department for the Fleischman Brothers clothing store and later managed the shoe department for Divine's Sporting Goods before retiring in Fayetteville, NC, in 1991.

Sources

Baseball Players of the 1950s

Related Sites

• BR Minors page