Bob Molinaro

Robert Joseph Molinaro

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 190 lb.
• High School Essex Catholic High School
• Debut September 18, 1975
• Final Game October 2, 1983
• Born May 21, 1950 in Newark, NJ USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Over eight seasons, outfielder Bob Molinaro appeared in 401 games in the majors, mostly with the Chicago White Sox.

Selected by the Detroit Tigers in the second round of the 1968 amateur draft, Molinaro began his pro career with the GCL Tigers that year, hitting .324 in 55 games. With the Evansville Triplets in 1975, he was an American Association All-Star, posting a .287 average with 13 home runs and 26 stolen bases. This performance earned him a September call-up to Detroit, where he hit .263 in 6 games. After spending most of the next two summers back with Evansville, he appeared in 4 games for Detroit in 1977 before being claimed off waivers by the White Sox late that year. He went 1-for-2 in his only game with Chicago.

Molinaro saw significant playing time for the White Sox in 1978, hitting .262 and stealing 22 bases in 105 games. However, he was back in the minors for most of the next summer with the AAA Iowa Oaks, for whom he hit .328 with 13 homers, 93 RBIs, and 50 stolen bases, once again earning an American Association All-Star selection. He was acquired by the Baltimore Orioles late in that 1979 season, but he went hitless in 6 big league at-bats for them that year and was re-acquired by Chicago.

Molinaro was the White Sox's primary leftfielder in 1980, and he hit .291 while stealing 18 bases. However, after Chicago acquired Ron LeFlore, Molinaro only appeared in 47 games in 1981. The following spring, in 1982 he was sent across town to the Chicago Cubs. After a stint with the Philadelphia Phillies at the end of that season, he ended his big league career back with the Tigers in 1983. He did return to minor league ball in 1985, hitting .250 with 12 home runs for the Rochester Red Wings.

In 1989, Molinaro played for the Gold Coast Suns of the Senior Professional Baseball Association. He hit .298 with 5 home runs and 36 RBI, and stole 11 bases with the club. The next year, he played for the Fort Myers Sun Sox in the same circuit, appearing in 22 games and batting .339 when the league folded.

Notable Achievements

• 1978 Topps All-Star Rookie Team

Year-By-Year Minor League Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1986	Hagerstown Suns	Carolina League	91-48	1st	Baltimore Orioles	Lost League Finals
1989	Canton-Akron Indians	Eastern League	70-69	3rd	Cleveland Indians	Lost in 1st round
1990	Colorado Springs Sky Sox	Pacific Coast League	37-34	--	Cleveland Indians		replaced by Charlie Manuel on June 22
1991	Charlotte Rangers	Florida State League	62-70	10th	Texas Rangers