Dick Rand

Richard Hilton Rand

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 185 lb.

• Debut September 16, 1953
• Final Game September 17, 1957
• Born March 7, 1931 in South Gate, CA USA
• Died January 22, 1996 in Moreno Valley, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Eighteen-year-old catcher Dick Rand was signed as an amateur free agent by the St. Louis Cardinals before the 1949 season. Dick was assigned to the Fresno Cardinals of the class C California League, appeared in 118 games and hit .236. 1950 was the young man's only year in his career to hit over the .300 level. Dick hit .321 with 11 homers for the Pocatello Cardinals of the Pioneer League that year.

In the mid-1950s Dick saw most of his playing time behind the plate with the Houston Buffaloes in 1953 (when he hit .284) and in 1954 (when he hit .273). He was with the Omaha Cardinals in 1955, hitting .257, and with the Rochester Red Wings in 1956, where he hit .278.

Dick had brief stays with St. Louis in 1953, appearing in 9 games, and in 1955 he made it into 3 contests. Rand was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1957 and hit .219 in 60 games as a backup to Hank Foiles for last-place Pittsburgh in 1957. That season wound up his major league run, during which he hit .240 in 72 games.

Dick spent 11 seasons (1949-1961) in pro baseball, nearly all in the high minors, catching 1133 games with a .984 fielding percentage and a minor league career batting average of .272 with 64 homers. He died in his native state on January 22, 1996 at age 64 in Moreno Valley, CA.

Sources

Baseball Players of the 1950s

Related Sites

• BR Minors page