George Weicker

George Edward Weicker

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 215 lb.
• School Davidson College
• High School Cardinal Gibbons School

• Born ~1953

Minors BR page

Biographical Information

George Weicker played five seasons of minor league ball (reaching AAA) then coached at the college and high school levels.

Weicker attended Davidson College, where he played baseball and football. As a senior there, he hit .448 with 10 home runs, led the nation in batting average (some sources list Randy Diaz-Gonzales at .449), and was named Southern Conference Player of the Year and the All-American DH (all but one of the other hitters named All-American would go on to the majors). He began his pro career in the Cincinnati Reds organization with the Billings Mustangs in 1975, hitting .311/.439/.508 with 23 doubles, 7 homers, 49 runs, 50 RBI and 55 walks in 72 games. He led the 1975 Pioneer League in fielding at 1B (.978), putouts there (542), assists at 1B (34), errors at first (13) and double plays at first (32). Among hitters, he was tied for first in walks (with Bret Paris), 7th in average, 3rd in OBP (behind Ray Crowley and Richard Brewster), 3rd in slugging (trailing Andre Dawson and Crowley), second in OPS (behind Crowley, ahead of Dawson), tied for 4th in runs (with Paris), second in doubles (to James Elrod), 3rd in home runs and tied for second in RBI (even with Dawson, behind Andy Dyes). He was named the league's All-Star first baseman.

With the Tampa Tarpons in '76, his batting line fell to .279/.382/.359 but it was a more pitcher-friendly league and he was still tied for 10th in average and 4th in OBP. He lost out Florida State League All-Star honors at third base to Lou Whitaker, who had a slightly lower OPS. He had perhaps his best season in 1977, hitting .293/.360/.480 with 20 home runs and 97 RBI for the Trois-Rivieres Aigles, playing DH almost full-time. He was 7th in the Eastern League in slugging, 5th in home runs (3 of the 4 players with more would play in the majors) and was second in RBI, 7 behind leader Ike Blessitt. Weicker was named the All-Star DH. His offensive numbers were down with the Nashville Sounds the next year (.260/.326/.349, 3 HR). His .990 fielding percentage at first base nearly led the Southern League in one bright spot.

He left the Reds organization in 1979, joining the Caracas Metropolitanos of the new Inter-American League, hitting .272 with a .342 slugging in 51 games.

Following his playing days, Weicker was a hitting coach at Vanderbilt University from 1980-1984. He later became a longtime high school baseball and football coach at Franklin Road Academy, winning three state titles in baseball and one in football.

Sources

• 1976-1980 Baseball Guides
• Former Vandy Coach Weicker Talks Career