Joe Rovner

Joseph D. Rovner

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 180 lb.

• Born 1929

Joe Rovner spent five years in the minor leagues. He broke in with the 1947 for the Seminole Oilers and Miami Owls (.235, 0 HR, 46 RBI). In '48, Joe moved on to the Abingdon Triplets (.248, 19 RBI) and Kingsport Cherokees (.191, 6 RBI). He split 1949 between two Wisconsin State League teams, the Appleton Papermakers and Oshkosh Giants, hitting a combined .250 with 41 RBI. He hit his first home run in 1950 - and added nine more. Overall, he batted .235/~.358/.374 with 70 runs, 68 RBI, 80 walks and 10 homers in what presumably was his best year. He also led the Northern League second basemen in fielding percentage (.971).

Rovner missed the next two seasons, presumably due to military service. He returned to hit .248 with nine homers and 57 RBI with the 1953 Danville Dans in his final season.

Sources

1951 Baseball Guide, Pat Doyle's Professional Baseball Player Database

Personal Remembrance

Joe Rovner was a minor league infielder in the New York Giants farm system in the early 1950s. He played for the St.Cloud Rox (Minn.) of the Class C Northern League during some of his career. He also was noted for his slow-motion comic impersonation of a pitcher, and he had a bit part in the 1953 movie "The Big Leaguer" doing this pitching routine. --User:Pitcher53