Randy Benson

Vernon Randall Benson

• Bats Right, Throws Left
• Height 6' 4", Weight 167 lb.
• School Pfeiffer College
• High School East Rowan High School

• Born December 15, 1950 in Salisbury, NC USA

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Randy Benson is the son of Vern Benson and pitched eight years in the minors, going 46-49.

Benson was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 27th round of the 1969 amateur draft but did not sign. He was later selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the third round of the 1972 amateur draft.

Randy split his rookie year between the Bluefield Orioles (3-0, 1.29 in three starts, 1 BB and 29 K in 21 IP) and the Miami Orioles (2-3, 1.35). In 1973, Benson was 7-4 with a 2.22 ERA for Miami, striking out 82 and allowing no homers in 85 IP.

With the 1974 Asheville Orioles, Randy had a 11-12, 4.14 record. He allowed 206 hits, the most in the Southern League and also served up the most home runs (24). He completed 14 of 26 starts, including three shutouts, tying him for the league lead. Additionally, he allowed more earned runs (85) than any other pitcher.

Moving to the St. Louis Cardinals organization, Benson had a 8-13, 4.07 line for the 1975 Arkansas Travelers. He walked only 28 in 148 innings but allowed 174 hits. In 1976, Benson went 3-4 with a 2.66 ERA for the independent Baton Rouge Cougars. If he had qualified (he was 3 innings short), he would have ranked second in the Gulf States League in ERA.

Joining the Chicago Cubs system, Benson went 0-2 with a 5.70 ERA for the 1977 Midland Cubs. Not pitching in 1978 in Organized Baseball, Randy returned in 1979 with the Toronto Blue Jays organization. He went 3-2 with a 2.70 ERA for the Kinston Eagles, throwing shutouts in two of his four starts. In his AAA debut, he had a 6-4, 3.89 record with 14 walks in 74 IP. He threw three more shutouts. At both levels, he fell one shy of the league shutout lead.

In 1980, Benson fell to 3-5, 4.85 despite being a regular member of the Syracuse rotation in his final season. He had at least 10 no-decision starts.

Benson later was a long-time regional scout for the St. Louis Cardinals, signing Chris Narveson and Ben Johnson among others.

Sources: 1973-1981 Baseball Guides