Richard Bengston

Richard Bengston

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 205 lb.
• High School Richwoods High School

• Born ~1954

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Richard Bengston was drafted by the New York Mets in the 1st round, 13th overall, in the 1972 amateur draft (between Mike Ondina and Scott McGregor - ahead of Hall of Famers Dennis Eckersley and Gary Carter) - but he never played past Double-A. He played from 1972 to 1976.

He hit .249/.342/.318 for the 1972 Marion Mets, with 18 passed balls in 42 games at catcher. He tied Harold Workman for second in the Appalachian League in passed balls. In 1973, he batted .268/.378/.398 for the Pompano Beach Mets; he again had 18 passed balls, but this time in 91 games behind the plate. He joined Bobbie Goodman as the Florida State League's All-Star catchers.

With the 1974 Visalia Mets, he was a backup in the outfield and at catcher, producing at a .256/.350/.360 clip and having 16 passed balls in 37 games. With Visalia again in 1975, he hit .267/.336/.431 with 14 home runs and 71 RBI in 113 games for the Visalia Mets while moving to first base. He was 9th in the California League in homers. In 1976, he hit .207/.276/.273 in 32 games for the Jackson Mets and also played for the Montréal Expos' West Palm Beach Expos (.234/.322/.332).

He hit .252/.342/.367 with 34 home runs, 217 runs and 214 RBI overall in 513 games. He fielded .986 in 213 games at 1B, .971 in 183 games at C, .964 in 68 games in the OF and .881 in 20 games at third base.