Rick Wrona

Richard James Wrona

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 185 lb.
• School Wichita State University
• High School Bishop Kelley High School
• Debut September 3, 1988
• Final Game July 22, 1994
• Born December 10, 1963 in Tulsa, OK USA

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Biographical Information

Rick Wrona was signed as a 5th round pick in the 1985 amateur draft by the Chicago Cubs and scout Ron Hollingsworth. He played in six major league seasons with four teams; his best year was as a member of the Chicago Cubs when they were the National League East Division Champions in 1989. That year, he hit .283 in 38 games and 92 at-bats, numbers he would never match again. He also went 0 for 5 in the epic NLCS clash with the San Francisco Giants.

After that season, he was pushed down the Cubs' depth chart with the emergence of Hector Villanueva and Rick Wilkins. He hit .172 in 16 games in 1990, then was in the minors the next year. He played again for the Cincinnati Reds in 1992, the Chicago White Sox in 1993 and the Milwaukee Brewers in 1994. In his last 5 at bats in the major leagues on July 20 and July 22, 1994, he hit 3 doubles and a home run. He had previously only had 3 doubles and 2 home runs in the majors. In his last three seasons taken together, he played in just 21 games and had 43 at-bats.

His minor league career lasted from 1985 to 1998. He was in AAA for ten of those seasons, between 1988 and 1998, the only exception being 1992 when he played just 40 games, all of them in AA with the Nashville Sounds. He was not a particularly strong hitter in the minors as well, with a career .239 average and 39 homers in 899 games.

Wrona is the only player in Major League history with a last name that starts with "Wro". Two of his brothers, Bill Wrona and Ron Wrona, played in the minor leagues.