Rod Graber

Rodney Blaine Graber

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 11", Weight 175 lb.

• Debut September 9, 1958
• Final Game September 24, 1958
• Born June 20, 1930 in Massillon, OH USA
• Died December 5, 2014 in San Diego, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Rod Graber was 18 years old when he played his first year of pro baseball with the Newport Canners of the Mountain States League in 1948. He appeared in 16 games and hit for a .333 average. In 1949 he was signed by the Cleveland Indians. The left-handed hitting outfielder was with the Green Bay Bluejays in both 1949 and 1950, hitting .288 his first year and .302 in his second and leading the Wisconsin State League in runs scored with 124.

Graber was in the military during the Korean War for the next two years (1951-1952), but returned in time for the 1953 season with the Reading Indians, appearing in 144 contests and hitting for a .286 average. Rod spent until 1958 in five different minor leagues and finally made it to the majors, but just briefly, with the Cleveland Indians in 1958, picking up one base hit in eight at-bats in four games.

He spent the next five years (1959-1963) back in the minors and finished out his 14 active years in pro baseball in 1963 with the Spokane Indians of the Pacific Coast League, hitting for a .263 average. Rod's best season, in all probability, was in 1958 with the San Diego Padres of the PCL when he hit .301 and had 10 home runs. Overall, aside from his short time in the major leagues, Graber appeared in 1,761 contests, went to bat 6,004 times, collected 1,710 base hits (including 51 home runs) for a .284 minor league career average.

Until his retirement Graber was employed by the Coca-Cola Bottling Company in San Diego, CA.

Sources

Baseball-Reference.com
Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball: Third Edition
Baseball Players of the 1950s
SABR MILB Database:page