Roger Metzger

Roger Henry Metzger

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 165 lb.
• School St. Edward's University
• High School Holy Cross of San Antonio High School
• Debut June 16, 1970
• Final Game August 10, 1980
• Born October 10, 1947 in Fredericksburg, TX USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Roger Metzger, who played 11 seasons in the majors, was a defensive star who won the National League Gold Glove at shortstop in 1973. As a hitter, he led the National League in triples in 1971 and 1973.

Metzger was born in Fredericksburg, TX, north of San Antonio, TX. He attended high school in San Antonio and went to college in Austin, TX, where he majored in mathematics. The Chicago Cubs made him their first round draft pick in the 1969 amateur draft; he was the second shortstop picked in the draft, after Alan Bannister.

The Cubs assigned Roger to the Tacoma Cubs in 1969 and 1970, and brought him up for one game in 1970. After that season, he was traded to the Houston Astros for Hector Torres, who had been the Astros' regular shortstop during the 1968 season.

Roger played for Houston from 1971 through part of the 1978 season. He rarely played any position other than shortstop during that period, and was often a workhorse, typically appearing in 140+ games in a season. In 1972 his 23 stolen bases were good for ninth in the league.

In the middle of the 1978 season, the San Francisco Giants bought him. The rest of the Giants' infield was composed of big stars - Willie McCovey, Bill Madlock and Darrell Evans, while he shared playing time at shortstop with Johnnie LeMaster; the team won 89 games that year. He stayed with the Giants through 1980.

In 1980, Roger attempted to make a comeback after losing four fingers in an accident with a chainsaw during the offseason. However, he only hit .074 and was released by the Giants in August.

After baseball, he taught mathematics at Brenham High School and as of 2005 was the job procurement officer at the Brenham State School. Source: Alumni Spotlight. He was inducted in the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.

Notable Achievements

• NL Gold Glove Winner (1973)
• 2-time NL Triples Leader (1971 & 1973)

Related Sites

• Biography at the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame