Ron Swoboda

Ronald Alan Swoboda
(Rocky)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 205 lb.
• School University of Maryland, New York University
• High School Sparrows Point High School
• Debut April 12, 1965
• Final Game September 30, 1973
• Born June 30, 1944 in Baltimore, MD USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Ron Swoboda played almost his entire major league career in New York, NY, split between the New York Mets and the New York Yankees. He was briefly with the Montreal Expos in 1971 also. In the 1969 World Series he hit .400 and made a tremendous catch in right field as a key contributor to the Mets' upset of the Baltimore Orioles.

Although his lifetime batting average appears to be low, he played during the second dead-ball era when averages were typically low. He added lots of walks and some power, with 19 home runs as a rookie. Only twice did he get over 400 at-bats in a season.

While Swoboda's fielding ability has been questioned, statistics suggest that he covered more ground and made more catches than many other players. For players with 100 or more innings at a position, Swoboda led his teams in putouts per inning a number of times. After playing left field for the Mets in 1966 (Larry Elliot had a higher putout ratio in LF that year), Swoboda's ratio of putouts per inning in right field was close to the team leader(s) during the 1967 through 1969 seasons. Rod Gaspar had a 0.200 ratio during 1969 in RF, while Swoboda had 0.199, and Gaspar was considered to be a good defensive outfielder with notable range.

After his playing days he became a sportscaster, working for the New Orleans Zephyrs.

Notable Achievements

• 1965 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
• Won a World Series with the New York Mets in 1969

Further Reading

• Ron Swoboda: Here's the Catch: A Memoir of the Miracle Mets and More, Thomas Dunne Books, Macmillan, New York, NY, 2019, ISBN 9781250235664

Related Sites

• Ron Swoboda at the SABR Bio Project
• The Southpaw "Tommie Agee and Ron Swoboda: 1969 World Series Catches" (video)