Gary Geiger

After coming up through the Indians’ system and playing in Cleveland in 1958, Geiger was traded to the Red Sox with the fading Vic Wertz in return for Jimmy Piersall. In 1959 Geiger played centerfield between the previous year’s MVP, Jackie Jensen, and batting champ, Ted Williams. A lefthanded hitter playing in Fenway Park, Geiger was batting .302 in 1960 when he went down with a collapsed lung, missing the rest of the season. He hit 50 HR over the next three seasons, but never hit near .300 again. He did hit .385 in 1964, but in only five games; he missed most of the season due to illness that extended into 1965, when he also suffered a fractured skull. The Red Sox gave up on him, and comebacks with the Braves and Astros as a reserve outfielder and pinch hitter proved disappointing.