Hobie Landrith

Landrith is perhaps best known as the Mets’ first pick in the expansion draft; manager Casey Stengel explained the choice by saying, “You gotta have a catcher or you’re gonna have a lot of passed balls.” Landrith had been a backup for the Reds (1950-55) but was traded after the 1955 season, when he had missed time with a broken collarbone. He was a regular for a weak Cubs team in 1956 and hit .221 while leading the league’s catchers in errors. As a regular on the 1959 Giants, he had his best season, hitting .251 with 29 RBI and 30 runs in 283 at-bats.