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Johnny Bench was 84-3 as a HS Pitcher & had only caught 17 games when drafted by Reds.
Posted on 3/16/25 at 10:57 am
Posted on 3/16/25 at 10:57 am
So the greatest catcher in history had only caught 17 games when the Reds drafted him as a catcher.
While living in a tiny town in Oklahoma, in the early 60's.
Some Reds scout earned his paycheck on that one.
While living in a tiny town in Oklahoma, in the early 60's.
Some Reds scout earned his paycheck on that one.
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6
Posted on 3/16/25 at 11:29 am to Dumpster Diver
Yet another dad that figured out how to push the right buttons on his son’s talent.
Posted on 3/16/25 at 11:57 am to Dumpster Diver
quote:
Bench: The Cubs really wanted me and Billy Caps, the scout for the Chicago Cubs loved me. He brought his head of scouting down to watch me and I’d just come off a class trip, a senior trip, and I hadn’t played in like ten or twelve days. And I went 1 for 4. They said, “Please stay over, we’ve got a game tomorrow night.” He said, “Naw, I got to go check these other guys.” So the next night I went 4 for 4 with two homeruns and two doubles. Billy, he wanted to draft me in the first round. But they thought, “No, nobody will know him.” I mean, it’s the first draft they ever had in 1965.
JE: Um-hmm (affirmative).
Bench: They said, “No, we don’t have to waste a draft pick on him.” When a lot of the scouts and some of the directors were at some kind of a baseball meeting they were just chatting and having a few cocktails and they started talking, “Hey, what about this guy? What about this guy?” And they said, “What do you think about this kid, Bench?” And Jim McLaughlin, who was the Minor League director, said, “Oh we’re not that high on him,” and walked out of the room. And people said, “Who the hell is Bench?” So they sent Tony Robello in from Texas, and Bob Thurman in from Kansas. They saw me play two games, I think I got two hits. But they loved the way I threw. That’s how I became a Cincinnati Red, drafted in the second round. Actually, I was drafted twice. I was drafted John Bench out of Binger, and I was drafted as Johnny Lee Bench out of Anadarko. So I became a Red and at seventeen years of age I was ready to negotiate my big bonus.
JE: So Chicago was going to draft you but didn’t think they needed to move that fast and the Reds beat them to the punch. Is that true?
Bench: Yeah that’s the way it was.
JE: Wow.
Posted on 3/16/25 at 12:41 pm to Dumpster Diver
So he was the number one pitcher in the country but got drafted 36?
Posted on 3/16/25 at 12:55 pm to Dumpster Diver
quote:
Johnny Bench was 84-3 as a HS Pitcher
Was he starting in 7th grade?
Posted on 3/16/25 at 1:02 pm to Dumpster Diver
Posted on 3/16/25 at 2:23 pm to 91TIGER
Those mountains look like the same "Oklahoma" mountains in the first True Grit. 
Posted on 3/16/25 at 4:57 pm to CatsGoneWild
quote:
So he was the number one pitcher in the country but got drafted 36?
I was the number one pitcher in the county
County, not Country.
Can't you people read?
Posted on 3/16/25 at 7:04 pm to Dumpster Diver
There were a lot of wild stories about Joe Mauer when he was in high school, too, though he played a lot more catcher than Bench apparently did. He was also a pitcher and was throwing in the 90s, and, famously, only struck out one time in his high school career. #1 pick in the draft.
Baseball might not even have been his best sport, since he was the national player of the year in baseball AND football. #1 recruit at QB, athletic at 6'5" or 6'6", huge arm. Bobby Bowden allegedly held a scholarship open for him until he made the pros hoping to pull a Weinke (Weinke and Mauer went to the same high school, as did Steve Walsh for Miami).
Oh, also All State basketball.
Pretty good argument that he was the most dominant high school athlete ever in the big 3.
Baseball might not even have been his best sport, since he was the national player of the year in baseball AND football. #1 recruit at QB, athletic at 6'5" or 6'6", huge arm. Bobby Bowden allegedly held a scholarship open for him until he made the pros hoping to pull a Weinke (Weinke and Mauer went to the same high school, as did Steve Walsh for Miami).
Oh, also All State basketball.
Pretty good argument that he was the most dominant high school athlete ever in the big 3.
This post was edited on 3/16/25 at 7:08 pm
Posted on 3/16/25 at 8:30 pm to wablty
FSU also had a commitment from Matt Holliday, who was also a 5* QB around that time and obviously lost him to baseball also.
Posted on 3/16/25 at 8:41 pm to 91TIGER
He was 96-0 in the baseball bunch. Iykyk
Posted on 3/16/25 at 9:06 pm to Brisketeer
Instead they got 4 years of Chris "Reggie Ball before Reggie Ball" Rix.
This post was edited on 3/16/25 at 9:07 pm
Posted on 3/17/25 at 12:55 am to wablty
quote:
Pretty good argument that (Joe Mauer) was the most dominant high school athlete ever in the big 3.
Danny Ainge is still the only high school athlete ever to be named first team All-American in football, basketball and baseball.
Posted on 3/17/25 at 1:29 am to CatsGoneWild
quote:
So he was the number one pitcher in the country but got drafted 36?
the myth must stand
Posted on 3/17/25 at 7:44 am to WinnPtiger
quote:
So he was the number one pitcher in the country but got drafted 36?
the myth must stand
Myths are started by people who cannot read. He said he was the number one pitcher in the county.
From the tweet
quote:
I was the number one pitcher in the county, and a catcher.
Posted on 3/17/25 at 7:47 am to CatsGoneWild
quote:
So he was the number one pitcher in the country but got drafted 36?
Now that someone has pointed out your error, I wonder if you will edit and take credit for your goof-up?
Posted on 3/17/25 at 10:20 am to mdomingue
The by far the best player for a school was the main pitcher and not playing the position he was most suited for in the pros?? Shocking that a scout was able to pick up something like that.
Ideal catcher measurables are basically Bench’s measurables.
Ideal catcher measurables are basically Bench’s measurables.
This post was edited on 3/17/25 at 10:21 am
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