By Brian Joura
[Yesterday was] George Foster’s 75th birthday. Mets fans of a certain age view Foster as a poster boy in the case for being wary about getting guys on the wrong side of 30. It certainly looked like a slam-dunk move when the Mets acquired Foster before the start of the 1982 season. But it certainly didn’t work out for either the team or the player. The Mets released Foster in 1986. He played briefly with the White Sox later that season before being released again in what turned out to be the final season of his career.
Originally drafted by the San Francisco Giants, Foster quickly advanced thru their minor league system. He received cups of coffee in the majors in both 1969 and 1970 before making the team’s Opening Day roster in 1971 at the age of 22. But he was a backup outfielder on a team with two 25 year olds – one of them Bobby Bonds – and Willie Mays as starters. Additionally, the Giants had Dave Kingman ready to make his MLB debut.
No comments:
Post a Comment