RICH ROWLAND INDEX CARD SIGNED 1990-95 TIGERS BOSTON RED SOX PSA/DNA CERTIFIED

Description

RICH ROWLAND INDEX CARD SIGNED 1990-95 TIGERS BOSTON RED SOX PSA/DNA CERTIFIED
Richard Garnet Rowland
(born February 25, 1964 in
Cloverdale, California
) is a former baseball player for
Major League Baseball
who played from 1990–1995. He played as a backup
catcher
for the
Detroit Tigers
and the
Boston Red Sox
. In addition to catching, he also played sparsely as a
designated hitter
,
first baseman
,
third baseman
, and
pinch runner
(although appearing only as a pinch runner in a game does not count as a
game played
). Prior to playing professional baseball, Rowland attended
Mendocino College
in nearby
Ukiah, California
.
[1]
He also had a longer career in
minor league baseball
on and off from 1988–1997, where he even served as a
pitcher
in three games
Detroit Tigers
He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in round 17 of the June 1988 draft. He played on various minor league teams before he made his professional debut late into the
1990 Detroit Tigers season
on September 7, 1990 at the age of 26 as part of the team's late season
expanded roster
. While playing in the Major Leagues for the Detroit Tigers, Rowland also played intermittently on their
Toledo Mud Hens
minor league team and was occasionally called up to the Tigers when needed . In 1990, he played in only seven games, accumulating only three
hits
in 19
at bats
for a .158
batting average
. He returned for the Tigers in 1991 as a backup catcher to
Mickey Tettleton
, who rarely missed a game. Because of that, Rowland saw very little playing time with two other backup catchers—
Andy Allanson
and
Mark Salas
— on the roster as well. That season, he played in only four games, accumulating only four at-bats, one hit, one
run batted in
, and a .250 batting average. Rowland saw similar playing time in 1992; he only played in six games, batting 14 times with three hits for a .214 batting average. Despite very little playing time, he was contracted for the league-minimum 0,000 that season but spent most of his time on assignment with minor league Toledo. In 1993, Rowland saw his most playing time on the Detroit Tigers. That year, primary catcher Mickey Tettleton played more time as a
first baseman
and
outfielder
, giving Rowland and fellow backup catcher
Chad Kreuter
more playing time. That year, Rowland played 21 games, accumulating 10 hits in 46 at-bats for a .217 batting average.
Boston Red Sox
On April 1, just prior to the start of the 1994 season, Rich Rowland was traded to the
Boston Red Sox
for catcher
John Flaherty
. The
strike-shortened 1994 season
would prove to be by far Rowland's best season. He played in 46 games, accumulating 118 at-bats, 27 hits, nine
home runs
(hitting his first Major League home run this year), 20 runs batted in, and a .229 batting average. He also posted a career high .483
slugging percentage
, among other career highs this season. In 1995, Rowland played again on the Red Sox, who won
American League East
division that year. He played in only 14 games, accumulating 29 at-bats with five hits and a low .172 batting average. He played his final Major League game on June 15, 1995. He was sent back full-time to the
Pawtucket Red Sox
minor league team for the duration of the season. During the off-season, Rowland was granted
free agency
from the Red Sox and was acquired by the
Toronto Blue Jays
and later the
San Francisco Giants
— though he never played in the Major Leagues again