Bob Swift, Detroit Tigers Catcher RH A well regarded defensive backstop with a solid batting eye, Bob Swift was traded to the Tigers in 1944. He caught 95 games in 1945 and his handling of the pitching staff played a major role in the team winning that year's pennant. In the World Series, he started one game and got a single, scored a run in 4 at bats. In 1948, Bob Swift caught 113 games, struck out just 29 times and collected an .338 on-base-percentage. In 1949, the 5ft, 11 inch, 180-pounder hit .238, had a nice .330 on-base-pct in 74 games... In 1950, he handled 261 chances, made just 3 errors for a .989 fielding pct. In his 13-year major league career Bob Swift struck out on-average, just once in every 10 games. Bob Swift was well-known to baseball fans and was his team's starting catcher for 10 of his 14 major league seasons. |