Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Player Profile: Bill Almon


I have eighteen cards of Bill Almon. This one is from 1978 Topps.

Playing Career: The number one pick in the nation in 1974 by the Padres, shortstop Bill Almon had a good but far from great career. He was the Padres’ shortstop of the future but was pushed out by Ozzie Smith, and bounced around to several teams since.

Interesting facts: He led the National League with 20 sacrifice hits in 1977; in his other 14 seasons he had a total of 24. Was a minor league teammate of Joe Pepitone, and was almost killed when an errant throw by the former Yankee star hit him in the head.

Where he is now: A salesman at Claflin Contract Furnishings in Warwick, RI.

My memories: He was a bench player for the mid-80s Pirates, one of the worst teams in baseball, so naturally I thought he must be pretty lousy. He did have a few decent seasons early in his career, though.

Google Autocomplete results: He is first when you type Bill Alm, before Bill Almond, former Director of the National Transient Division of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers. Another prominent Bill Almon is a real estate broker in Yakima, WA.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Edwin Almonte.

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