As he prepared to play in top Philadelphia-area tournament for high schoolers, Mike Wismer spoke with the Philadelphia Daily News about his position, or positions.
He was talked about as his league's best pitcher. But he actually preferred to play elsewhere. Scouts, he recounted to The Daily News, were split on the matter.
"A scout from Pittsburgh was looking at me as a pitcher, while the Phillies and Yankees were looking at me as a hitter," Wismer told The Daily News.
Wismer eventually did turn pro, after college, and he did so not as a pitcher, but as an outfielder and third baseman. Wismer's career, however, proved brief. He saw two seasons and made high-A.
Wismer's career began in 1989, taken by the Dodgers in the 14th round of the draft out of Villanova University.
Wismer had success at Villanova as a hitter. In one April 1989 game, he went 5 for 6. All five of his hits went for doubles, The Daily News wrote.
Wismer started with the Dodgers at rookie Great Falls. He got into 48 games as an outfielder and hit .304, with four home runs.
He then moved to high-A Vero Beach in 1990. He saw 61 games there, mostly at third. He hit .198. But he also injured his knee early in the season, and the injury lingered, The Allentown Morning Call wrote.
"My goal has always been to make the majors, and certainly with all the money getting tossed around nowadays, it's even that much more of an incentive to stick with it," Wismer told The Morning Call in February 1991 as he prepared for spring training. "But I have thought about what comes next."
He never made it back onto an in-season field. His 1990 campaign proved his last.
- Philadelphia Daily News, June 17, 1986: Wismer Makes It A Great Day For Souderton
- Allentown Morning Call, Feb. 19, 1991: Mike Wismer sees career at an early crossroads
Made the Majors:1,290-33.6%
Never Made Majors:2,548-66.4%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors:528
10+ Seasons in the Minors:322
No comments:
Post a Comment