Rich Becker arrived with the Brewers for 1999 as team's fourth outfielder and he hoped to do his job, get his teammates rest, he told The Kenosha News that March.
"I just want to play hard when I get the opportunity," Becker told The News then. "When you're coming off the bench, you have to be ready at any time to go in there and produce."
Becker ultimately worked to stay ready in the majors over eight seasons, seeing more than 100 games in a season in five of those campaigns.
Becker's career began in 1990, taken by the Twins in the third round of the draft out of West Aurora High School in Illinois.
Becker started with the Twins at rookie Elizabethton. He made single-A Kenosha for 1991 and high-A Visalia for 1992. For 1993, he made AA Nashville. He hit .287 in 138 games at Nashville - and earned a September call up to Minnesota.
He saw three games that first year and 28 with the Twins in 1994. That March in 1994, he'd played well enough to get tagged the Twins' "center fielder of the future."
Becker first saw regular playing time in 1995, 106 games played for the Twins. He hit .237. A spot opened up for him that year when Twins outfielder Alex Cole broke his leg on a play, The Minneapolis Star Tribune wrote.
"You want to come up under better circumstances than somebody getting injured," Becker told The Star Tribune then. "But that's the way it is, and if that is the opportunity you have, you have to take advantage of it."
Becker returned for 148 games in 1996, where he hit .291, with 12 home runs. Becker had earlier been a switch hitter but, for 1996, he concentrated on hitting left-handed.
Becker looked to new teammate and future Hall of Famer Paul Molitor as someone he needed to emulate, The Star Tribune wrote.
"I'm not saying I'm anything like Paul Molitor," Becker told The Star Tribune. "But he's so short to the ball, and that's a good example of what I need to try to do."
Becker then saw 132 games in 1997, hitting .264. He moved to the Mets and Orioles for 1998, then the Brewers and Athletics for 1999 and the Athletics and Tigers for 2000.
His 2000 season marked his last in the majors. He ended with 789 total games played, 45 home runs and a career .256 average.
- Minneapolis Star Tribune, June 2, 1995: Bad break opens door for Becker
- Minneapolis Star Tribune, March 5, 1996: No longer a switch hitter, Rich Becker is hitting well
- Kenosha News, March 28, 1999: Time spent in Kenosha aided Becker
Made the Majors:1,416-32.2-X
Never Made Majors:2,980-67.8%
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