Worlds Collided (and Ended) on 1982 Royals

You never know what a baseball day will bring

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1983 Fleer Steve Hammond (#114) - Card of the Day

If you were an outfielder stuck in the Atlanta Braves minor league system in the 1980s because of a major league depth chart that included primetime versions of Dale Murphy and Claudell Washington, as well as younger players like Terry Harper and Brett Butler, what would you do?

Well, one good tactic would have been to get traded out of the organization. Yes, that would have been largely out of your control, but sweet if you could swing it.

Another good idea would be to hit .366 in the early going with your new team’s Triple-A affiliate.

That’s exactly the formula Steve Hammond followed, and it nearly led him from the bushes in 1981 to the glory of October baseball in 1982.

Nearly.

See…

Hammond was originally a fourth-round pick by the California Angels in January of 1974, but the teenager didn’t sign. Four years later, when he was ready for the pros, no one took him in the draft, but he signed as an amateur free agent with the Braves in April.

And four years after that, Hammond was a 25-year-old “prospect” who had hit above .300 in the low minors but struggled to get past the mid-.200s in the upper reaches of Atlanta’s system. He could draw some walks, but with little power or speed, the outlook wasn’t all that great.

But then in late April of 1982, after Hammond started off hitting .200 at Triple-A Richmond, the Royals purchased his contract. In 36 games at Omaha, Hammond smoked the ball to the tune of .379 with four homers.

That was enough to get a look in Kansas City, and he made his debut with a start against Oakland in right field on June 28. He made the most of the chance, too, collecting two hits in three at-bats off Rick Langford before Lee May pinch hit for the new guy in the bottom of the eighth.

Manager Dick Howser liked what he saw enough to keep Hammond around the rest of the season. In all, Hammond made 46 appearances (including 31 starts) but managed just a .230 average with one homer and 11 RBI. He also struck out 18 times against just four walks.

But, hey, Hammond did record three assists as a right fielder!

Meanwhile, the Royals coughed up a two-game September lead and lost the old American League West to the Angels.

It all added up to a winter on the shelf for the Royals, a return to the minors for Hammond, and the disbelieving 1983 Fleer rookie card you see above.

After two more seasons at Triple A in the K.C. system, Hammond closed out his 20s with Double-A and Triple-A stops for the Cubs in 1985 and 1986. He gave pro ball one more shot, spending 1987 with Japan’s Nankai Hawks, before hanging up his spikes.

Steve Hammond, the older brother of former big league hurler Chris Hammond, turns 67 years old today.

Frosted Angels

Dave Frost looked like he might be a long-term rotation piece after he went 16-13 for the 1979 Angels, but his fortunes fell quickly in the 1980s.

By 1982, he was trying to find new baseball life with the Royals. He did get into 21 games, including 14 starts, but a 6-6 record with a 5.51 ERA was nobody’s idea of a successful transition.

In fact, besides ties to both the Angels and Royals, Frost and Hammond share another baseball biggie — they both ended their careers in the same game.

Minutes before Hammond struck out looking in the bottom of the ninth against Dave Beard, Frost gave up the final run in a 6-3 Royals loss to the A’s. It was mostly mop-up duty for Frost, who relieved Bud Black…who relieved Derek Botelho…who relieved Don Hood.

In happier days — 1979, to be exact — Frost took center stage among a group of Angels prospects on the black-and-white Topps card you see above. Read all about it right here!

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Bet you didn’t know how important October 3, 1982, was to baseball history when you woke up this morning, huh?

And we didn’t even talk about the Buddy Biancalana sighting. I mean, the day just kept giving and giving and giving.

Hopefully, this day will end up giving you some good stuff, too.

Thanks for reading.

—Adam