Not many people remember the backup player for a Hall of Famer.
But Don Werner is still active in the game, after serving as a reserve to Johnny Bench with the Cincinnati Reds from 1975-80.
“I could never figure out how Sparky [Anderson] could play that guy ahead of me, but he did,” said Werner, with a grin, after Sunday?s game at Prince George?s Stadium in Bowie.
After years of nervously looking at the lineup card, Werner, 53, is now the guy calling the shots. As a manager in professional baseball, the former reserve catcher is a natural at the helm of the Orioles? Double-A affiliate in the Eastern League with the Bowie Baysox.
As a player, Werner admits that he was awestruck walking into “a clubhouse of basically Hall of Famers” as a rookie catcher with the Reds.
“The day I walked in, the first person that met me was Pete Rose, and the next one was Johnny Bench and Tony Perez,” Werner said. “So they kind of saw a new guy coming in, and I was some peon coming up there, but they made it a point. That always impressed me. They made it a point to make me feel welcome.”
Werner found it tough to find playing time, especially behind Bench?s powerful bat. Werner usually caught the day after a night game, or a night game before a day game. He played about once every week or two.
“You hate to take a bat like that out of the lineup,” Werner said of Bench. One day, Werner lived a catcher?s dream. He caught Tom Seaver?s no-hitter, while Bench was out for an extended time with a back injury, on June 16, 1978, against the Cardinals.
“That was the only time I really played every day in the big leagues, and that?s when he happened to throw it,” Werner said. “Otherwise, I probably wouldn?t have been back there.”
Werner?s Baysox are 17-14, and trail first-place Akron by 2.5 games prior to Tuesday?s action. Werner has been entrusted with some of the Orioles? top pitching prospects, including right-hander James Johnson and left-handed pitchers and first-round draft picks Adam Loewen and Richard Stahl.
THE WERNER FILE
Born: March 8, 1953
Hometown: Appleton, Wisconsin
Former teams: Cincinnati Reds and Texas Rangers
Did you know? According to baseball-reference.com, Werner spent seven seasons in the majors, five with Cincinnati and two with Texas ? In 118 games, Werner batted .176 with two home runs and 24 runs batted in ? Committed just 11 errors in 115 games as a catcher, for a .979 fielding percentage ? Werner was a fifth-round selection by Cincinatti in the 1971 draft ? Werner was dealt to the Texas Rangers in December of 1980 in a four-player trade.
