(2) JOE LOVITTO INDEX CARD SIGNED 1972-75 RANGERS PSA/DNA CERTIFIED 1951-2001

Description

(2) JOE LOVITTO INDEX CARD SIGNED 1972-75 RANGERS PSA/DNA CERTIFIED 1951-2001
Joseph Lovitto, Jr.
(January 6, 1951 – May 19, 2001) was an
American
professional baseball
player, a
center fielder
in MLB who played for the
Texas Rangers
(1972–1975). He was a
switch-hitter
and threw
right-handed
, standing 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and weighing 185 pounds (84 kg).
A native of
San Pedro, California
, Lovitto was a competent outfielder with blazing speed who
batted
over .300 in his
minor league
career, but never fulfilled expectations at the Major League level. One of his former
managers
,
Billy Martin
, wrote, in his autobiography, that Lovitto could have had a great career if not for injuries.
Lovitto started in center field on Opening Day of
1972
in the Texas Rangers' inaugural season. In his
rookie
year he hit .224 (74-for-330) with 19
runs batted in
and 13
stolen bases
in 117
games played
. Then he lost almost the 1973 season with an injured leg, appearing in only 26 games. The following year he hit .223 in 113 games, but in 1975 was put on the
disabled list
with a variety of major injuries and appeared in just 50 games. Before the 1976 season, he was sent to the
New York Mets
in exchange for outfielder
Gene Clines
but was released during
spring training
.
In a four-season career, Lovitto was a .216 hitter (165-for-763) with four home runs, 53 RBI, and 22 stolen bases in 306 games.
Lovitto died from
cancer
in
Arlington, Texas
, at the age of 50
CF
Born:
January 6, 1951
Died:
May 19, 2001 (aged 50)
Batted:
Switch
Threw:
Right
MLB debut
April 15, 1972, for the Texas Rangers
Last MLB appearance
September 16, 1975, for the Texas Rangers
MLB statistics
BA
.216
HR
4
RBI
53
Teams
TEXAS RANGERS (1972–1975)