(3) JOE NOLAN INDEX CARD SIGNED 1983 WS CHAMPS ORIOLES PSA/DNA CERTIFIED

Description

(3) JOE NOLAN INDEX CARD SIGNED 1983 WS CHAMPS ORIOLES PSA/DNA CERTIFIED
Joseph William Nolan
(born May 12, 1951) is an
American
former
professional baseball
player
whose career extended from 1969 through 1985. A
catcher
, Nolan spent all or parts of 11 seasons in the
Major Leagues (MLB)
, appearing in 621
games played
with the
New York Mets
(1972),
Atlanta Braves
(1975, 1977–1980),
Cincinnati Reds
(1980–1981) and
Baltimore Orioles
(1982–1985). Nolan batted
left-handed
and threw
right-handed
. He stood 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and weighed 175 pounds (79 kg).
Selected in the second round of the
1969 Major League Baseball Draft
, he turned down a
football
scholarship at the
University of Missouri
to sign with the Mets. He is one of only a few Major League catchers to have worn glasses.
During the strike-shortened
1981
season, Nolan supplanted
Hall of Famer
Johnny Bench
as the Reds' regular catcher. Bench, then 33, had played 13 consecutive years as Cincinnati's starting backstop, but he shifted to
first base
in 1981 and only caught in seven games that season. (Bench would catch in only six more games in 1982–1983 as his career wound down.) Nolan started 62 games behind the plate in 1981 (the Reds played in 108 games total), and appeared in 81 games as a receiver. He
batted
a career-high .309 with 73
hits
. The following spring, he was traded to the Orioles, where he played 3½ seasons and finished his pro career.
He was the backup catcher to
Rick Dempsey
when the Orioles won the
1983 World Series
. He appeared in two games against the
Philadelphia Phillies
and drew a
base on balls
in three
plate appearances
.
Joe Nolan
Catcher
Born:
May 12, 1951
(age 65)
St. Louis, Missouri
Batted:
Left
Threw:
Right
MLB debut
September 21, 1972, for the New York Mets
Last MLB appearance
June 25, 1985, for the Baltimore Orioles
MLB statistics
Batting average
.263
Home runs
27
Runs batted in
178
Teams
New York Mets
(1972)
Atlanta Braves
(1975; 1977–1980)
Cincinnati Reds
(1980–1981)
Baltimore Orioles
(1982–1985)