David Lee Schneck (born June 18, 1949) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played parts of three seasons, from 1972 until 1974, with the New York Mets.
| Dave Schneck | |
|---|---|
 Schneck's 1973 baseball card photo | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: June 18, 1949 Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 14, 1972, for the New York Mets | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 1, 1974, for the New York Mets | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .199 |
| Home runs | 8 |
| Runs batted in | 35 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Early life
editSchneck was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on June 18, 1949. He graduated from Whitehall High School, where he was a pitcher.
In 1967, Schneck was drafted as a pitcher by the New York Mets, but he did not begin his professional career until 1968 due to a shoulder injury. He was converted into an outfielder, and he started 1968 with the rookie class Marion Mets.
At age 19, he was drafted into the United States Army and served 14 months in the Vietnam War.[1][2]
Major League Baseball
editAfter missing the 1969 and 1970 seasons while serving in the Army, Schneck continued to progress through the minor leagues until 1972, when he made his Major League Baseball debut.
New York Mets
editIn 1974, after spending most of 1973 back in the minor leagues with the Tidewater Tides, Schneck received a long shot at the major league in 1974. He played 93 games with the New York Mets that season, batting .205 with 5 home runs. However, that proved to be the end of his Major League career.
Schneck went 2–11 at the plate on September 11, 1974, during a 25 inning marathon night game against the St. Louis Cardinals.[3] Those 11 at bats tied a Major League record for most at bats in a game.[4]
Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds
editOn December 3, 1974, Schneck, Tug McGraw, and Don Hahn were traded to the Philadelphia Phillies by the Mets for Del Unser, John Stearns, and Mac Scarce at the Winter Meetings.[5]
He started the 1975 season with their top farm club, the Toledo Mud Hens, and on August 5 he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for John Vukovich. He played with their top farm team, the Indianapolis Indians, until the end of the 1976 season. During that offseason, he was traded again, this time to the Chicago Cubs, for outfielder Champ Summers. After playing one more season in the minors, for the Wichita Aeros, Schneck retired. Schneck currently owns a company known as Schneck Waterproofing in Northampton, Pennsylvania.[6]
References
edit- ^ Kerschner, Elsa (March 14, 2013). "David Schneck shares story of baseball career". Northampton Press. Archived from the original on July 28, 2019. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
- ^ Crass, Murray (July 15, 1972). "Mets Beat Padres, 3 to 2; Schneck Homers in Debut". The New York Times. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
- ^ "Sep 11, 1974, Cardinals at Mets Box Score and Play by Play". baseball-reference.com. sports-reference.com. September 11, 1974. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
- ^ "At-Bats Records". baseball-almanac.com. baseball-almanac.com. September 11, 1974. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
- ^ Durso, Joseph. "Big Deals: McGraw to Phils, Allen to Braves, Lee May to Orioles," The New York Times, Wednesday, December 4, 1974. Retrieved October 31, 2020
- ^ "Schneck Waterproofing". January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Dave Schneck at Baseball Almanac
- Dave Schneck at Ultimate Mets Database
- Dave Schneck at Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Professional Baseball League)
- Dave Schneck at Baseball Gauge