Roger Metzger

Roger Henry Metzger (born October 10, 1947 in Fredericksburg, Texas) is a former shortstop for the Chicago Cubs (1970), Houston Astros (1971–78) and San Francisco Giants (1978–80). A light-hitting shortstop, he was known for his strong defense and good running speed.

Career

Metzger was selected in the first round of the 1969 Major League Baseball draft by the Chicago Cubs, and he made his debut for them a year later.

Metzger won the 1973 Gold Glove Award at Shortstop. He led the National League in triples in 1971 (11) and 1973 (14). He led the National League in outs (528) in 1972.

In 11 seasons Metzger played in 1,219 games and had 4,201 at bats, 453 runs, 972 hits, 101 doubles, 71 triples, five home runs, 254 RBI, 83 stolen bases, 355 walks, .231 batting average, .291 on-base percentage, .293 slugging percentage, 1,230 total bases, 90 sacrifice hits, 22 sacrifice flies and 34 intentional walks.

Injury and subsequent retirement

In the off-season between 1979 and 1980 Metzger lost the tips of four fingers (index to pinky) in a table saw accident. He attempted a comeback for the 1980 season, but was released by the San Francisco Giants on August 10, 1980, after only hitting .074 in 28 games.^[1]

Personal life

A graduate of St. Edward's University in 1970, the school retired his jersey in June 2005. He resides with his wife, Tamy Metzger in Brenham, Texas, and they have two sons – Roger Kurt Metzger and Ryan Evans Metzger.

See also

• List of Houston Astros team records
• List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders

Notes

Sources

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference