5 Points On Paul Popovich

• Paul Popovich was a light-hitting utility infielder who played in parts of 11 seasons in MLB. He started out with the Cubs in 1964, 1966-67, Los Angeles Dodgers 1968-69,  back to the Cubs 1969-73 and then finished up with the Pittsburgh Pirates 1974-75.
• He was a switch-hitter who threw right handed. He was 6’0 175. His career stats 14 home runs 134 RBI and a .233 career batting average- a .286 OBP- so he wasn’t much with the bat and he had 4 career stolen bases. He stayed in the majors all that time due to his glove and an ability to play 2B-3B-SS.
• 1968 was the season he got the most playing time- he appeared in 134 games- 462 at bats- hit 2 home runs 25 RBI and .232 average.
• He played in 682 major league games- starting in 393 of those games. In 1964 he only came up briefly and had 1 AB and in 1966 he had 6 at bats- it wasn’t until 1967 at the age of 27 that he finally made it for good.
• He was involved in a fairly big trade for the Los Angeles Dodgers- he was traded along with Ron Fairly to the Montreal Expos for Manny Mota and Maury Wills- the Dodgers made out like bandits on that trade. He didn’t stay an Expo too long he was traded to the Cubs the same day. When I think of Popovich I think of him as a Cub- even though he played a couple years for my Pirates. With the Pirates in 1974 he went 3 for 5 in the playoffs- the Pirates lost to the Dodgers that season. Paul Popovich is still living- age 77.