Another "What If?"
Never got another chance
Despite pitching well
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| 1991 Fleer #215 Jim Neidlinger (RC) |
Another instance where a player's rookie card is also his sunset card. Neidlinger pitched quite well for the Dodgers during a late call-up in 1990. He started 12 games, going 5-3 with a 3.28 ERA. The back of his Fleer card even goes so far as to call him a "Rookie sensation". However, that was it for his career. He never pitched at the big league level again. So what happened? From a 2012 blog post, it seems he was just a victim of roster construction, as the Dodgers preferred veteran pitchers in their rotation. He toiled away in the minors until 1994, after which he retired.
I know that it's not how things were done, but it's too bad that they just couldn't have released him if they had no plans to bring him back. At least then he might've been able to catch on with someone else.
ReplyDeletei don't remember this from the 90's but i doubt it would happen today that he would toil in the minors after showing success at the big league level. i remember being confused in 1979 when i found out that rick sutcliffe had actually made his first big league appearance way back in 1976 but was still a rookie in '79.
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