Angel Echevarria

Angel Echevarria was a National League outfielder-first baseman from 1996 to 2002.

Angel Santos Echevarria was born May 25, 1971, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He attended Bassick High School in Bridgeport, where he lettered in baseball, basketball, and football, and graduated in 1989. From there he went to Rutgers University, where as a freshman right fielder in 1990 he hit .302 with nine home runs and was named to the New Jersey College Baseball Association University Division all-star team. As a sophomore he hit .357 and broke the school records with 12 homers and 80 hits, made the New Jersey all-star team again, and was named to the second team All-East Regional team. In 1992 he hit another ten home runs, his 31 homers and 145 RBI setting new school career records. He decided to go pro after his junior year and was drafted in the 17^th round by the Colorado Rockies that June.

Angel played outfield and DH that year for the Bend Rockies of the Short Season A class Northwest League. He appeared in 57 of the team’s 76 games, and after getting off to a good start cooled off to .224/.296/.327, with five home runs in 205 at-bats. In a questionnaire he filled out during the season he gave his height and weight as 6-4, 215, and his hobbies as fishing and poetry.

For 1993 he was moved up to the Advanced A California League’s Central Valley Rockies, where he hit .271/.356/.377 with six homers in 358 at-bats. In this year’s questionnaire he listed his ancestry as Puerto Rican, his size as 6-4, 220, his off-season occupation as “Sales Person & Hitting Instructor,” and as members of his family who have played professional baseball he named Bobby Llanos of the Mariners’ organization and Jose Davila of the Padres’.

Angel started 1994 back in Central Valley, and was hitting .302/.341/.448 after 50 games when he was promoted to the New Haven Ravens of the Class AA Eastern League, where he played another 58 games and hit .254/.308/.400. In his ’94 questionnaire he gave his size as 6-3 ½, 215, and his off-season occupation as “Spokesperson for RBI Foundation, Teaching one-one.”

1994-95 was the year of the major league players’ strike and, though I found nothing about it at the time, two later articles made reference to Angel having gone to spring training 1995 as a replacement player, one saying that he had used the alias “Andy Gabriel.” When the strike was settled he spent the entire 1995 season in New Haven, playing mostly in right field, and had an excellent year, hitting .300/.382/.510 with 21 homers and 100 RBI in 453 at-bats.

In 1996 Angel was invited to spring training with Colorado, but from there was sent to the AAA Colorado Springs Sky Sox of the Pacific Coast League. On July 10 he played in the AAA All-Star Game, then on July 14 he was called up by the Rockies. He made his major league debut the next day at home against the Giants, pinch-hitting in the 8^th for Steve Reed against Jim Poole and hitting into a fielder’s choice. He stayed on the Colorado roster for a month, pinch-hitting and playing right field, and even pinch-running once. On August 14 he was optioned back to Colorado Springs when Larry Walker came off the disabled list, but was recalled on September 1 when the Sky Sox’ season ended. He continued to come off the bench for the Rockies, pinch-hitting and playing some left and right field late in games. He went 6 for 21, all singles, for Colorado in 26 games, and while with the Sky Sox he hit .337/.393/.508 with 16 home runs in 415 at-bats.

Angel battled for a major league spot in spring training 1997, but came up short and went back to Colorado Springs. On June 28 he was recalled by the Rockies when Ellis Burks was put on the disabled list, and on July 3 he got his first major league start, playing right field and batting seventh. He got another start on the 20^th, unusually for him in center, between Dante Bichette and Walker. In the meantime he had been selected for the AAA All-Star Game again, but missed it due to being in the majors. On July 29 he was sent back down to the Sky Sox when Burks was reactivated, and spent the rest of the season there, not getting a September callup. While with the Rockies he was 5 for 20 with two doubles, and with Colorado Springs he hit 322/.387/.536 with 13 homers and 80 RBI in 295 at-bats, and playing a little first base for the first time in his professional career.

In 1998 Angel went to spring training with the Rockies but was sent back to the Sky Sox. In mid-August he was called up to Colorado and spent the rest of the season there; he hit an impressive .379/.455/.586 in 29 at-bats, even better than his .326/.359/.558 at Colorado Springs over 301 at-bats.

In 1999, for the first time, Angel spent the entire season in the majors. He got into 102 games and started 37 of them—30 as a corner outfielder and seven at first base. He had excellent offensive numbers: .293/.360/.503 with 11 homers and 35 RBI in 191 at-bats. But admittedly he was helped considerably by the high elevation of Coors Field; he was .388/.447/.624 at home and .217/.291/.406 on the road.

In 2000, though, Angel was optioned back to Colorado Springs at the end of spring training. He was called back up on June 28, and went 1-for-9 over the next two weeks. On July 16, surprisingly, to me anyway, he was placed on waivers, and three days later the Brewers claimed him. From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel of July 21:

Getting a fresh start 

Rockies castoff Echevarria sees immediate action 

By Drew Olson 

Unlike many players in his situation, Angel Echevarria was glad when Colorado placed him on waivers this week. 

He was even more happy when the Milwaukee Brewers claimed him. 

“It worked out pretty good,” said Echevarria, who joined the Brewers on Thursday and went 0 for 2 after taking over at first base when Tyler Houston was ejected at the end of the third inning. 

“(Colorado) could have sent me back to Triple-A, but they didn’t. It really wouldn’t have done me much good to go back there. I’ve been in Triple-A a long time and don’t have much left to prove there. 

“I’m glad to be getting a chance here. I got two at-bats today. That’s two more than I’ve had (in the big leagues) in a long time.” 

Brewers manager Davey Lopes said Echevarria would see some action in the outfield but will play primarily at first base. 

“He told us he feels more comfortable at first base, because that’s where he’s spent most of his time,” Lopes said. “We’re not looking for Gold Gloves out there. We’re looking for guys who can get some hits. 

“He’ll get at-bats. He’ll tell us how good he is and how much he should play.”

Angel stayed with the Brewers the rest of the season, getting into 31 games with them, mostly as a pinch-hitter. Including the nine at-bats with Colorado, his National League numbers for the year were .196/.293/.294 in 51 at-bats; while with Colorado Springs he had hit .335/.395/.504 in 284 at-bats, with just seven home runs but 23 doubles.

The Brewers kept Angel protected on the 40-man roster over the off-season. On March 1 he signed a contract for 2001, and the next day he went 5-for-5 with a double, a homer, four runs and six RBI in the exhibition season opener. On March 10 this item appeared in the Journal-Sentinel:

Public address announcers throughout the Cactus League have had trouble pronouncing Angel Echevarria’s name this spring. Here’s the skinny. Echevarria prefers his name be pronounced in an all-English manner (AYN-gel Etch-uh-VAR-y-uh) or all-Spanish (ON-hell ETCH-eh-va-RI-ah). He doesn’t like it when the two are cross-pollinated.

Angel missed a few days with a “flu-like virus” around that time, but still he was the Brewers’ best hitter in the exhibition season, and he made the team as a pinch-hitter and backup first baseman and outfielder. The team’s home opener was on April 6, with President Bush in attendance, and the Journal-Sentinel reported the next day:

LOCKER ROOM TALK 

Before President Bush arrived for a pregame visit to the Brewers clubhouse, the players gathered baseballs and pens for autographs—and wondered aloud if first baseman Richie Sexson had any practical jokes in mind. 

“When he’s going to sign it, just say, ‘Oops, wrong pen,’” suggested a coach. 

But Angel Echevarria, a few lockers down from Sexson, had these words of warning about surprising a president when there are a bunch of Secret Service agents nearby: “Fifteen years to life.”

At the end of June it was reported that Angel had left the team for a few days “to attend to a personal matter in Seattle.” On July 8 the Journal-Sentinel sports section letters page included the following:

In the name of respect 

In a recent edition of the newspaper, a caption under a photograph of my teammate, Robert Perez, referred to our outfield that day as “no-names.” I was a member of the outfield that day and object to that reference. 

I have been fortunate to play in the major leagues for each of the past six seasons and have worked extremely hard to get a chance to make my name. Many players never get that chance, but those who do feel a great sense of accomplishment and pride that they have achieved the pinnacle of this sport. 

We all contribute to the success of this team and work to give our fans the best effort that we can each and every day. Fans of the Brewers know our names. People with the Brewers know our names. Now it is time for the editors of the Journal-Sentinel to know our names as well. 

Angel Echevarria 

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder

On July 20 the Brewers lost their seventh straight game, a loss by Ben Sheets, and the next day’s Journal-Sentinel reported:

…It will take more than Sheets to snap this skid, and the Brewers seem ready to try anything. 

Before the game, outfielder Angel Echevarria’s locker was transformed into a voodoo shrine. Borrowing a page from the movie “Major League,” Echevarria adorned his locker with trinkets, including two bottles of rum and a small candle. 

The name “Serrano” was taped over Echevarria’s nameplate, a reference to the movie’s fictional first baseman Pedro, who actually spelled his last name “Cerrano.” 

“We noticed that before the game,” reliever Chad Fox said.

On August 10 the Connecticut Post of Bridgeport ran the following:

ANGEL IN THE OUTFIELD 

Echevarria trying to stick in majors 

By Mike Puma 

NEW YORK—The season can’t end fast enough for the punchless Milwaukee Brewers, but Angel Echevarria isn’t merely crossing dates off his calendar. That’s for players with job security. Echevarria needs these final two months to prove he’s worthy of a contract renewal. 

It’s a matter of whether the Brewers still want Echevarria, a former Bassick High standout, who starred at Rutgers for three seasons before reaching the majors through the Colorado Rockies’ farm system. 

At this point, the numbers aren’t adding up for Echevarria. He entered Thursday’s 100-degree steam bath at Shea Stadium batting only .238 with three home runs and nine RBI in 101 at-bats. He then made a rare start and went 1-for-4 against Al Leiter and Rick White in a 4-3 Brewers’ defeat, which pushed them 18 games below .500. 

So excuse Echevarria for not having decided where he’ll make his new offseason home. He loved Denver and playing for the Rockies—he even stayed in Colorado last offseason after the Rockies placed him on waivers last July 16. The Brewers claimed him three days later, but now he’s unsure where he’ll spend his winters. 

One certainty is the 30-year-old outfielder wants to remain with the Brewers. 

“I like the organization, the stadium and the guys on this team,” Echevarria said… 

Besides providing him with his first big-league opportunity, Colorado also has great living conditions, Echevarria said. 

“It was beautiful out there, the mountains, the clear air,” he said. “It was just a great place to live.” 

But the one thing the Rocky Mountains couldn’t give him was a decent fishing hole. Echevarria is an avid fisherman who returns to Bridgeport every October to fish for bluefish—and not the kind that play in Harbor Yard. 

The fishing trips on Long Island Sound give Echevarria a chance to catch up with his old neighborhood buddies and talk baseball. 

“They always ask me about baseball cards, which I never bring,” he said…

Angel did improve his numbers by the end of the season, mostly pinch-hitting, and wound up at .256/.310/.451, with 11 doubles and five home runs in 133 at-bats in 75 games. But on October 9 the Journal-Sentinel ran a “Grading the Brewers” feature, which had this to say about Angel:

A hard worker who accepted his role, Echevarria is regarded as a solid hitter by teammates and opponents, but he didn’t have much of an impact this season. Grade: D.

The same day, the paper reported that the Brewers had assigned him outright to AAA Indianapolis, which meant he had one week to either accept the demotion or declare for free agency. The next day it was reported that he had chosen the latter course. On December 17 he was invited to spring training by the Cubs as a non-roster player, and on the 19^th he was signed to a minor-league contract.

Toward the end of spring training 2002 Angel was sent to the AAA Iowa Cubs of the Pacific Coast League, where he played outfield, first base and DH and continued to batter AAA pitching, hitting .295/.357/.558 with 13 homers and 45 RBI in 217 at-bats. On June 20 he was called up to Chicago, where he spent the rest of the season.

He got into 50 games and hit a solid .306/.351/.469, with three home runs and 21 RBI in 98 at-bats; still, on December 11, he was released. Four days later he signed a contract with the Nippon Ham Fighters of Japan’s Pacific League.

Angel spent two seasons with the Fighters, hitting .275/.342/.548 with 31 homers and 84 RBI in 429 at-bats in 2003, and .258/.361/.467 with 16 home runs and 54 RBI in 306 at-bats in 2004. On January 20, 2005, he was invited to spring training as a non-roster player by the Cubs.

At the end of spring training Angel was sent to AAA Iowa, where he had seven hits in 51 at-bats before being released on May 2. At some point after that he ended up with the Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League, where he played 35 games and hit .313/.372/.478. Now 34 years old, from there he went to the Netherlands, where he played for Puerto Rico in the baseball World Cup. He then played in the Puerto Rican Winter League over the 2005-06 off-season, for the Atenienses de Manati.

2006 found Angel out of Organized Baseball, but playing for his hometown Bridgeport Bluefish of the independent Atlantic League. He started the season playing first base and batting cleanup. From the Connecticut Post of May 3:

…”I didn’t necessarily prepare myself to come back here this year,” he said. “It’s good to be back home to see the family. You’ve got to make the best of the situation. So now I’m just here with the intentions of getting back to the big leagues, and if it doesn’t work out then, obviously, it came full circle.” Echevarria has fielded calls from friends and family since his return to the Park City. Many of them are expected to be on hand tonight at Harbor Yard. He is hitting .182 (2-for-11) with a solo home run and two runs scored through the first three games this season.

Angel missed some time with hamstring and back injuries, then on July 17 he was released, hitting .275/.352/.386 with just four home runs in 171 at-bats. He was hired for 2007 as the hitting coach for the Arizona Brewers of the Arizona Rookie League, a job he had again in 2008.

By 2010 Angel was working at The Clubhouse, a baseball instructional facility in Fairfield, Connecticut. He loved working with children, and in 2013 he started his own instructional business called Simply Baseball. On February 7, 2020, having been ill for a few days, he fell at home and hit his head. He was able to call his girlfriend after the accident, but he passed away the same day at Bridgeport Hospital. He was 48 years old.

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/E/Pechea001.htm

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/e/echevan01.shtml

Randy Kutcher

Randy Kutcher was a utility player for the Giants and Red Sox from 1986 to 1990.

Randy Scott Kutcher was born April 30, 1960, in Anchorage, Alaska. He played more hockey than baseball until, when he was eleven, his family moved to Palmdale, California, north of Los Angeles and on the edge of the Mojave Desert. He graduated from Palmdale High School in 1979 and was drafted, as a shortstop, in the fifth round of the free agent draft by the Giants. He played that season for the Great Falls Giants of the Rookie Class Pioneer League, hitting .253/.327/.327 and playing shortstop.

For 1980 Randy moved up to the Clinton Giants of the Class A Midwest League, and was again the regular shortstop. He got his first Sporting News mention on July 5:

One Walk Leads to Defeat 

Steve Manderfield of Burlington (Midwest) gave up just one walk in eight innings of work against Clinton June 15, but that was enough to beat him. The pass was issued in the first inning to the Giants’ leadoff batter, shortstop Randy Kutcher, who promptly stole second and scored on a single by third baseman Rafael Estepan. Estepan’s game-winner was only one of four hits permitted by Manderfield…

Randy’s hitting was very similar to the previous season, as he went .253/.319/.333, but he improved his fielding percentage dramatically and also stole 65 bases in 81 attempts.

Randy began 1981 with the Fresno Giants of the Class A California League. From the Sporting News of May 23:

Finishing April With a Flourish 

April didn’t begin as a productive month for Fresno (California) center fielder [actually he was still playing mainly shortstop] Randy Kutcher, but he wasn’t complaining about his production at the plate over the final 10 days. Hitting only .192 as of April 20, Kutcher warmed up with 16 hits in the next 10 days to finish the month at .328. In the Giants’ 19-7 rout of Modesto April 30, he collected four singles and two doubles in seven trips to the plate. The six hits were just one shy of the league record for a nine-inning game.

Randy cooled off some after that, and was hitting .273/.316/.416 with 18 stolen bases in 41 games when he was moved up to AA Shreveport of the Texas League. He was their everyday shortstop for the rest of the season and he continued to improve his hitting, going .285/.347/.418 in 77 games and stealing another 22 bases.

In 1982 Randy was back with Shreveport, now splitting his time between shortstop and the outfield. He hit just .247/.290/.325 in 397 at-bats, but stole 30 bases and, at least in the few box scores I found, was the leadoff hitter.

Randy got bumped up to AAA Phoenix of the Pacific Coast League for 1983, where he started to move toward becoming a utilityman, playing shortstop, outfield, third base, second base, and even two games at catcher. He hit .273/.319/.375 in 275 at-bats, and stole 16 bases.

In 1984 he was back, now playing mainly outfield but also appearing at all the same other positions as in ’83. He hit .277/.311/.363 in 336 at-bats and stole 16 bases, but was also caught 16 times.

In 1985 Randy was invited by the Giants to major league spring training as a non-roster player. He got a mention in the March 7 San Francisco Chronicle for turning in the defensive play of the day in an intersquad game. He spent the season in Phoenix again, though, this time almost exclusively as an outfielder, and fell off some in his hitting, winding up at .237/.299/.333. Some details of his 85-86 off-season were reported on in the 6-27-86 San Francisco Chronicle:

Things didn’t look good for Kutcher either last winter. After seven mediocre minor league seasons in the Giants’ system, Kutcher was not protected by the Giants and automatically became a free agent. A couple of teams showed passing interest, “but the Giants were the only one that offered a little more money,” said Kutcher, who re-signed with the team. 

His life was at a pivotal stage. Kutcher, the father of a 3-year-old, is now going through a divorce from a woman he says “was a big part of my life, especially encouraging me in baseball.” 

He could have left baseball for the safe income of working for his father’s construction business. 

“I had to decide whether I wanted to dig ditches or wield a hammer the rest of my life,” he said. 

He decided to try baseball again. He lifted weights feverishly during the winter, and had his batting style overhauled by Phoenix manager Jimmy Lefebvre. 

“He moved my hands down, had me keep my weight back, made my swing more compact, had me hit to all fields,” said Kutcher…

It worked—Randy hit .346/.391/.611 with eleven home runs in 208 at-bats, while playing various positions, and on June 17 was brought up by San Francisco following an injury to center fielder Dan Gladden. He made his debut on the 19^th, leading off and playing center at San Diego. From the next day’s Chronicle:

The highlight for the Giants yesterday was Randy Kutcher’s major league debut in center field. Purchased from Phoenix on Wednesday, Kutcher opened the game with his first hit, and in the ninth inning hit his first home run. 

“He’s strong,” [Manager Roger] Craig said. “I’ve only seen him play one game. I’m not smart enough to know if he can be my center fielder.” 

Craig, did, however, refer to Kutcher as a “humm baby,” his highest accolade and the all-purpose motto of the ’86 Giants.

The June 27 Chronicle article quoted previously also included the following:

Since coming to the Giants, Kutcher has hit safely in seven of the eight games he’s started, and carries a .286 average with two homers. 

“He’s got a lot more power than I thought,” said Roger Craig, who will let Kutcher play until he shows he can’t produce. 

Craig had never seen Kutcher play until he arrived in San Francisco, but he came with a good recommendation. 

“I just heard he was kind of a Pete Rose-type player,” Craig said. 

He has not only displayed Rose-type versatility, but has Rose’s passion for the game. Kutcher said he was so excited after getting a hit in his first major-league at-bat and later hitting a homer in the same game that he could barely hold a cup of water. 

“The biggest thrill of my career,” however, came after the Giants returned to Candlestick the next day with Vida Blue pitching for the Giants, according to Kutcher. 

“Every time the crowd started yelling, ‘Bluuuuuuuuuuu,’ it sent chills down my spine,” Kutcher said. “It was awesome playing behind him.”

From Glenn Dickey’s column in the July 7 Chronicle:

Giants’ Kutcher Carving Out a Future 

Randy Kutcher has a temporary locker in the Giants’ clubhouse, but probably not for long. 

“He’s going to be around for a long time,” Willie Mays said while kidding with Kutcher before yesterday’s game. 

The day Kutcher came to the club, Mays gave him some quick, very basic advice. 

“Mostly, he told me there are times when you can relax in the outfield, between pitches,” Kutcher said. “Just a little thing like bending over and putting my hands on my knees. 

“I’m not a relaxed kind of guy. I tend to stand out there with my arms stiff, and after 4-5 innings, my arms get tired. But I’m working on it.” 

Mays downplayed any help he gave Kutcher. “I don’t believe in trying to change a guy during the season. That just messes him up. I’ll do that with him in spring training next year. 

“Anyway, I don’t see that he’s doing anything wrong now.” 

Kutcher’s play, in fact, has created a pleasant dilemma for manager Roger Craig: What to do when Dan Gladden returns. 

“They’re basically the same player,” Craig says. “They’re about the same size, and both run well. Kutcher maybe has a little more pop in his bat. I’ll tell you this, though: The worst thing that will happen to Kutcher is that he’ll be a utility player for me. He’s not going back to Phoenix.”

A note in the July 22 Chronicle said that Randy, Mike Schmidt and Gary Matthews were the only National League players with five or more home runs in July. But by then Randy was slumping, and when Gladden came off the disabled list on the 25^th he reclaimed his spot in center. Randy played in most of the remaining games, but mostly coming off the bench; he ended up hitting .237/.279/.409 with seven homers in 186 at-bats in 71 games.

Randy was kept on the major league roster during the off-season, and in February 1987 he signed a new one-year contract. The February 27 Chronicle, in an article about the team’s decision to stop providing smokeless tobacco for the players, mentioned that Randy had quit using it. The March 21 Chronicle contained the first of many feature articles that would appear during Randy’s career that would focus on his versatility:

A Handy Guy Named Randy 

By Ray Ratto 

Randy Kutcher is being under-utilized this spring. Here it is the middle of March, and he’s played only five positions. 

You see, somewhere during his baseball travels, the Giants’ most utilitarian player was sold on the idea that the more he could do, the better chance he’d have of making a major league team. 

It might have been during the drive from Great Falls, Idaho [no, Montana!], to Clinton, Iowa, or the year-and-a-half in Shreveport or during one of his occasional Caribbean winters. 

But the idea stuck with him, to the point that he spent this past winter in Puerto Rico learning how to play first base. That’s after playing six positions last year, and working on his catching now and then. 

“I played in San Juan, and I hadn’t played first very much in my life,” he said. “But they had (Houston infielder) Bert Pena, Seattle shortstop Rey Quinones and (Baltimore second baseman) Juan Bonilla, and I didn’t want to screw them up, and they had (San Diego outfielder Carmelo) Martinez and that (Rafael) Palmeiro guy from the Cubs in the outfield. 

“I said, ‘Hey, I can play first,’ and I went and played. I did all right, too. I thought I did pretty good.” 

That is Kutcher’s ticket to ride, as well as his curse. His versatility makes him a valuable member of any team, but never invaluable, and the difference between the two levels starts at 80 games a year, moves to several hundred thousand dollars in salary and ends up as several years in the pension plan. 

Kutcher spent seven years in the minors learning the differences, and making his peace as a member of the lower end of the spectrum. He now is very much a major leaguer, but at the same time he never really can be sure until the bags are packed for San Francisco… 

“I don’t mind it,” Kutcher said of his role. “There are a lot of people in this game who can’t do what I do. A lot of them can, but don’t want to. Me, I’ll do it for 10 years if it’ll keep me up here.”

Meanwhile Randy had something else to deal with, which was looked back on in an article in the August 8, 1989, Hartford Courant:

Dec. 31, 1978, was supposed to be fun. Kutcher was a high school senior. He and some friends stopped at a gas station to rendezvous with a friend who was getting off work. 

They ran into a bunch of toughs there. Right after Kutcher threw his attacker through a window, he got stabbed in the back. So much for basketball season. 

Kutcher was with the Giants at 1987 spring training and feeling great. He finally had made it to the big leagues in 1986, appearing in 71 games. But when doctors called him off the playing field and told him he had a tumor the size of a bat handle knob behind his lung, he wondered if he’d ever appear in another game. 

“I couldn’t eat, I felt so sick,” he said. “I tried to go out with the guys on the team to have fun. I couldn’t have fun.” 

Two and a half weeks, dozens of X-rays and 15 pounds later, doctors told Kutcher what they’d thought had been a tumor was just scar tissue from the stabbing…

Randy was the last player sent down to Phoenix at the end of spring training, but he was recalled after two weeks when Eddie Milner entered drug rehab. He got into four games before being sent back to Phoenix on May 3. In early July he missed some time with a hamstring injury, then in early August he was called back to San Francisco briefly during an injury to Candy Maldonado, getting into two more games. On September 1 he came back and finished the season as the Giants won their division.

From the October 13 Chronicle:

Randy Kutcher, from the Giants’ farm system, isn’t even on the playoff roster. He’s in uniform because he offered to warm up pitchers in the bullpen. But he’s doing a first-person playoff account—Kutcher’s Kolumn—in his hometown paper in Palmdale for the playoffs. 

It’s not bad. Kutcher says he warmed up Dave Dravecky before his two-hitter Saturday. 

“I’d never caught him before,” he said, “and I was a little worried. But man, everywhere I put my glove—pow. I knew right then the guy had great stuff.”

For the season, Randy hit .255/.337/.378 with 31 stolen bases in 349 at-bats for Phoenix, playing mostly outfield and third base, and .188/.235/.375 in 16 at-bats for the Giants.

On September 1, the Giants had picked up Dave Henderson from the Red Sox, in return for a “player to be named later,” to help down the stretch of their playoff run. On December 9, the deal was completed when Randy was sent to Boston as the previously-unnamed player.

On January 28, 1988, Randy signed a contract with the Red Sox, and on February 29 the Boston Herald ran their first feature on him:

Seeking a perfect 10 

Sox’ Kutcher won’t be caught out of position 

By David Cataneo 

WINTER HAVEN, Fla.—A few of Randy Kutcher’s goals: Stick with the Red Sox, help them win a pennant, and one of these days join Bert Campaneris and Cesar Tovar in the record book. 

“I would like to do it one day,” agreed Kutcher, eyeing the twice-accomplished feat of playing all nine positions in a single major league game. “I’ve always thought about that, playing nine positions in one game.” 

For Kutcher, the idea isn’t all that farfetched. In his nine years in the minors, the right-handed hitter has taken a turn at every position except pitcher. Two years ago, while up with the San Francisco Giants, he played third, short and center in one game, and center, second and third in another. 

“One of those was in St. Louis. We got into a big fight with them, and some of our guys got kicked out,” he said. “The only positions I haven’t played in the major leagues are first base, pitcher and catcher.” 

At least, not yet. 

Kutcher, 27, was dealt to Boston as the player to be named later in the Dave Henderson trade. Now he’s in the Red Sox’ camp, willing even to expand his versatility to crack the roster: The other day, at the minor-league diamond down the road from Chain O’ Lakes Park, he worked on his catching. 

“I caught some in San Francisco, in spring training games, but never with the big club,” he said. “Somebody told me about last year, when they had to use Mike Greenwell at catcher. I’ve also heard they don’t want to leave without three catchers. If I can show them I can catch, as well as play the infield and outfield, that would be great for me.” 

In many respects, Kutcher is something of a throwback. In an age of baseball players toting briefcases to work, he exhibits a pure exuberance for the game. And in an age of rampant specialization—where most players can field just one position, and some can field none—Kutcher practices the dying art of the utility ballplayer. 

“Chris Speier inspired me a lot,” said Kutcher, who never has spent a full season in the majors (longest stay with the Giants: 71 games in 1986). “He works out, takes ground balls and turns double plays at all three infield positions. I’ve always admired him. Not only was he a good shortstop, but he was a good utility man. 

“If everybody worked as hard as he does, and loved the game as much as he does, it would be a much better game. A lot of people seem to just take it for granted.” 

Thus, a spring training day for Kutcher might go something like this: Catch a half-hour of batting practice, warm up a pitcher or two in the bullpen, take batting practice, take infield practice, then shag balls in the outfield. 

“Some guys think being a utility man is a downer,” said Kutcher, 5-11, 175 pounds, with a shock of curly, brownish blond hair cascading out the back of his cap. “Some classify it as not having a position. I classify it as being a versatile ballplayer.” 

…Summoned from Triple-A in Phoenix after Sept. 1, Kutcher was ineligible to join the Giants in their league championship series last fall. 

“I’d like another shot at a pennant-winning club,” he said. “Talent-wise, I think we’ve got a better club here than we did in San Francisco. The Giants didn’t have the kind of starting pitching we have here.” 

And one of these days, he’d like to tie Campaneris and Tovar. Or better yet, to surpass them: There are, after all, 10 positions to be played in the American League. 

“I hadn’t thought about that,” said Kutcher, perking up. “I forgot about the DH. That’s not a bad idea.”

Just like with San Francisco in 1987, Randy was the last player cut at the end of spring training, being sent down to Boston’s AAA affiliate, Pawtucket of the International League. On June 4 the Red Sox, looking to boost their offense, called up Randy and Kevin Romine, whom manager John McNamara said were the two hottest hitters at Pawtucket.

But Randy got into just five games before he was sent back down on July 21, then was called back up after the IL season ended, rejoining the Red Sox on September 5. With Pawtucket he hit just .233/.290/.317 in 331 at-bats, with 16 stolen bases, playing mostly at third base. He was used mostly as a pinch-runner while back with Boston, and finished with two hits in twelve at-bats in 19 games for them.

In February 1989 Randy signed a new one-year contract with the Red Sox, then reported to spring training to fight for a job again. He changed his uniform number from 55 to 5, saying “I just didn’t feel like a linebacker.” From the Herald, March 21:

Kutcher catching on 

Sox’ utility player surges toward roster 

By Joe Giuliotti 

WEST HAVEN, Fla.—If ever anyone deserves to make a team it’s Randy Kutcher. 

The Red Sox’ utility man is a member of the “Whatever they want me to do, I’ll do” school and he has been drawing dean’s list marks during spring training which just might result in his being in uniform in Baltimore on April 3. 

Kutcher, who turns 29 on April 20, knows he’s not going to crack the Opening Day lineup, but he realizes the best way for him to make the team is to be a jack-of-all-trades. This spring he has been just that, playing every outfield position, third base and yesterday catcher. 

He caught two innings in the morning “B” game won by the Sox, 5-1, and while he was no threat to taking the No. 1 and 2 jobs from Rich Gedman and Rick Cerone, he boosted his stock to make the team…

Randy did in fact make the team; it would be the only season of his career spent entirely in the majors, and he became the daily 12:30 lunch partner of creature of habit Wade Boggs when on the road. After a number of appearances off the bench, he made his first starts on May 24 and 25 when center fielder Ellis Burks needed a couple of days off with an injured knee. Randy was almost the starting catcher on the 25^th, though, as both Gedman and Cerone were injured, but at the last minute Gedman was able to play. From the Herald of June 3:

Randy Kutcher, making small talk on the Sox’ bench: “Turds. That’s what we call ourselves. It’s a baseball term for the extra men. We take pride in being turds.” Coach Dick Beradino, eavesdropping, begged to differ. “No. Skrewgiles! When I was playing football at Holy Cross, the guys who never got in—the ones who practiced on the B field—were the skrewgiles. That’s what you are. You’re not a turd. You’re a skrewgile. But be proud anyway.”

On June 8 Randy finally got his major league catching debut, as described in the next day’s Herald:

Kutcher catches as catchers can 

By Mike Shalin 

NEW YORK—All season long we’ve heard the Red Sox have a third catcher. And Randy Kutcher almost caught one game recently when Rich Gedman had a foot injury and Rick Cerone’s eye was dilated. 

There was talk of Kutcher going behind the plate for the first time in a major-league game that counts, but no real action…until last night. 

Kutcher’s assignment was simple—go up to bat as a pinch-hitter in the top of the ninth, tie the game with your bat and then make your major-league debut behind the plate. 

Nothing to it. 

His two-out, two-run double down the right-field line—a looping drive that almost became a three-run double or triple—tied the game, 7-7, and meant the debut would happen in the bottom of the ninth in a tie game in Yankee Stadium… 

Kutcher knew exactly what he was in for if the game became tied or the Sox went ahead. “He says, ‘You’re hitting for Geddy,’ that told me right there,” he said. 

And, as luck would have it—what looked to be bad luck—Neon Deion Sanders, a football star who runs like crazy, singled off Lee Smith with one out in Kutcher’s first inning at his new position. All Steve Sax had to do was stand there and let Sanders steal second, right? Wrong. 

Sanders didn’t run on the first pitch, Sax swung and flied to right. OK, so Don Mattingly would stand there and allow Sanders to steal second, right? Wrong again. Sanders didn’t go on the first pitch. Mattingly swung and flied to left. 

What’s going on here? 

“He had the green light,” Yankee manager Dallas Green said of Sanders. “He didn’t know he was a new catcher.” 

Somebody had to. 

“He would have thrown him out,” said [Boston manager] Joe Morgan, who had to know how tough it would have been for Kutcher to do so…

On June 16 Randy became the starting center fielder for a couple of weeks after Burks went down with a shoulder injury; then he went back to primarily coming off the bench.

On August 7 he appeared in the Sporting News’ “Insiders Say” column:

Randy Kutcher, a reserve outfielder for the Boston Red Sox, displaying a T-shirt that said “Kutch Potato” after he drove in four runs with a single and his first home run since 1986 as Boston beat Chicago, 8-2, on July 23 to end the White Sox’ winning streak at eight games: “I’m like a couch potato. I sit on the bench and come in once in a while. Instead of a couch potato, though, I’m the Kutch potato.”

At that point Randy was in the middle of a week of playing right field during an injury to Dwight Evans. On August 22 he came in at third base late in a game in New York and homered, as reported by the next day’s Herald:

Kutcher in the clutch 

Homer in 9^th lifts Sox over Yanks, 4-3 

By Joe Giuliotti 

NEW YORK—The kamikaze kid dive bombed the Yankees last night and had Boss Steinbrenner talking to himself. 

“Who the hell is he? Who the hell is Randy Kutcher? When did he go into the game?” King George asked, storming from his private booth moments after the Red Sox’ utility performer had kissed a John Candelaria pitch into the bleachers in right-center field…

The game was also looked back on in a column by Bill Ballou in the Worcester Telegram of April 29, 2012:

Kutcher played for Boston from 1988 through 1990 and his most memorable moment came at Yankee Stadium on August 22, 1989, when he hit a long home run to right-center off John Candelaria in the eighth inning, the blast providing Boston with a 4-3 victory. 

Afterward, Yanks owner George Steinbrenner was quoted as saying, “Who the (heck) is Randy Kutcher?” Later, Steinbrenner gave Kutcher an autographed ball with words to the effect that now, he knew who Kutcher was.

On the 23^rd Randy got the start at third base and aggravated a groin injury, as reported by the Herald on the 28^th:

Kutcher, who said he initially hurt his groin catching for Oil Can Boyd during batting practice, aggravated it playing Wednesday night in New York and was hardly able to walk Thursday morning. 

“It’s at the top of my groin and the doctor thinks the muscle may have come away from the bone. This is going to take awhile,” he said. Kutcher, who singled in his only at-bat yesterday, said the injury is painful when he makes quick moves but not when he swings a bat. As he was talking, he had a difficult time pulling on his socks and pants.

On the 29^th he was placed on the disabled list, then he returned on September 12, got into three games, reinjured himself on the 15^th, and made it back in time to start the last game of the season at third base, on October 1. For the season he hit .225/.273/.363 in 160 at-bats in 77 games, playing mostly in the outfield.

In March 1990 Randy signed another one-year contract with the Red Sox, then got a mention in the March 26 Herald:

Utility man Randy Kutcher used his arm to turn an alligator around and head him into water. The gator was in a gully behind Chain O’ Lakes Park and people were throwing objects at him trying to hit him so he’d turn around towards the water. Kutcher picked up a rock and scored a direct hit on its head. The gator quickly turned and headed into the water. “That was my good gas. Call me Roger [Clemens] II,” he said.

Randy made the team again, but didn’t get as many chances to start as he had in 1989.

On July 30 he was sent down to Pawtucket to clear a spot on the roster. He hit .316/.377/.412 in 35 games there, mostly as the shortstop, then on August 30 he was recalled by Boston in time to be eligible for the post-season. From David Cataneo’s “Between the Lines” column in the Herald of September 1:

Kutcher ready to have fun 

Randy Kutcher returned to the Red Sox yesterday and found his old locker just the way he left it. Still cluttered. Still with a “Couch Potato” sign over his name-plate. Still next door to Tony Pena. 

“Except my pants are missing,” said Kutcher. “I don’t know where they went to.” 

Kutcher was gone for 30 days, which he spent uneasily in Pawtucket. He was demoted on July 31, when the Red Sox picked up Mike Marshall. On Kutcher’s way out, the Red Sox promised to bring him back. Fine. But Triple-A is never charming when you’re 30. 

“That was the longest 30 days of my life,” said Kutcher. “Seemed like two years.” 

…”When I talked to my family (after getting sent down) and they asked me what I was going to do, I told them I was still having fun in this game. I talked to my girlfriend back home and told her the same thing. As long as I was still having fun, it was OK.”

Randy got into 12 games in September, five of them starts at third and second. For the season he hit .230/.345/.351 in 74 at-bats in 63 games, the .345 being easily his best major league on-base percentage, thanks to a big increase in his walks frequency, which had never been very high. The Red Sox did make the playoffs and Randy was on the roster, but he made just two pinch-running appearances as Boston got swept by Oakland.

During the off-season Randy filed for salary arbitration, but reached agreement on a new contract with the team before the hearing. Spring training 1991 found him fighting for a roster spot again, and he made the team. However, he had not gotten into a game yet when on April 18 he was placed on waivers when the Red Sox signed utilityman Steve Lyons. From the April 19 Herald:

Kutcher, a right-handed hitter who turns 31 tomorrow, was stunned by the news. 

“I never saw it coming and I’m just glad I was here,” Kutcher said. “The Red Sox gave me a chance to play. There’s a great bunch of guys here, I wish them well. 

“This is going to be a fun year around here. I’m sorry I’m not going to be a part of it.” 

Kutcher said he wasn’t offered a Triple-A job. 

He said he wasn’t bitter about his release, but was surprised he was replaced by Lyons. 

“Lyons? I’m glad I didn’t know that when I was in the office with them,” Kutcher said of general manager Lou Gorman and manager Joe Morgan.

On April 27 Randy was signed by the Toledo Mud Hens, the Tigers’ AAA affiliate in the International League. He played 70 games for them, primarily in the outfield, and hit .232/.320/.325 in 237 at-bats. In 1992 he went to Mexico to play for the Monterrey Sultanes, but a month into the season decided he was done with baseball and went home to work in construction.

The Major League Baseball Players Association went on strike in August 1994, and were still out when spring training 1995 was scheduled to begin. The team owners hired replacement players, and Randy decided to try to get back into the game. He went to camp with the Yankees. From the Hartford Courant of February 21:

Kutcher, 34, spent parts of five seasons in the majors—1986-87 with the Giants and 1988-90 with the Red Sox. Like many in the Yankees clubhouse, Kutcher does not consider himself a strikebreaker. 

“I’m here for a minor league job,” said Kutcher, who hit .228 in 448 big-league at-bats. “I’m not even sure I can do this. If the strike is still on in April, then I’ll have another decision to make.” 

Kutcher has been a construction worker in Palmdale, Calif., since quitting baseball one month into the 1992 Mexican League season. He said he hasn’t had much contact with baseball players since then, “and they haven’t gone out of their way to stay in touch with me.”

The strike ended just before the regular season was set to start, and Randy, not being offered a minor league contract, went home to Palmdale. Eventually he started working in Hollywood as a crew member on television shows such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

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