Dave Rader

David Martin Rader (born December 26, 1948 in Claremore, Oklahoma) is a former catcher in Major League Baseball. From 1971 through 1980, Rader played for the San Francisco Giants (1971-1976), St. Louis Cardinals (1977), Chicago Cubs (1978), Philadelphia Phillies (1979) and Boston Red Sox (1980). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Rader was selected by the San Francisco Giants as their number one pick in the 1967 draft. A fine defensive... more

David Martin Rader (born December 26, 1948 in Claremore, Oklahoma) is a former catcher in Major League Baseball. From 1971 through 1980, Rader played for the San Francisco Giants (1971-1976), St. Louis Cardinals (1977), Chicago Cubs (1978), Philadelphia Phillies (1979) and Boston Red Sox (1980). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Rader was selected by the San Francisco Giants as their number one pick in the 1967 draft. A fine defensive catcher but only an ordinary hitter, he won the TSN Rookie of the Year honors in 1972 (and finished runner-up to Jon Matlack for National League MLB Rookie of the Year honors), when he caught 127 games and hit .259. The next season he posted career-highs in home runs (9), runs (59) and RBI (41) but hit only .229. From 1974-75 he averaged .291 each season. He also played with the Cardinals and Cubs, as well as Phillies and Red Sox before retiring in 1980. In a 10-season career, Rader was a .257 hitter with 30 home runs and 235 RBI in 846 games.... less