Bobby Meacham

Meacham was originally drafted by the Chicago White Sox out of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, in the 14th round of the 1978 Major League Baseball draft, but chose, instead, to play college baseball at San Diego State University.[2]

Meacham earned third team All-America accolades as a freshman, and was named San Diego State Aztecs team MVP in 1979. He was second team All-American in 1981 after batting .375 with seven home runs, 51 runs batted in (RBI) and 44 stolen bases, and was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals with the eighth overall pick in the 1981 Major League Baseball draft. Meacham signed with the Cardinals, ending his college career as SDSU's all-time leader in runs (214), hits (277), and at bats (767), and was second in career stolen bases (116), including a streak of thirty consecutive successful steals.

Baseball Hall of Fame member Tony Gwynn credited Meacham for helping him join the Aztecs baseball team, after coming to the school on a basketball scholarship. The two played against each other in high school and Meacham, knowing Gwynn's abilities well, encouraged Coach Jim Dietz to give him an opportunity.[3]

Meacham batted only .182 for the Gastonia Cardinals of the South Atlantic League in 1981. His batting average improved to .259 in 1982 with the Florida State League's St. Petersburg Cardinals, but his .915 fielding percentage and 47 errors was far worse than the organization that employed Ozzie Smith at short was accustomed to. On December 14, 1982, Meacham was traded to the New York Yankees with outfielder Stan Javier for pitchers Marty Mason and Steve Fincher and outfielder Bob Helsom in a minor league (MiLB) deal.

The trade turned out to be a very good deal for the Yankees, as none of the three players the Yankees sent to the Cardinals ever reached the major leagues, and Javier was later included in the December 5, 1984 deal that brought them Rickey Henderson from the Oakland Athletics. Meacham, meanwhile, earned a major league promotion by June of his first season with his new club. He made his MLB debut on June 30, 1983, in the 12th inning of an extra-inning game against the Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees won on a Butch Wynegar walk off home run before Meacham could log his first major league plate appearance.[4] That did not occur until his third major league game — against the Seattle Mariners, on September 3, 1983. He lined out to Mariners third baseman Manny Castillo.[5] By the end of the season, Meacham had won the Yankees' starting shortstop job, appearing in a total of 22 games, while batting .235 in 51 at bats.

Meacham in 1984

During the off season, the Yankees acquired Tim Foli to play short in 1984. The Yankees ended up having something of a revolving door at shortstop, with Meacham, Foli, Roy Smalley, and Andre Robertson all seeing playing time at the position. Meacham emerged with the most playing time of the bunch, logging 840 innings and batting .253 with two home runs and 25 RBIs. Despite his limited role, Meacham led the American League (AL) with 14 sacrifice hits for the season. Meacham was the Yankees regular shortstop in 1985, playing in 156 out of 162 games. He hit just .218 in 1985 but led the major leagues with 23 sacrifice hits.

The most notable play of Meacham's career was a bizarre baserunning gaffe which also involved Dale Berra in an 11-inning 6–5 loss to the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium, on August 2, 1985. With Meacham and Berra the runners at second and first base respectively in the seventh inning of a game tied at three, Rickey Henderson hit a ball that rolled to the farthest reaches of left-center field. When Meacham slipped between second and third base, both runners ended up approaching home plate in synchronized fashion, one on the heels of the other. After catching the relay throw from shortstop Ozzie Guillén, catcher Carlton Fisk tagged out Meacham to his right, then turned to his left just a split second later to do the same to Berra, completing the double play.[6] Yankees manager Billy Martin commented, "I've never seen that in grammar school, much less a major-league game."[7]

The Yankees were growing frustrated with Meacham's generally inconsistent play, and had acquired both Paul Zuvella and Wayne Tolleson in separate deals during the 1986 season to replace him at short. Meacham ended up splitting 1986 and 1987 between the Yankees and their triple A affiliate, the Columbus Clippers. He spent all of 1988 with the big league club, but injuries and the off season acquisition of Rafael Santana from the New York Mets limited Meacham to only 47 games, during which, he saw about half his playing time at second base.

Yankees team owner George Steinbrenner was particularly frustrated with Meacham's injuries and lackluster play and often lambasted him in the New York press. Following the 1988 season, Meacham was traded to the Texas Rangers for outfielder Bob Brower.

Meacham failed to make the Rangers out of Spring training 1989, and was released by the club. He joined the Pittsburgh Pirates shortly afterward, spending all of the 1989 season with their triple A affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons, but never reaching the major league level. Meacham spent 1990 with the Omaha Royals, the farm team of the Kansas City Royals, again failing to make the big league club.