Bob Stinson (baseball)

Infobox MLB retired
bgcolor1=
bgcolor2=
textcolor1=black
textcolor2=black
name=Bob Stinson
position=Catcher
birthdate=birth date and age|1945|10|11
bats=Switch
throws=Right
debutdate=September 23
debutyear=1969
debutteam=Los Angeles Dodgers
finaldate=August 1
finalyear=1980
finalteam=Seattle Mariners
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.250
stat2label=Home Runs
stat2value=33
stat3label=Runs
stat3value=166
teams=
*Los Angeles Dodgers (by|1969-by|1970)
*St. Louis Cardinals (by|1971)
*Houston Astros (by|1972)
*Montreal Expos (by|1973-by|1974)
*Kansas City Royals (by|1975-by|1976)
*Seattle Mariners (by|1977-by|1980)
highlights=

Gorrell Robert (III) Stinson (born October 11, 1945 in Elkin, North Carolina) was a switch-hitting catcher in Major League Baseball from 1969-1980. Stinson played for six Major League franchises, most notably the Seattle Mariners.

According to www.retrosheet.org, Stinson was selected in the free agent draft by both the Kansas City Athletics and Washington Senators but did not sign with either club. He was then taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 7, 1966 as the 15th overall selection in the secondary phase of the draft.

Stinson broke into the Majors on September 23, 1969 with the Dodgers, at the age of 23. In by|1969 and by|1970, he appeared in a total of eight games for the Dodgers. Then on October 5, 1970, Stinson was traded along with Ted Sizemore to the St. Louis Cardinals for Dick Allen. He appeared in 17 games in 1971 for the Cardinals.

A journeyman, Stinson moved on to the Houston Astros, spending the by|1972 season in that organization. He then played two seasons each with the Montreal Expos and Kansas City Royals.

A new opportunity presented itself when the expansion Seattle club, one of two new American League teams (along with the Toronto Blue Jays) that played their inaugural seasons in by|1977, selected Stinson from the Royals on November 5, 1976 as the 25th overall pick in the expansion draft. Stinson had been a backup for his Major League career prior to joining the Mariners. With the young Mariners club, Stinson saw regular action for the first time, being designated the primary catcher in 1977 and by|1978.

Stinson logged his best overall season in 1978, establishing career highs in games played, at-bats, hits, doubles, home runs, and RBI. In 124 games for Seattle that season, he batted .258 with 11 homers and drove in 55 runs. He also had a .346 on-base percentage and a slugging average of .404.

Yet with the March by|1979 acquisition of Larry Cox from the Chicago Cubs, Stinson's playing time slowly began to dwindle. That season, Stinson caught in 91 games to Cox's 99. By by|1980, Cox was the Mariners' regular catcher, with Stinson the backup before eventually losing the backup job to 24-year-old Jerry Narron, future Major League manager and coach. Stinson's final game in a big league uniform was August 1, 1980, after over three and a half seasons with the Mariners. He was released by Seattle seven days later.

Stinson tasted his only postseason action with Kansas City in by|1976, appearing in two games of the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees.

In 652 Major League games, Stinson had 408 hits in 1634 at-bats for a .250 batting average, with 33 home runs and 180 RBI.

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