Even though it is not as unique of an occurance as one would think, seeing a player homer in their first at bat is still an exciting introduction to the Majors. For the California Angels Dave Machemer, it would prove to be the highlight of his career.
The other day, we were treated to the sight of Willson Contreras hitting a home run in his first major league at bat. It was quite the incredible blast, heading out to center, as another top prospect for the Cubs announced his presence in the most impressive way possible.
However, hitting a home run in that first career at bat is not an indication of future success. That was the case with California Angels speedster and infielder Dave Machemer, who hit a home run in his first major league at bat on this day in 1978.
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Chances are, you have never heard of Machemer, and with good reason. His career lasted all of 29 games for a total of 55 plate appearances. He had a career .229/.302/.333 with just that one home run. Despite his 246 stolen bases in the minors, Machemer was caught in all four stolen base attempts in the bigs. In fact, Machemer would only hit a total of three more home runs in his professional career, all at the AAA level.
Even though Machemer was not even close to being the type of prospect that Contreras is for the Cubs, having reached the Majors at 27 years of age, he can still serve as a bit of a cautionary tale. Contreras, as a top prospect, certainly impressed in his initial showing, but one should be wary of reading too much into that first at bat.
As it would turn out for Machember, he would not even play with the Angels for both seasons. The Tigers selected him in the Rule V Draft and gave him 19 games in Detroit, where he struggled before heading back to the minors and finishing his career in the Twins organization.
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For one at bat, Dave Machemer looked like he could be a great player. Then he played to the level one would expect from a career minor leaguer who got his first chance at age 27. At least he will always have the first at bat.