March deaths
7) Bill Webb – Webb was the national director for Fox Sports for many years, and worked for SNY before that covering the Mets, and he is credited with making some incredible leaps forward with camera positioning and cuts in production to allow for a smooth feel for the viewer to feel as if he/she was there in the ballpark. He was 70 years old.
9) Bill Hands – Though he didn’t get to the majors until he was 25, Hands had a solid 11-year career with the Cubs, Twins, Rangers, and Giants. His best years were with the Cubs, where he was a workhorse starter for a 5-year run when he averaged 37 games (35 starts), 251 innings, a 3.08 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and a 56/145 BB/K ratio. His arm couldn’t keep up with the heavy use, and he was never the same after 1971, and he never again started more than 20 games in a season after he left the Cubs after the 1972 season. He was 76.
14) Bob Bruce – Bruce struggled to crack the Tigers big league club, but a move to Houston in 1962 gave him new life, allowing him to have a 5-year run as a starter for the Colt 45’s/Astros before pitching his way out of the league in 1967 with the Braves. Bruce was a back-end starter that finished with a 3.85 ERA and 1.32 WHIP over 1,122 1/3 innings. He was 83.
21) Jose Zardon – A rarity in the majors in 1945, Zardon made the major leagues as a Cuban due to his light skin, but played just one major league season in 1945 while other major leaguers were serving in war time, though he certainly produced, hitting .290/.326/.374 over 142 plate appearances. He played another decade in the minor leagues, but he never made the major leagues again.
22) Mark Higgins – The 7th overall selection of the June draft in 1984, Higgins had a decorated career with Chipola College and the University of New Orleans. The big 1B/OF could never translate that hitting into the major leagues, however, hitting well in the lower minors, but struggling at upper levels and the majors, appearing in just 6 games in 1989 in the major leagues.
22) Dallas Green – Known more for his time after his playing career was done, Green passed away at 82 with many recalling his time as a manager and front office tactician. Green, however, did have a major league career, making 185 pitching appearance, throwing 562 1/3 innings, with a 4.26 ERA.
Green made an immediate impact as a manager in the major leagues, taking over the Philadelphia Phillies part-way through the 1979 season and leading the team to a World Series championship in 1980. Being a player on the infamous 1964 Phillies team that struggled and lost the pennant, he stated in interviews that he felt the 1980 championship brought a level of vindication.
Green truly had a nose and interest in scouting, however, and he worked as the assistant farm director for the Phillies before managing. He was pleased after stepping away from managing in 1981 to find a role in the front office with the Chicago Cubs, making trades to acquire pieces that led to the Cubs 1984 division title.
Green will in the end be most well known in Chicago for his pro-active work with the city of Chicago that laid the foundation for lights to go into Wrigley Field. He was not in the GM position any longer when the lights were finally installed, but he had worked for years through acres of red tape to get the ground work done for lights.
25) Jack Faszholz – Signed out of high school, Faszholz was climbing up the Boston farm system when he served his wartime service. Two seasons after returning from WWII, the Cardinals drafted him in the minor league draft, and he won 20 games in the minor leagues in his first season in the organization. He struggled to crack the major leagues in the 1950s with St. Louis, however he spent much of his Cardinals career in AAA, leaving professional baseball after 1956, having just made 4 major league appearances in 1953. He was 89.
26) Todd Frohwirth – Frohwirth passed away at 54 after a battle with stomach cancer. Notable for his sidearm pitching, Frohwirth was a critical part of the 1991-1992 Orioles bullpens, posting a 2.18 ERA over 116 combined games in those two seasons, throwing 202 1/3 innings. He was struggling with injury when the 1994 strike hit, and he never made it all the way back. He’d served as a scout in his post-baseball years.
31) Ruben Amaro – The slick fielder, winner of the 1964 Gold Glove at shortstop, in spite of splitting his time nearly evenly between shorstop and first base, was known well enough for his defense that he stuck in the major leagues for 11 seasons. This was in spite of hitting .234/.309/.292 for his career with a total of 8 home runs and 11 stolen bases over 940 games in his big league career. He was 81.