Greg Goossen | |||
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Catcher | |||
Born: Los Angeles |
December 14, 1945|||
Died: February 26, 2011 Sherman Oaks, California |
(aged 65)|||
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MLB debut | |||
September 3, 1965, for the New York Mets | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
October 1, 1970, for the Washington Senators | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Batting average | .241 | ||
Home runs | 13 | ||
Runs batted in | 44 | ||
On-base percentage | .316 | ||
Games played | 193 | ||
Teams | |||
Gregory Bryant Goossen (December 14, 1945 – February 26, 2011) was an American catcher and first baseman in Major League Baseball, playing from 1965 through 1970 for four different clubs in the American and National leagues. Listed at 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m), 210 lb, he batted and threw right-handed. He is the brother of Goossen-Tutor founders Dan and Joe Goossen.
Born in Los Angeles, Goossen was the fourth member of a family of eight brothers and two sisters. He was a standout football and basketball player at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, where he graduated in 1964. Goossen is among distinguished alumni of Notre Dame such as Admiral Michael Mullen, Kirsten Dunst, Nick Folk, and Dayne Crist.
Following his graduation, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Goossen for a six-figure bonus. He spent 1964 in the minor leagues playing first base with the Dodgers rookie-level Pioneer League team, the Pocatello Chiefs and then their single-A Florida State League team, the St. Petersburg Saints. After accepting a spring training invitation from the Dodgers, in which he shared a locker with future Hall of Famers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale who were on their way to winning the 1965 World Series, on 9 April the woeful New York Mets selected the 19-year-old Goossen through the first-year waiver process. Needing talented players, the Mets promoted the former bonus baby directly to the majors. Goossen batted .290 in 11 games as part of a catching group that included Chris Cannizzaro, Jesse Gonder, John Stephenson and Yogi Berra before being assigned for the rest of the season to single-A Auburn in the New York–Penn League.