RIP Original Brewer Greg Goossen 1945-2011

[JohnBriggs12]

Greg Goossen who was on the opening day roster in the inaugural 1970 Brewer season, died Saturday at 65. According to an article in the New York Daily News, Goossen was originally signed by the Dodgers as a bonus baby (pre MLB draft) in 1964, and first arrived in the big leagues with the Mets who drafted him from the Dodgers in 1965 at age 19 prompting Casey Stengel to remark "in 10 years, he has a chance to be 29".

 

Goossen's Brewer career was short lived. After backing up/platooning with Mike Hegan, he was sent down to AAA in May and sold to the Washington Senators in July. He did post a .982 OPS with the Pilots in 1969 in 52 games. He didn't do that badly as a Brewer but he was stuck behind Hegan.

[RockCoCougars]

That's too bad. One of the better characters from Ball Four. He was also a stand in for Gene Hackman on many films.

[JimH5]

http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/cooperstown-confidential-who-was-greg-goossen/

 

An interesting read about the guy. Too bad he didn't get a better chance to make it in the bigs.

 

I can't get over how much roster turnover there was on those early Brewer clubs. Trader Frank Lane was a busy guy, shifting the pieces around.

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Fortunately we still have quite a few of those early Brewers around, Mr. Goossen not withstanding.

[RockCoCougars]

"I can't get over how much roster turnover there was on those early

Brewer clubs. Trader Frank Lane was a busy guy, shifting the pieces

around."

 

You aren't kidding. It would be like appointing one of the posters at Realgm.com as GM of the Bucks (in a world where all other league GM's are agreeable with nearly every trade proposal). As far as I know, Skip Lockwood was the last of the Seattle Pilots to play in a Brewers uniform (in the same stint) and he was gone in '73.