Bruce Ogrodowski

Bruce Ogrodowski was the second-string catcher, behind Spud Davis, for the 1936 Cardinals, appearing in 94 games and batting .228. During a regular season exhibition game in Cleveland that year he was the first Major League Baseball batter to face Bob Feller. In 1937, he appeared in four fewer games but nonetheless was the most-used catcher for the Redbirds; however, he improved his batting average by only five points. The following year, Mickey Owen became the Cardinals\' regular catcher, and Ogrodowski was sent to the Rochester Red Wings. He spent the rest of his career in minor league baseball, including nine seasons (1939–1947) in the highly competitive Pacific Coast League for the Sacramento Solons (1939–1940) and San Francisco Seals (1941–1947).\n', '

Ogrodowski\'s 119 Major League hits included 25 doubles, four triples and four home runs. After managing in the farm systems of th…