Is it fair to pick on a guy who had only 345 career at-bats and who likely now appears in those books they give people to help them choose their haircut? I say yes. Considering the torment we suffered as Cubs fans watching Rick Wrona flail about both behind and at the plate, I say it’s my duty to pick on him.
“Hey, sweet Wrona rookie card!” “Really?” “No.”
Wrona spent two full years backing up Damon Berryhill and Joe Girardi as the Cubs catcher. It probably would have made more sense to have Berryhill and Girardi crouched behind Wrona, in hindsight. Wrona collected 31 hits in just over two seasons as a Cub. If you went to a Cubs game from 1988 through 1990, you were more likely to nail Cindy Sandberg than you were to see Wrona collect a hit.
Even for a backup catcher,Wrona was awful, but hey, give him some credit for being one of the few guys to actually have his best years as a Cub. Yikes.
Low Point: His 5 at-bats during the 1989 NLCS against the San Francisco Giants, during which he collected no hits and struck out three times. Thanks for punching in, Rick.
Did You Know? Wrona’s son is following in the grand Wrona tradition of, you know, not being good at baseball. From an article discussing Oklahoma’s Bishop Kelly high school:
“Sophomore Will Wrona, the son of former major leaguer Rick Wrona, did not have any varsity at-bats. The 5-7, 158-pounder will be battling for a spot in the outfield.”
Hot as a Kerry Wood fastball.
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