Bill Plummer

Bill Plummer

William Francis Plummer (born March 21, 1947) is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He played in the major leagues as a catcher for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and Seattle Mariners.Born in Oakland, California, Plummer attended Anderson Union High School in Anderson, California. He was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals on April 25, 1965 as an amateur free agent. He played three years in the Cardinals' minor league system, then was drafted by the Cubs on November 28, 1967 in the Rule 5 Draft.Plummer spent nearly all of 1968 on the bench and catching in the bullpen in Chicago due to the rules on sending Rule 5 drafted players to the minor leagues. Plummer made his major league debut at age 21 on April 19, 1968, with the Cubs in a 9–2 road loss to the Cardinals. Pinch-hitting for Chuck Hartenstein, he struck out against Hal Gilson. He had only one more at-bat that season and played in just two games. Plummer was traded to the Reds on January 9, 1969 for Ted Abernathy. He would spend the entire 1969 season with the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians. In 1970, Plummer played most of the season in the minors, although he was called up to the Reds long enough to play in four games with nine plate appearances, including his first career hit.While never a regular starter—he was Johnny Bench's backup catcher during the Big Red Machine years—he did play solid defense with a .983 fielding percentage, but was a lifetime .188 hitter. His most memorable game was in 1974 when he hit two home runs off hall of famer Steve Carlton.Plummer's career as a backup catcher was profiled in a Sports Illustrated article in July 1977. "I've always wondered how Bill would do if he played two months straight," said Pete Rose. "He's a physical fitness nut, and if hard work means anything, he would do all right." The article's writer said of Plummer, "He is a private person. He hoards his time and spends it with his wife Robin and two daughters, Gina and Tricia. He doesn't drink, works out, jogs and plays tennis, and during the winter he labors on his father-in-law's northern California cattle ranch." In 2018 a documentary entitled PLUM: A Life in Baseball was made about Bill Plummer's coaching career.

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