Ron Hodges
Ronald Wray Hodges is a former catcher in Major League Baseball, who spent his entire twelve-year career with the New York Mets.
Hodges was originally drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the sixth round of the 1970 Major League Baseball Draft, but did not sign. He was also drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the first round of the amateur draft, and the Atlanta Braves in the first round of the 1971 amateur draft, but chose not to sign with either of those teams. Eventually, he signed with the Mets, who selected him in the second round of the amateur draft.
During just his second professional season, Hodges was promoted to the major league roster when injuries afflicted the Mets' other catchers, Jerry Grote and Duffy Dyer. He made his major league debut on June 13,, catching Tom Seaver. Four days later, he hit his first career home run off the San Diego Padres' Bill Greif. Hodges stayed with the Mets for the remainder of the season, batting.260 with eighteen runs batted in and just the one home run. He was on the Mets' postseason roster in 1973 and played in one game in the World Series, drawing a walk in his only plate appearance.
Hodges retired in with 666 games, 1,426 at bats, nineteen home runs, 147 RBIs, a batting average of.240 and an on-base percentage of.342.
