#536 Andre Rodgers

Geez, I hope we get a smiling player soon. These guys are starting to depress me.

Fun facts about Andre Rodgers:

-Born in Nassau in the Bahamas, Andre was a skilled cricket player. The Giants signed him in 1954 even though the 19-year-old had never played baseball.

-He took to the game quickly, batting .387 with 28 homers at class C St. Cloud in 1955 and .354 with 43 doubles, 31 homers, 88 RBI and 82 walks three years later at AAA Phoenix. In the latter season, his OPS was a whopping 1.148!

-Rodgers became the first Bahamanian major leaguer when he debuted with the Giants in April 1957. He appeared in only 32 games that year, but made his mark with a two-out, tiebreaking grand slam in the ninth inning of a June 21 game against the Cubs. Chicago rallied in the home half of the inning, but the Giants pulled it out with a pair of runs in the tenth.

-He was on the Giants' big league roster for parts of four seasons, all as a part-time player. Two trades in the 1960-1961 offseason sent him first to the Braves and then to the Cubs, where he received a chance to play regularly.

-In 1962, Andre became Chicago's everyday shortstop when Ernie Banks moved to first base. He achieved career highs with 20 doubles, 8 triples, and a .278 average.

-He hit only .239 in 1964, but his 12 home runs and 46 RBI were both personal bests.

-Following a 1965 trade to the Pirates, Rodgers spent his final three big league seasons as a reserve. In 178 at-bats for Pittsburgh in 1965, he batted .287. As a pinch-hitter that year, he was 7-for-22 (.318).

-Overall, Andre batted .249 in parts of 11 seasons, with 45 home runs and 245 RBI.

-He also had a 49-game stint in 1968 with Japan's Taiyo Whales, struggling to produce (.210/.275/.370).

-Andre passed away in 2004 in his native Nassau at age 70.