#509 Red Sox Rookie Stars: Bob Guindon and Gerry Vezendy

Back-to-back rookie stars this weekend. However, this one stretches the limits of the word "stars". Bobby Guindon certainly looks sharp with his collared zip-up undershirt, and Gerry Vezendy appears to be standing in front of a hangar of some sort. Both of these guys were tough to locate in cyberspace, but we'll see where this entry goes.

Fun facts about Bob Guindon:

-Was a local boy, hailing from Brookline, Massachusetts. Signed with the Red Sox as a teenager in 1961 for a whopping $125,000 bonus.

-Showed good power in the minor leagues, hitting 76 home runs in three full seasons before getting a September 1964 cup of coffee in Boston.

-Had only one hit in eight at-bats with the Sox: a seventh-inning double off of Joe Sparma in the former's final game.

-In 1966, he injured his hand in an offseason accident that hampered his hitting ability, and tried to make a comeback as a pitcher. Threw a no-hitter at AA Pittsfield in 1967, but never did make it back to Beantown.

Fun facts about Gerry Vezendy:

-Was a product of the University of Maryland, whose most prominent baseball alumnus was Yankee outfielder Charlie "King Kong" Keller. Set a record at UMD for strikeouts per nine innings and led the Atlantic Coast Conference in that category three straight years.

-Didn't make the cut with the Red Sox in the Spring of 1965, and was optioned to AAA Toronto. Boston cut him later that summer, and the Cardinals picked him up. He never did make it to the majors.

-Passed away in 2004 at age 61.