Article:Players from the Past: Rick Reichardt

Frederick Carl Reichardt

Born: March 16th, 1943 in Madison, Wisconsin College: University of Wisconsin-Madison ML Debut: September 1, 1964 Final Game: April 9, 1974



In the summer of 1964, Rick Reichardt was on top of the world. Each of baseball's 18 ML teams were banging down his door in an effort to sign him. Twenty-one years old, big (6'3") and strong (210 pounds), good looking and educated, "The first time I saw him," said Hall of Fame broadcaster Joe Garagiola, "I thought he fell off a Wheaties box." Unbeknownst to him,  Reichardt's spring would change the face of amateur baseball forever.  An escalating bidding war came down to a final twosome, California Angels owner Gene Autry, and the eccentric owner of the Kansas City Athletics, Charlie O. Finley. Upon hearing Reichardt had accepted a $205,000 offer from the Angels, Finley promptly hopped on his private plane and flew to Wisconsin and doubled the offer to just over $400,000. "I had already agreed to sign," Reichardt later recalled, "back then it was honorable to keep your word." "Now it's all about the dollar, and I have no doubt I would have taken Kansas City's offer today."

A tremendous overall athlete, Reichardt played in Wisconsin's legendary 42-37 loss to USC in the 1963 Rose Bowl, and the following season led the Big Ten Conference with 26 pass receptions. At first, according to Reichardt, baseball was just "a way to get out of spring football practice." Finding the game easy to him, Reichardt went on to set the still standing career batting average record of .443.

After a whirlwind interview schedule and tour with the various ML teams, Reichardt finally agreed on the terms set forth by the Angels, ($175,000 in baseball salary and $30,000 to finish college). At a June 24th press conference at the Autry owned Continental Hotel in Hollywood, Reichardt signed his deal, at the same time becoming the highest paid amateur free agent at the time, and setting in motion the processes which led to the intitution of the amateur draft, held for the first time in June, 1965.



Reichardt made his ML debut just nine weeks after signing, and although he didn't show much, (.162 BA in 37 AB's), he nevertheless impressed manager Bill Rigney and other members of the Angels staff, drawing comparisons to Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda. After spending most of the next two seasons in the Pacific Coast League, Reichardt opened the 1966 season in the Angels outfield. For the first three and a half months, he showed why the Angels signed him to his deal, hitting .288 with 16 homers in just 88 games before his season came to a sudden halt.

During his club required physical prior to the season, it was discovered Reichardt had congenital kidney blockage. Suffering first from high blood pressure, then by excruciating headaches, he woke up one July morning with a headache so severe he thought he was having a stroke. "My roomate, Clyde Wright, literally carried me to his car and drove me to a doctor," Reichardt recalled. "Three days later I was in Minnesota at the Mayo Clinic having my kidney removed."

Reichardt recovered well enough to return to the major leagues, even leading the Angels with 21 homers and 73 RBIs in 1968, but the stress constant medication and of always feeling fatigued finally took it's toll. "The new designated hitter rule was a perfect fit for me at that time," he said. After making the Kansas City Royals with a solid spring training in 1974, he was released after getting a pinch hit on opening day. "I never understood why they released me," Reichardt recalled. Some have speculated it was his relationship to controversial hitting coach Charlie Lau. "Because of Charlie, I finally understood how to hit, and just like that it was all gone." he said.

In a fan poll taken in 2002 as part of the Angels franchise celebrating its forteith anniversary, Reichardt came in as the 62nd best player, a spot which would have been significantly higher had he been healthy. Reichardt to is the answer to a trivia question, "Who hit the first homer in Anaheim Stadium history."

Following his career, Reichardt spent many years as a college hitting coach, first at his alma mater, (Wisconsin), and later at the University of Florida. He also founded a successful insurance business and an investment group with his brothers, which specialized in restaurants. "No regrets," Reichardt said, "great wife and kids, a business I love, its a laid back life and I enjoy the benefits." source source