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When Braves catcher Brian McCann went on the disabled list with an eye injury after the game on April 22nd, he was batting .195 for the season. McCann came back with new contacts, which he eventually ditched at the plate for glasses. Since returning to the lineup, McCann has a .400/.464/600 line in his first 28 PA, making the vision impaired people of the world feel proud. Plenty of people currently in MLB have poor eyesight. But nearly all of these players wear contacts. Glasses have never been popular in the majors. Yet their almost non-existence in the current game has everything to do with the advances made in the contact lens industry, specifically soft contacts. Because of that, there were far many more bespectacled players in the 1970s than there are in the 2000s. .jpg) It is hard to find any definitive list of people who wore glasses in the majors. The subject is even more difficult when you factor in people who wear sunglasses. Are they prescription lenses or are the simply shades? Reggie Jackson was one of the first players I thought about but I found a Sports Illustrated article that said he had 20-15 vision. And what about the goggles worn by players such as Francisco Rodriguez or Duaner Sanchez, should they count? I made the executive decision that this is about glasses and left those players out. Another thing that makes this list difficult is the people who wore glasses in real life but I had trouble confirming that they wore them in a game. I’ve seen Greg Maddux wear glasses plenty of times, but I was unable to locate a picture of him with glasses in game action. I would bet money he did at some point in his career, but did he do it during his prime seasons? I erred on the side of caution and left guys like this out completely. So, in honor of Brian McCann, here are the Top 10 Fantasy Seasons Wearing Glasses 10. 1950 Earl Torgeson – 290-23-87-120-15
9. 1982 Brian Downing - .281-28-84-109-2 He had a slightly better year in 1987, but Downing actually stopped wearing glasses late in his career. This was Downing’s first season exclusively as an outfielder. He began his career shuttling back and forth between catcher and outfielder (Gary Carter and Dale Murphy being two other prominent C/OF of the 1970s) before becoming primarily a backstop from 1975-1979. Downing is credited as one of the pioneers of successful weight training in MLB. Cynics might say he was one of the pioneers of successful steroid usage in the sport. 8. 1987 Tom Henke – 34 SV, 2.49 ERA, 128 K, 0.926 WHIP Henke led the American League in Saves and had a career-high in strikeouts this season. He might have been better the year before when he had nine wins, or two years later when he had eight wins and a 1.92 ERA but 1987 was his most well-rounded fantasy season. Henke ranks 17th on the all-time list with 311 Saves.
This was the season he won the MVP Award. While generally considered one of the poorest MVP selections, we should also remember that this came in the middle of the pitching-friendly 1960s. Versalles, a shortstop, led the American League in runs, doubles (45), triples (12) and total bases (308). He also won the Gold Glove Award and helped lead the Twins to the World Series. The Twins of this era had other ballplayers who wore glasses, including Rich Rollins and Don Mincher, meaning that the 1965 Twins had three of their four infielders wearing glasses. 6. 1942 Mel Ott - .295-30-93-118-6 Perhaps best known for hitting 323 HR in the Polo Grounds, the most ever hit by a player in a single ballpark. Ott had a high leg kick when he batted and he took advantage of the short right field porch in the Giants’ home park, which measured just 258 feet from home plate. This was not the best year of Ott’s career, but he did not start wearing glasses until the 1940 season. Ott was a player-manager in 1942 and he led the league in HR, R and BB (109). The Hall of Famer is the only player to lead the league in homers while also acting as a manager.
This was the first season that the Hall of Famer wore glasses. Two years later, Hafey became the first player to wear glasses to win the batting title when he hit .349 in 1931. Because of injuries, Hafey topped the 100-game mark in just seven of his 13 seasons, which helps explain why many consider him one of the poorest players to be enshrined in Cooperstown. But when healthy, Hafey finished in the top five in slugging percentage in five of his seven “full” seasons. 4. 1979 Darrell Porter - .291-20-112-101-3 .jpg) That’s a pretty nice line for a catcher. He also had a league-leading 121 walks this season, which gave him a .421 OBP and a .905 OPS. Porter appeared in 157 games this year, with 141 of them coming from behind the plate. And unlike McCann, Porter wore his glasses both at the plate and in the field, without the benefit of today’s hockey-style mask. Most people remember Porter not for his glasses, but rather for admitting he had problems with substance abuse. Porter checked himself into rehab in 1980, admitting to addiction to alcohol and Quaaludes, among other things. He came back to play in the World Series that year. Porter died in 2002, the result of the “toxic effects of cocaine,” but not technically an overdose.
In a different universe, Howard winds up in the Hall of Fame. He had the misfortune of playing in the 1960s and he also spent seven years of his career playing in cavernous RFK Stadium in Washington. His final season was also the first year of the DH and he was able to record just 76 games without having also to play the field. Regardless, Howard led the league in HR, RBI and BB (132) and this was the third straight season he posted an OPS+ of 170 or more. 2. 1972 Dick Allen - .308-37-113-90-19 .jpg) The rookie card for Allen shows him wearing glasses but the next six seasons he shows up without specs. Allen wears them again on his 1971 card. His regular issue 1972 card is without glasses but there are photos of him wearing them that season. So, while Allen has several great years to choose from, I play it safe and choose his MVP season of 1972, when he led the American League in HR, RBIs and BB (99). The press referred to Allen as “Richie” the first part of his career, even though he preferred “Dick,” feeling that “Richie” was not a man’s name. 1. 1879 William White – 43 W, 1.99 ERA, 232 K, 1.094 WHIP Generally credited as the first player in the majors to wear glasses, White had a 10-year career, split between the National League and the American Association, which is generally considered a major league. Regardless, this season came in the NL. He appeared in 76 games (Cincinnati played 80 games that season), started 75 of those and completed each one of his starts. White finished second in the league in Wins, ERA and strikeouts and sixth in WHIP. After he retired from baseball, White became an optician and founded the Buffalo Optical Company. .jpg) White is the one in the middle with the teal-colored shirt, the one who is sitting with his legs crossed. *****
An honorable mention award has to go to Ron Davis, Tom Hume, Mario Mendoza and Max Venable for their Gloria Steinem-esque choice in eye wear. Trackback(0)
Comments (9)
  written by coachoutletmalls, May 14, 2010
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written by Brian Joura, May 31, 2009
The only season that Courtney played for the Yankees was 1951. Duren did not join the Yankees until 1959. However, the two did play for Baltimore in 1954. Duren pitched just one game, but Ray Murray was the catcher.
written by Bill Rogers, May 31, 2009
OK, we know Ryne Duren wore glasses and Clint Courtney wore glasses. The question is did Courtney ever catch Duren while with the Yankees making them maybe the first and only pitcher/catcher battery mates wearing glasses. Does anyone know? Drop me a note at
\n This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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written by Brian Joura, May 18, 2009
Thanks Chase - you're right I should have but now you did, so I don't have to!
Thanks Bruce - the times you've seen it spelled Ryne were the times it was spelled correctly. If you want to see a picture of him with his specs try here: http://cgi.ebay.com/1963-Topps...-Duren-17- NRMT_W0QQitemZ260408964892QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_SM_Spor ts_Cards?hash=item3ca195771c&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14& _trkparms=72:2096|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|30 1:1|293:1|294:50#ebayphotohosting
written by Bruce Kennedy, May 18, 2009
Although he may not have been one of the better players to wear glasses, he was certainly one on the most notable players to wear them. Ryan Druen, I've even seen it spelled Ryne Duren, a relief pitcher for the Yankees was more than memorable. He wore "coke bottle" glasses and threw about 100 miles per hour. During warm ups he would take off his glasses and thow the ball as hard as he could wildly against the backstop, to intimidate the opposing hitters.
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