Paul Popovich
Paul Edward Popovich is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball from 1964 through 1975 for the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Early years
Popovich attended West Virginia University, where he played college baseball and basketball for the Mountaineers baseball|Mountaineers] in and. The Flemington, West Virginia native also played independent baseball on the Morgantown, West Virginia American Legion team. He signed as an amateur free agent with the Chicago Cubs for $40,000 in 1960.The second baseman was a.244 hitter with seven home runs and 86 batted in">Batting average (baseball)">batted in over three seasons in the Cubs' farm system when he had a breakthrough season with the Texas League's Amarillo Gold Sox in. He batted.313 with seventeen home runs and sixty RBIs.
Chicago Cubs
He made his major league debut in the fifth game of the season, and got a pinch hit single in his only at bat. Nonetheless, he was optioned to the triple A Salt Lake City Bees, and would not return to the majors until a September call up in. In two games, he went 0-for-6.Following his brief stint with the Cubs in 1966, Popovich spent the winter with the Arizona Instructional League Cubs learning shortstop and third base. This experience earned him a bench role with the Cubs in. In 49 games, Popovich batted.214 with no home runs, two RBIs and eighteen runs scored. Following the season, he and minor leaguer Jim Williams were traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for outfielder Lou Johnson.