YOUR 1966 BRAVES: #26 John Herrnstein

#26 JOHN HERRNSTEIN
First Base-Outfield

What came before: He enjoyed the spotlight as a two-sport star for the University of Michigan, playing varsity football and was a team captain as a senior. Legendary Phillies scout Tony Lucadello signed him in December of 1958 for a reported $35,000 and had a 95-RBI season to lead Chattanooga to the 1961 Southern Association pennant.
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He reached the majors for the Phillies in 1962 and was a semi-regular for the 1964 season – the year of the Phils' epic pennant race collapse – and was part of that collapse as he ended the year in a 2-for-31 slump. But that year, he was also a hellacious pinch-hitter, going 7-for-21 with five RBIs.

That 1966 season: The midseason trade for Herrnstein was the answer to a very big question for the '66 Braves. Unfortunately, that answer was, “no!” The ongoing quest for another left-handed bat off the bench brought him over from the Phillies on May 29 in return for a pair of early season washouts, Arnie Earley and Marty Keough. It was the second time he'd been dealt in five weeks, as he was part of a May blockbuster that saw he, Fergie Jenkins and Adolfo Phillips go to Cubs for Larry Jackson and former Milwaukee Brave Bob Buhl.
Herrnstein was given immediate opportunities, pinch-hitting and going 1-for-3 the first week, 2-for-12 in June and 1-for-3 in July – with no RBIs – before he was sent packing to Triple-A. He finished the year hitting .134 for Richmond, was dealt to the Red Sox for Ed Rakow and Julio Navarro in December. He notified the teams that he instead had elected to retire, meaning Herrnstein's career was over in 1966.

What happened next: Herrnstein easily made the transition into the private sector, working as an investment banker until he retired in 2011. His last contact with anyone in baseball was attending a 1989 reunion of the '64 Phillies.
Herrnstein was able to survive one particular heartbreak, however – his son, Seth, opted to play football for Ohio State. And as of 2013, he had a grandson playing small college football.