Former Atlanta Braves catcher Biff Pocoroba has died at the age of 66, the team announced earlier today. No cause of death was given.
Pocoroba was a 17th round pick of the Braves inn the 1971 draft out of Canoga Park, California. After four minor league seasons in which he displayed fine defense and strong on-base skills, he joined the Braves in 1975, making his big league debut on April 25 of that year. He’d go on to play ten seasons in the majors, all with Atlanta, never once returning to the minors.
Pocoroba was primarily a backup, playing in more than 100 games in only one season. Despite that, he did manage to make the All-Star team in 1978, likely due to his .290 batting average the year before and, more substantively, his reputation for being effective at throwing out would-be base stealers. Indeed, he gunned down opposing base runners at a 34% clip in both 1976 and 1977.
Pocoroba’s playing time decreased pretty precipitously in the early 80s due to nagging injuries. He did, however, manage to play in the postseason with the 1982 NL West champ Braves which lost that year’s NLCS to the eventual World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. Pocoroba was released by the Braves early in the 1984 season and retired.
Rest In Peace, Biff Pocoroba. pic.twitter.com/dwSP3mB1dp
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 27, 2020
Very sad to hear that the @Braves family lost another key member of our early 80s team. Poco once threw out 11 straight base-stealers in spring training. With shoulder problems he became our go-to LH bat off the bench. #rippoco pic.twitter.com/hgJzmTu7Zj
— Dale Murphy (@DaleMurphy3) May 27, 2020
