Up for auction the "New York Yankees" Rick Bladt Hand Signed 3X5 Card. This item is
certified authentic by Signature Auctions and comes with their Letter of
Authenticity.
ES-1775B
Richard Alan Bladt (born December 9,
1946 in Santa Cruz, California)
was a right-handed outfielder in Major League Baseball for
the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees. Bladt was signed by the Cubs in 1966 as an undrafted amateur free agent. He worked his
way through the Cubs' minor league system and made his debut with the big
league club on June 15, 1969 in the first game of a doubleheader against
the Cincinnati Reds,
pinch-running for Hall of
Famer Billy Williams.
He started the second game of the doubleheader, and after lining into a double
play in his first at-bat, he singled in a run off Gerry Arrigo for his first major league hit. Williams
then replaced Bladt as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning. Bladt would appear
in eight more games in June before being sent back to the minors. Bladt was
the player to be named later that
completed a trade between the Cubs and Yankees in January 1970. The Cubs sent a minor leaguer and cash, along with a
player to be named later, in exchange for Jimmie Hall on September 11, 1969. The transfer of Bladt
completed the deal. Bladt languished in the New York minor league system until
resurfacing in the majors in 1975. He made his Yankee debut on July 19 and remained with
the team through the end of the season. Bladt hit his first (and only) major
league home run on August 23, 1975 off Andy Hassler of the California Angels, and he spent September as the Yankees'
everyday center fielder, replacing Elliott Maddox. After another year in the minors, however, the
Yankees traded Bladt along with Maddox to the Baltimore Orioles for Paul Blair. Bladt never
returned to the major leagues.