Roger Repoz – Baseball Player Biography, Career, Net Worth Information

Roger Repoz isn’t exactly a household name like Mickey Mantle or Reggie Jackson, but honestly, his baseball journey is still pretty fascinating. He’s got a story full of perseverance, a quirky record, and even some international success.

This left-handed outfielder from Bellingham, Washington, carved out a respectable nine-year Major League Baseball career from 1964 to 1972. He played for the New York Yankees, Kansas City Athletics, and California Angels before he found his greatest professional success in Japan.

Repoz retired from Major League Baseball in 1972. He finished with a .224 average, 82 home runs, and 260 RBIs over 831 games. But really, his most remarkable achievement? He set a major league record for non-pitchers by going 347 consecutive games without grounding into a double play.

That streak, which lasted almost three full seasons from 1967 to 1970, showed off his discipline at the plate. It’s still one of baseball’s more unusual records.

His MLB stats might look modest on paper, but there’s more to his story than what happened in American ballparks. Repoz enjoyed his most productive years after moving to Japanese Professional Baseball from 1973 to 1977, where he earned a spot as one of the Central League’s Best Nine players in 1975.

From his early days in Yankee pinstripes to his years with the Yakult Swallows, Repoz’s career proves that determination and adaptability can open doors in pro sports—even when the path isn’t obvious.

Early Life and Amateur Baseball

Roger Allen Repoz was born on August 3, 1940, in Bellingham, Washington. That’s a city just 17 miles south of the Canadian border.

His journey from the son of a mill worker to a professional baseball player started with standout performances at Bellingham High School and Western Washington University. He got some national attention as a tournament MVP.

Family Background and Childhood in Bellingham

Roger was born to John and Joyce Repoz in Bellingham. His dad, John, who had Yugoslavian roots, worked at the mill to support the family.

The Repoz family was small and pretty close. Roger had just one sibling—a sister named Linda.

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Roger loved the outdoors. He spent a lot of his childhood fishing and hunting in the area’s forests and rivers.

But baseball quickly became his main passion. He played Little League and that’s where his skills really started to shine.

Two big league players inspired him as a kid. He looked up to Mickey Mantle and Jackie Robinson.

Bellingham High School Achievements

Roger went to Bellingham High School and graduated in 1958. His high school baseball career set the stage for everything that followed.

When he made his major league debut in 1964, he hit a milestone for his hometown. He became the first positional player from Bellingham High School to reach the majors.

Before Roger, only two pitchers from Bellingham High had made it to the big leagues—Cuddles Marshall in 1946 and Cliff Chambers.

Roger’s success showed other Bellingham athletes what was possible. He proved that players from small Pacific Northwest towns could compete at the highest level.

Collegiate Baseball at Western Washington College of Education

After high school, Roger enrolled at Western Washington University in 1958. Back then, it was called Western Washington College of Education.

He played for the WWU Vikings in the Evergreen Conference. Roger played both first base and pitched—pretty versatile, honestly.

His pitching stats in 1959 were outstanding. He went 11-2 with a 0.90 ERA.

That ability to pitch and hit made him valuable to his college team. Scouts started to pay attention.

National Tournament Recognition

The 1959 NAIA national tournament in Alpine, Texas, was Roger’s breakout. The WWU Vikings finished 2-2 in the tournament.

Roger won both games for the Vikings. He earned the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award.

Major league scouts started noticing him. Mickey Owen, a former big league catcher scouting for the Cubs, especially liked what he saw.

Owen had to make a tough call between two talented players. “I wanted to sign both of them but (the Cubs) told me to recommend and sign one,” Owen remembered about choosing between Roger and Lou Brock.

The Cubs picked Lou Brock, whose Southern University team won the championship. Still, Roger’s performance kept him on the radar for other teams.

Yankees scout Eddie Taylor eventually signed Roger after the Vikings’ 1960 season ended. That signing kicked off Roger’s professional baseball career.

Major League Baseball Career

Roger Repoz played nine seasons in Major League Baseball from 1964 to 1972. He spent time with three teams—starting with the New York Yankees, then moving to the Kansas City Athletics, and finally the California Angels.

He managed to establish himself as a reliable outfielder even when things didn’t always go smoothly.

Rise Through the Minor Leagues

Repoz started his pro career in 1960 after Yankees scout Eddie Taylor signed him. At 19, he joined the Modesto Reds of the Class C California League. He batted .240 in just 14 games before moving to the St. Petersburg Saints in the Class D Florida State League.

He spent 1961 back at Modesto, improving to .287 with 5 home runs and 59 RBIs. That earned him a promotion to the Augusta Yankees of the South Atlantic League in 1962.

The Augusta years weren’t easy. He hit .225 in 1962 and .221 in 1963, but he did show some power with 20 home runs and 72 RBIs in his second season there.

He finally broke through in 1964 with the Columbus team in the Southern League. Roger led the team with 23 home runs and cut his strikeouts down to 120. That improvement earned him his first shot at the majors.

New York Yankees Debut and Impact

Repoz debuted in the majors on September 11, 1964, as a pinch-hitter against the Minnesota Twins. Jim Perry struck him out in his first at-bat, but it was the start of his MLB journey with the New York Yankees.

He still remembers his first look at Yankee Stadium. “Like being in a canyon, the façade hung out over the field,” he said.

The 1965 season was a turning point. After hitting .287 with 14 homers for the Toledo Mud Hens, he got called up in late June to fill in for the injured Roger Maris and help out Mickey Mantle, who was mostly pinch-hitting.

Roger’s first major league hit was a home run off Baltimore’s Steve Barber on July 1, 1965, at Memorial Stadium. He followed with another homer the next day off Boston’s Dave Morehead, and then hit two more within the first week of July.

Even with the strong start, he finished 1965 with a .220 average and 12 home runs in 75 games. Manager Ralph Houk made him a regular outfielder, which gave Roger some valuable experience.

Kansas City Athletics Tenure

On June 10, 1966, the Yankees traded Repoz to the Kansas City Athletics along with pitchers Bill Stafford and Gil Blanco. In return, New York got pitcher Fred Talbot and catcher Billy Bryan.

“Ralph Houk said they needed Fred. I wished it had never happened,” Repoz told interviewers. “I loved New York.” He’d been hitting .349 in limited time with the Yankees when the trade happened.

With Kansas City, Repoz got more regular playing time under manager Alvin Dark. He hit .216 but led the team with 11 home runs in his partial season. Dark played him against both lefties and righties.

The 1967 season started well when Repoz scored the winning run in the Athletics’ 4-3 Opening Day win over Cleveland. But his time in Kansas City didn’t last long—the team called up Reggie Jackson on June 9, which left fewer chances for left-handed outfielders like Roger.

California Angels Stint

Repoz moved to the California Angels on June 15, 1967, in a trade for pitcher Jack Sanford and outfielder Jackie Warner. This trade ended up defining the rest of his major league career.

With the Angels, Roger started a remarkable streak that would become his most famous MLB achievement. Beginning with his first game on June 27, 1967, he went 347 games and 894 at-bats without grounding into a double play—a major league record for non-pitchers.

Jim Fregosi, the Angels’ captain, praised Roger: “What a great guy and very talented hitter and player. He had great tools.” The Angels were contenders, and Repoz chipped in with a .250 average, 5 home runs, and 20 RBIs in his first stretch.

His record streak finally ended on May 24, 1970, when he grounded into a 4-6-3 double play against Minnesota. That streak lasted nearly three seasons and still stands out as one of baseball’s oddest records.

Repoz’s last major league season was in 1971 with the Angels. He hit .199 with 13 home runs in 113 games. After brief stops with Salt Lake City and Rochester in 1972, his MLB career wrapped up when the Angels traded him to the Baltimore Orioles for infielder Jerry DaVanon.

Notable Achievements and Records

Roger Repoz set a few memorable records during his nine MLB seasons, especially his double play avoidance streak and his power hitting in multiple leagues.

His best years came with the California Angels and later in Japan.

Home Run Feats and Power Hitting

Repoz showed off some real power in his career. He racked up 313 home runs and 1,002 RBIs across all levels—majors, minors, Japan, and Puerto Rico—from 1960 to 1977.

His major league power peaked in the mid-1960s with the Yankees. In 1965, he made an instant impact, hitting his first career home run off Steve Barber on July 1, then following up with three more homers in quick succession.

He really found his power groove in Japan. In 1975, he hit 27 home runs with a .292 average for the Yakult Swallows. The next year, he blasted 36 home runs and tallied 81 RBIs, making him one of the top foreign players in Japanese baseball.

Major League Double Play Record

Repoz’s most unique achievement was his knack for avoiding double plays. Starting June 27, 1967, in his first game as an Angel, he began a streak that lasted nearly three full seasons.

He made it through 347 games, with 1,018 plate appearances and 894 at-bats, without grounding into a single double play. The streak finally ended on May 24, 1970, when Rod Carew turned his grounder into a 4-6-3 double play.

That record stood as a major league mark for non-pitchers and showed off Roger’s speed and ability to handle tough situations at the plate.

Best Seasons and Statistics

Repoz had a few standout seasons in different leagues. His 1965 rookie year with the Yankees saw him hit .220 with 12 home runs after his late-June call-up.

In Japan, he got his biggest recognition in 1975, becoming the only foreign player named to the Central League’s Best Nine. That year, he hit .292 with 27 home runs and 70 RBIs.

His overall MLB stats: .224 batting average, 82 home runs, and 260 RBIs in 831 games. The batting average was modest, but his power and that double play record made him stand out.

Life and Success in Japanese Professional Baseball

After struggling to find a permanent spot in Major League Baseball, Roger Repoz found new opportunities in Japan. His five-year run with the Yakult Swallows from 1973 to 1977 turned out to be the most successful stretch of his career. He earned honors and, frankly, some financial stability that had eluded him in the States.

Transition to Nippon Pro Baseball

Back in 1972, the Baltimore Orioles reached out to Repoz, offering him a shot to keep playing in Japan. The Orioles didn’t have plans for Roger and basically asked if he’d think about heading overseas.

Repoz and his teammate Don Buford both signed with the Taiheyo Club Lions in the Pacific League for the 1973 season.

Adjusting to baseball in Japan turned out to be tough for Repoz. “It wasn’t easy,” he admitted. “The deck is stacked and most (American) guys couldn’t take it. It’s their way or the highway.”

His first season over there looked a lot like his 1965 rookie year with the Yankees. Repoz batted .220, hit 12 home runs, and carried a .312 on-base percentage.

Even though those numbers weren’t eye-popping, he found ways to adapt to Japan’s intense training routines and the different culture.

The money, though, made a big difference. Repoz earned about $36,000 each season in Japan, which was way more than what he made in the majors.

The team took care of just about everything, from year-round apartments to covering his living expenses.

Years with Yakult Swallows

After that first season with Taiheyo, the Yakult Swallows in the Central League picked up Repoz’s contract. He spent four seasons there, from 1974 to 1977, and really carved out a role as a dependable foreign player in Japan.

The Swallows played at Jingu Stadium. Repoz once said it felt “like playing sandlot ball in an all-sand infield.” He had to adjust his game to the field’s quirks.

Repoz got into the Japanese lifestyle completely. He never drove a car in Japan, always taking taxis instead.

The team made foreign players feel like stars, and Repoz really noticed the difference.

The training in Japan whipped him into the best shape of his life. Preseason included coaches for every part of the game—running, fielding, hitting, even exercise.

Honestly, he thought the Japanese approach to player development blew away what he’d seen in the States.

Achievements in the Central League

Repoz kept getting better with the Yakult Swallows. In 1975, he broke out, hitting .292 with 27 homers and 70 RBIs.

That was a huge jump from his earlier struggles in the majors.

Then, in 1976, he put up even bigger numbers—.274 average, 36 home runs, and 81 RBIs. Those were career highs for him and showed he really figured out Japanese baseball.

Even in 1977, at age 37, Repoz stayed productive. He batted .263 and hit 22 home runs.

That kind of steady production made him a key part of the Swallows’ lineup.

That same year, things got weird when Repoz, Charlie Manuel, and Clyde Wright (from the Yomiuri Giants) got into a heated exchange with some East German Olympic hockey players at a Tokyo disco.

Repoz insisted it was “strictly verbal,” and denied anything physical happened.

Accolades and Best Nine Selection

Repoz hit the high point of his Japanese career in 1975, earning a spot on the Central League’s Best Nine team. That award singled him out as one of the league’s top nine players, and he was the only foreign player to get the nod that season.

The Best Nine honor was the biggest individual achievement of his pro career. It recognized not just his stats but his overall contribution to the Swallows and the Central League.

Getting that recognition meant even more because foreign players in Japan always faced extra scrutiny and pressure.

After the 1977 season, the Yakult Swallows let Repoz go, ending his five years in Japan.

Across all levels—majors, minors, Japan, and Puerto Rico—Repoz finished with 313 home runs and 1,002 RBIs from 1960 to 1977.

Playing Style, Comparisons, and Influences

Roger Repoz built his career on his athleticism and the influence of Yankees legends he grew up admiring, especially Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris.

His defensive flexibility let him play all over the field, while he learned from teammates and managers throughout his nine years in pro ball.

Comparison to Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris

Repoz’s childhood heroes actually became his teammates when he joined the Yankees in 1964. As a kid, he looked up to Mickey Mantle and Jackie Robinson. Mantle’s power and swagger left a real mark on Repoz, who grew up in Washington.

The Yankees saw Repoz as a possible successor to their aging stars. In 1965, with both Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris banged up, the Yankees called Repoz up from Triple-A Toledo to fill in.

Repoz, like Mantle and Maris, had real power from the left side. At 6-foot-3 and about 195 pounds, he looked the part too.

He showed his pop right away, homering for his first major league hit off Baltimore’s Steve Barber.

But unlike those legends, Repoz battled inconsistency at the plate. He struck out a lot and couldn’t quite match their discipline or long-term success.

Defensive Versatility and Skillset

One of Repoz’s biggest strengths was his defensive versatility. He mostly played the outfield, but also filled in at first base, making him a handy utility player.

His size and athleticism helped him hold his own in both center and right field. With the California Angels, he showed off solid defensive chops to go along with his power.

Jim Fregosi, the Angels’ captain and Repoz’s teammate, spoke highly of him. “What a great guy and a very talented hitter and player. He had great tools,” Fregosi said.

Repoz did something pretty rare—he managed to avoid grounding into double plays for a long stretch. From 1967 to 1970, he set a record for non-pitchers with 347 games and 894 at-bats without a single double play. That streak showed his speed and sharp instincts at the plate.

Influential Teammates and Managers

Repoz’s career got shaped by some key people. Ralph Houk, his Yankees manager, made the tough call to trade him to Kansas City in 1966. Houk said they needed pitcher Fred Talbot, and Repoz admitted he felt disappointed to leave New York.

With the Angels, Repoz played alongside Jim Fregosi, who set the tone as a leader and mentor. Fregosi’s approach helped push Repoz during his best seasons.

Later, while playing in Japan, Repoz teamed up with Charlie Manuel and Clyde Wright. The three Americans ended up in that memorable Tokyo disco incident with the East German hockey team, though Repoz insisted it was just words.

Alvin Dark, his manager with the Kansas City Athletics, gave Repoz regular playing time and trusted him against all types of pitching. That confidence helped Repoz develop during his early years.

Retirement and Legacy

Roger Repoz wrapped up his major league career in 1972 after nine seasons, but his professional baseball journey kept going in Japan until 1977.

After his playing days, he built a solid 26-year career in carpet manufacturing, while still staying connected to the baseball community.

Final MLB Season and Transition

Repoz’s last MLB season in 1972 was a bit of a grind, with limited playing time and a couple of moves. He started out with Salt Lake City in the Angels’ system, then got traded to Baltimore in June for Jerry DaVanon.

The Orioles sent him to the Rochester Red Wings. There, he hit .251 over 74 games and led the team with 13 home runs.

He still had some pop left, even as he got older.

Baltimore didn’t plan to bring him up to the big-league roster. Instead, they asked if he’d consider playing in Japan, and that led him to leave American professional baseball.

His MLB career finished with a .224 average, 82 home runs, and 260 RBIs in 831 games.

Maybe those stats aren’t eye-catching, but his streak of 347 consecutive games without grounding into a double play from 1967-1970 still stands out as a wild pro baseball record.

Post-Playing Career and Life

After leaving MLB, Repoz found his best years in Japan from 1973 to 1977. He started with the Taiheyo Club Lions and then spent four seasons with the Yakult Swallows.

His 1975 season really stood out, as he became the only foreign player on the Central League’s Best Nine team. That year, he hit .292 with 27 home runs and 70 RBIs.

In 1976, he put up his best numbers, hitting 36 homers and driving in 81 runs with a .274 average. “I was in the best shape ever” after Japanese preseason training, he later said.

After the Swallows released him in 1977, Repoz settled in Fullerton, California. He started a 26-year run in carpet mill manufacturing.

Both his sons, Craig and Jeff, played minor league baseball. Craig spent time in the Mets’ and Padres’ systems from 1985 to 1990.

Impact on Baseball History

Repoz made his mark on baseball history with a wild streak—347 games without grounding into a double play. From June 1967 to May 1970, he stepped up for 1,018 plate appearances and 894 at-bats and somehow kept that record alive.

He was the first positional player from Bellingham High School to break into the majors, debuting back in 1964. That milestone opened doors for others in the Pacific Northwest, and you can sense the pride in that.

Western Washington University put him in their Hall of Fame in 1978. They wanted to acknowledge both his college days and his professional baseball journey. He said it meant a lot, mostly because he could “share it with my dad.”

Even though his MLB stats weren’t flashy, Repoz built real friendships with his teammates. Angels captain Jim Fregosi once called him “a great guy and very talented hitter and player” with “great tools.” That’s the kind of praise you don’t forget.

Honestly, his favorite pro baseball memories were “putting on the pinstripes and playing with all those great Yankee stars.” Those days clearly stuck with him.