Tim Hosley – Baseball Player Biography, Career, Net Worth Information

Tim Hosley isn’t exactly a name most baseball fans toss around, but his story in Major League Baseball is one of grit and sticking with it. Born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, in 1947, this backup catcher spent nine seasons bouncing between big league rosters from 1970 to 1981.

Hosley’s career wrapped up in 1981 when the Oakland Athletics let him go on August 27. He played in 208 games over those nine seasons.

Even though he didn’t get much time on the field, he still picked up two World Series rings with Oakland’s championship teams in 1973 and 1974. He shared the dugout with legends like Reggie Jackson and Catfish Hunter.

Hosley’s path took him through the Detroit Tigers, Oakland Athletics, and Chicago Cubs. He finally got a real shot to play every day in 1975 with the Cubs, which turned out to be his best season.

He started as an undrafted free agent, never even played high school baseball, and somehow landed on championship teams. Hosley’s story really shows just how tough it was for backup catchers to get a break back then.

Tim Hosley’s Baseball Career Overview

Tim Hosley spent most of his nine seasons in Major League Baseball as a backup catcher for the Detroit Tigers, Oakland Athletics, and Chicago Cubs.

His last season was 1981, capping a career with two World Series titles in Oakland and a rep for solid defense and the occasional big hit.

Major League Debut and Teams Played For

Hosley stepped into the majors on September 8, 1970, with the Detroit Tigers at Tiger Stadium. He pinch-hit for Mickey Lolich and fouled out to first in his very first at-bat.

Detroit picked him up as an undrafted free agent in 1966. He climbed through their farm system, even though he barely played any baseball in high school.

George Washington Carver High School in Spartanburg didn’t have a baseball team, so Hosley played in local fast-pitch leagues instead.

In April 1973, Detroit traded him to the Oakland Athletics for Don Shaw. Oakland became his main team, especially during their championship runs in ’73 and ’74.

He got two World Series rings, even though he spent a lot of time in Triple-A.

The Chicago Cubs picked him in the Rule 5 draft after the 1974 season. In 1975, he finally got to play a full season in the majors.

That year, he hit .255 with six homers in 62 games, and even managed his only career grand slam against Philly on September 14.

Oakland picked Hosley back up on waivers in 1976. He closed out his career moving between the A’s and their minor league teams.

Key Career Highlights and Milestones

Hosley’s best season came in 1975 with the Cubs. Manager Jim Marshall gave him a real shot as a starter, and Hosley put up a .433 slugging percentage.

He gave the Cubs some much-needed offense behind the plate.

His first big league homer happened on September 26, 1970, at Yankee Stadium off Fritz Peterson.

Two weeks later, he caught John Hiller’s shutout against Cleveland in the season finale at Tiger Stadium.

September 25, 1971, was probably Hosley’s best day in the majors. He knocked two home runs off Mike Kekich and drove in five runs in a 10-5 win over the Yankees.

That game showed the kind of pop that kept him around for over a decade.

Those World Series rings from 1973 and 1974 with Oakland? They meant a lot, even if he didn’t play much. The A’s roster was stacked, so Hosley often headed down to Triple-A, but he was ready when needed.

Hosley’s minor league numbers looked a lot better than his MLB stats. He hit 208 home runs in the minors, batted .272, and posted a .373 on-base percentage.

Retirement in 1981

The 1981 season turned out to be Hosley’s last in the majors. He went back to the Oakland Athletics after spending the previous two years in Triple-A with the Ogden A’s.

In his final minor league season, he hit .301 with 26 home runs and 102 RBIs.

His last big league home run came on April 29, 1981, in a 6-4 win over the California Angels. He pinch-hit and launched a two-out, three-run homer off Andy Hassler.

That was a pretty memorable way to cap his power-hitting days.

The 1981 players’ strike really messed up Hosley’s final year. The strike started May 29 and lasted until August 9, and he didn’t play after the season resumed.

Oakland released him at age 34, closing the book on his nine-year major league career. He finished with 208 games, a .215 batting average, 12 home runs, and 53 RBIs.

He tried to come back in 1982 with Triple-A Tacoma but called it quits after just two games.

Seven years later, Hosley gave it one more go in 1989 with the Fort Myers Sun Sox in the Senior Professional Baseball Association. He hit .239 in 23 games with a bunch of other ex-MLB guys.

Major League Team History

Hosley’s nine years in the majors took him through three organizations. He spent most of his time with the Oakland Athletics and won two World Series rings there.

He started out with the Detroit Tigers, who signed him as an undrafted free agent, then had his longest stay in Oakland, and finally got his best shot with the Cubs.

Detroit Tigers Early Years

Hosley got his start in pro baseball with the Detroit Tigers in 1966. Scout Al Lakeman found him in Spartanburg and liked his arm, speed, and bat.

He made his big league debut on September 8, 1970, at Tiger Stadium, pinch-hitting for Mickey Lolich and fouling out. Just a couple weeks later, he hit his first MLB home run at Yankee Stadium.

The Tigers saw him as a potential backup for Bill Freehan and Tom Haller. Manager Billy Martin liked his bat and thought he could fill in at catcher and first base.

But defensive struggles held him back.

“We wanted him mainly for his arm, but he made three bad throws on steals,” Martin said. “If you’re going to carry a guy for defense, he has to be a specialist and Hosley hasn’t done that yet.”

Time With Oakland Athletics

Detroit shipped Hosley to Oakland for Don Shaw on April 3, 1973. The deal gave him a shot on a top team, but the A’s had a crowded catching situation with Gene Tenace and Ray Fosse.

Hosley felt better after the trade, telling the Spartanburg Herald-Journal: “I felt like I wasn’t wanted at Detroit. At Oakland the guys have shown me that I’m wanted and it makes me feel a lot better.”

Even with limited playing time, he picked up World Series rings in both 1973 and 1974 as Oakland won back-to-back championships.

He spent most of those seasons with Triple-A Tucson, where he hit .300 with 12 homers in 1973.

After the 1974 season, the Cubs grabbed Hosley in the Rule 5 draft. He later returned to Oakland for two more stints from 1976-1978 and again briefly in 1981, when he hit his final MLB home run against California on April 29.

Chicago Cubs Tenure

The Cubs took Hosley in the 1974 Rule 5 draft, looking for some offense behind the plate. Manager Jim Marshall liked his bat and arm, which the team needed after relying on defensive catchers Steve Swisher and George Mitterwald.

In 1975, Hosley finally got a real shot. He played 62 games, hit .255, and posted a .433 slugging percentage.

“I finally found a manager willing to give me a chance,” Hosley told sportswriter Jerome Holtzman about Marshall.

He hit his only career grand slam on September 14, 1975, off Philadelphia’s Randy Lerch at Wrigley Field.

Despite a solid year, the Cubs put him on waivers early in 1976, and Oakland scooped him back up.

Career Stats and On-Field Performance

Hosley finished with a .215 batting average over nine seasons, hitting 12 home runs and driving in 53 runs in 208 games.

He mostly played catcher from 1970 to 1981, with 1975 standing out as his best year.

Batting Averages and Offense

Hosley’s numbers at the plate show how tough it was to be a backup catcher in the majors. He hit .215 for his career and had a .324 on-base percentage in 368 at-bats.

Career Offensive Highlights:

• Best batting average: .304 in 1978 (23 at-bats)
• Most productive season: 1975 with the Cubs
• Home runs: 12 total, 6 in his best year
• RBIs: 53 career, 20 in 1975

In 1975, Hosley finally got regular playing time. Over 62 games, he hit .255 with 36 hits and put up an .815 OPS, which was way above his career .666 mark.

He sometimes struggled to stay consistent at the plate. His strikeout-to-walk ratio was 73:57, not bad for a backup.

He only swiped one base during his whole career.

Defensive Role as a Catcher

Hosley mostly worked as a backup catcher. His defense kept him in the majors, even when his bat cooled off.

The “2HD/3” notation in his stats means he played catcher, designated hitter, and third base. That flexibility made him a handy utility guy.

Defensive Contributions:

• Main position: Catcher
• Also played: Designated hitter, third base
• Fielding stats available for catching
• Worked with pitching staffs on three teams

He spent six seasons with Oakland, which says something about how much the A’s valued his defense and maybe his presence in the clubhouse.

Catching is a brutal job physically, so most catchers in his era played less to save their bodies.

Best Seasons and Notable Games

Hosley’s 1975 season with the Cubs was the clear high point. He played 62 games, his most in a single year.

1975 Season Breakdown:

• 171 plate appearances in 62 games
• .255/.382/.433 slash line
• 6 home runs and 20 RBIs
• 1.0 WAR

That run gave him steady playing time and showed what he could do with a real shot. His .382 OBP that year was a big jump.

His early years in Detroit showed flashes, too. In 1971, he hit 2 home runs in just 16 at-bats.

In 1978 with Oakland, he hit .304, though he didn’t play much. That late-career bump showed he still had something left.

World Series Champion Years

Hosley earned two World Series rings with the Oakland Athletics during their title runs in 1973 and 1974.

He didn’t make the postseason roster, but he helped the team during the regular season as a backup catcher.

Oakland Athletics Championships

Oakland ruled baseball in the early ‘70s, winning three straight World Series from 1972 to 1974.

Hosley joined the A’s in April 1973 after Detroit traded him for Don Shaw.

The 1973 A’s had stars like Reggie Jackson, Gene Tenace, Jim “Catfish” Hunter, and Vida Blue. They won 94 games and beat the Mets in seven games for the title.

Oakland did it again in 1974, winning 90 games and taking down the Dodgers in five games for another championship.

Hosley was officially part of both those teams. He got World Series rings for the 1973 and 1974 seasons, even if he didn’t play much during the regular season.

Contribution to 1973 and 1974 Teams

Hosley didn’t get many chances with the Athletics because the team already had plenty of depth at catcher. Ray Fosse and Gene Tenace took care of most of the catching, so Hosley ended up spending a lot of time with the Triple-A Tucson Toros.

In 1973, the Athletics called him up in May, and he played just 13 games for Oakland. He made his debut for the team on May 10 at Arlington Stadium, and in that game, he drove in two runs with two hits during a wild 17-2 win over the Texas Rangers.

Even though he didn’t see much time in the majors, Hosley put up good numbers in the minors. He hit .300 with 12 home runs for Tucson in 1973.

The next season, he batted .285 and hit 17 home runs in 92 games for the Toros, earning an All-Star nod.

Hosley played in ten games for Oakland in July and August of 1974. His teammates and coaches always appreciated his work ethic and the way he stayed ready to help out, even if he wasn’t in the spotlight.

Post-Retirement Life and Legacy

After he wrapped up his major league career in 1981, Tim Hosley returned to baseball about seven years later in a senior league. He poured his energy into teaching young players in South Carolina.

He became a respected instructor and a pretty involved community member until he passed away in 2014.

Senior Professional Baseball Experience

Hosley came out of retirement in 1989 and joined the Fort Myers Sun Sox in the Senior Professional Baseball Association. This league didn’t last long, but it gave some former big leaguers another shot at playing.

A lot of retired MLB players joined the league to play professionally again. Hosley hit .239 in 23 games during his only season with the Sun Sox.

The Senior Professional Baseball Association folded after just one season. Still, Hosley got one last chance to play organized baseball at age 42, and you get the sense that meant a lot to him.

Community and Personal Impact

After his playing days, Hosley worked as a hitting and pitching instructor at Coach Dave’s School of Hitting and Pitching in Boiling Springs, South Carolina. He shared his professional experience with young athletes who wanted to learn the game.

Hosley got involved at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church and showed up regularly for charity fundraising events across South Carolina.

He picked up golf after baseball, and it quickly became one of his favorite ways to spend his free time.

Hosley died on January 21, 2014, at age 66. His wife Phyllis and two daughters, Sharon Wilkins and Melissa Lee, survived him.

He lost an infant daughter, Alisha D. Hosley, earlier in life.

Induction and Recognition

Hosley never got a big hall of fame honor, but the people who knew him in baseball recognized his contributions. His strong work ethic stood out throughout his career.

Some modern analysts have pointed out that Hosley’s skills didn’t always get the attention they deserved, especially his knack for drawing walks. He posted a .400 on-base percentage five times in the minors and carried a career .373 OBP at that level.

Hosley hit 208 home runs in the minors and batted .272 there, showing off power that didn’t always translate to the majors. These numbers show the kind of talent he had, even if he didn’t get to display it in the big leagues as much as he could have.

Personal Biography and Net Worth

Tim Hosley’s life is really the story of a determined athlete who fought through early setbacks to reach the majors. He was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and faced some unique challenges before finding his footing, later devoting himself to coaching the next generation.

Early Life and Background

Timothy Kenneth Hosley was born on May 10, 1947, in Spartanburg, South Carolina. His parents, Carrie Lee and Timothy Hosley, raised him in a modest home during the segregation era.

At George Washington Carver High School, Hosley played football and basketball. Since the school didn’t have a baseball team, he learned the game in a local Fast Pitch League.

That lack of formal training made it tough for him at first. “I never played Legion ball or high-school ball,” Hosley said once. “I just played a few sandlot games. Actually when the Tigers signed me, I probably had more experience playing softball than baseball.”

Detroit scout Al Lakeman spotted Hosley’s talent, even though he was inexperienced. Lakeman was impressed by Hosley’s natural skills. “I gave him a tryout and later took him to Asheville when Montgomery was playing there for another tryout,” Lakeman remembered. “The reason I signed him was that he had a good arm, good speed, and was a good hitter.”

Later Years and Passing

After he retired from professional baseball in 1982, Hosley came back in 1989 for a short stint with the Fort Myers Sun Sox in the Senior Professional Baseball Association. He hit .239 in 23 games before the league folded.

Hosley found his calling as a baseball instructor. He worked at Coach Dave’s School of Hitting and Pitching in Boiling Springs, South Carolina, teaching young players how to hit and pitch.

He stayed active in his community outside of baseball. Hosley was committed at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church and joined in on plenty of charity fundraising events. Golf became another big passion, and his friends and family knew him as an enthusiastic golfer.

Hosley passed away on January 21, 2014, at age 66. His wife, Phyllis, and two daughters, Sharon Wilkins and Melissa Lee, survived him.

He had been preceded in death by an infant daughter, Alisha D. Hosley.

Net Worth and Financial Standing

You won’t find any concrete details about Tim Hosley’s net worth or finances out there. As a backup catcher who played in parts of nine seasons between 1970 and 1981, he probably didn’t earn anywhere near what the stars pulled in at the time.

Baseball salaries in the 1970s sat far below what players make today. Most backup players took home between $20,000 and $50,000 a year during Hosley’s career. He did get to be part of two World Series championship teams with Oakland in 1973 and 1974, which must’ve been a highlight.

After he retired from playing, Hosley worked as a hitting and pitching instructor. That job likely brought in a steady but pretty modest income. Teaching baseball at a local academy might’ve given him financial stability, but it wasn’t a path to getting rich.

Since there’s really no public financial info about him, I’d guess Hosley lived a fairly private, middle-class life after baseball. He seemed to care more about giving back to his community and doing charity work than about building up a fortune.