David Clyde---1980
David Clyde fell victim to a desperate
owner—Bob Short—trying to make a
name for his franchise. The Texas
Rangers ruined Clyde by sending
him straight to the big leagues as a
publicity stunt. As a senior at Houston’
s Westchester High, the lefty went 18-
0 and threw five no-hitters. The
Rangers took Clyde with their first
pick in the 1973 draft and put him on
a major league mound less than
three weeks later. He responded to
the challenge by defeating the Twins
in his big league debut.
Despite the strong start, Clyde was
unable to develop a solid foundation.
As a teenager he had difficulty
meshing with his teammates, and
before he celebrated his 21st
birthday, his confidence and left arm
were in shambles. The lefthander
went 4-8 as a rookie in 1973 and 3-9
in 1974 prior to spending time in the
minor leagues. He resurfaced with
the Indians in 1978 and even tossed
a pair of four-hitters during the
campaign, against the A’s and Red
Sox. For all practical purposes,
however, Clyde’s remarkable talent
had been wasted. He hung on until
1981 before retiring to run a
lumberyard and coach youth
baseball.
With a dazed look in his 1980 card,
Clyde appears to be asking himself,
"What happened to my career?"
It began too soon, and ended too
soon.
5/13/08
owner—Bob Short—trying to make a
name for his franchise. The Texas
Rangers ruined Clyde by sending
him straight to the big leagues as a
publicity stunt. As a senior at Houston’
s Westchester High, the lefty went 18-
0 and threw five no-hitters. The
Rangers took Clyde with their first
pick in the 1973 draft and put him on
a major league mound less than
three weeks later. He responded to
the challenge by defeating the Twins
in his big league debut.
Despite the strong start, Clyde was
unable to develop a solid foundation.
As a teenager he had difficulty
meshing with his teammates, and
before he celebrated his 21st
birthday, his confidence and left arm
were in shambles. The lefthander
went 4-8 as a rookie in 1973 and 3-9
in 1974 prior to spending time in the
minor leagues. He resurfaced with
the Indians in 1978 and even tossed
a pair of four-hitters during the
campaign, against the A’s and Red
Sox. For all practical purposes,
however, Clyde’s remarkable talent
had been wasted. He hung on until
1981 before retiring to run a
lumberyard and coach youth
baseball.
With a dazed look in his 1980 card,
Clyde appears to be asking himself,
"What happened to my career?"
It began too soon, and ended too
soon.
5/13/08
