290/.394/.445 hitting as a switch hitter in 1977 and, as a result, moved Murphy to first base. They apparently were happy with Pocoroba and his very good. ![]() ![]() The Braves, though, recognized that Murphy might not be a catcher in the future. That trouble was named Dale Bryan Murphy, who was an enormous catcher drafted out of high school with the fifth pick overall in 1974. Even with regular playing time, however, there was trouble on the horizon for Biff that came with the September call-ups in 1976 and again in 1977. He certainly would have benefited by playing regularly in Triple-A rather than backing up journeyman Vic Correll in 19.įinally, in 1977, Biff got his break and played reasonably regularly for a terrible Braves team that finished 61-101. Almost certainly, Pocoroba would have benefited by playing more than 1 game in 1972 in Triple-A. Part of this mismanagement was not having a clue as to player development. As much as the Braves success over the past twenty-five years was built in part thanks to Ted Turner's purse strings and his national cable plan for TBS, the club was a mismanaged cesspool in the mid-to-late 1970s. Pocoroba played sparingly for two seasons for the Braves. He attracted attention that spring for, as the Baseball Library says (no citation, I couldn't find anything to prove or disprove either) "when he threw out 11 straight runners in 1975 spring training." He made the team, but then he did not play for 18 games - making his debut as a late-inning substitution on April 25, 1975. In spring training of 1975, Pocoroba was going to be given " a long look" in spring training because he was a switch hitter and could handle pitchers well. Biff then spent both 19 at Double-A Savannah learning how to hit. The Braves were not patient souls in those days, so Biff got a 1 game call up to Triple-A as a 19-year-old late in the 1972 season. 298/.360/.427 in 136 plate appearances - so he was sent to Single-A Greenwood the next season. The Braves sent the 17-year-old to Wytheville, Virginia, in the Appalachian League. ![]() The Atlanta Braves drafted Biff in the 17th round of the 1971 Draft with the 401st pick overall, and Biff signed immediately. Biff - that's his actual first name - attended Canoga Park High School in Canoga Park, California, and graduated from there in 1971. Biff Benedict Pocoroba was born on July 25, 1953, in Burbank, California.
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