Former big leaguer and longtime batting coach Merv Rettenmund passed away on Saturday at age 81. Rettenmund played 13 seasons with the Orioles, Reds, Padres, and Angels from 1968-1980, then was a hitting coach for five different teams over parts of 19 seasons from 1983 to 2007.
Rettenmund was a two-sport star in his college days at Ball State, and was even a 19th-round pick for the Dallas Cowboys in the 1965 NFL Draft. Already signed to the Orioles, Rettenmund went on to make his big league debut in 1968 and soon established himself as a regular on an outstanding Baltimore team. Rettenmund hit .284/.383/.436 in 2021 plate appearances during his six seasons with the O’s, bouncing between all three outfield positions.
This stretch of Rettenmund’s career was highlighted by a World Series title with the Orioles in 1970, and he moved on to win another ring with the 1975 Reds. Though Rettenmund’s production dropped off during his two years in Cincinnati, a backup role on one of the greatest teams in baseball history was no small feat. He served mostly as a platoon player and pinch-hitter for the remainder of his career, and finished with a .271/.381/.406 slash line and 66 home runs across 3074 PA and 1023 games in the majors.
After retirement, Rettenmund moved into a lengthy second chapter of his baseball life by becoming a well-respected hitting coach. Rettenmund spent parts of 11 seasons as the Padres’ hitting coach over two different stints (1991-99, and 2006-07) in San Diego, and his coaching duties also included stops with the Rangers, Athletics, Braves, and Tigers. Three of Rettenmund’s teams won pennants, including the 1989 A’s team that won the World Series.
We at MLB Trade Rumors send our condolences to Rettenmund’s family, friends, and peers.
Rest in peace! Not many people can say they were drafted in two separate sports..
RIP Merv…..
Lifetime .381 OBP and actually produced 20 bWAR as a platoon player.
His skill set would probably be more appreciated if he played now.
Condolences to his family.
That was a pitcher dominated era too which makes his career all the more impressive.
Thoughts and prayers to his loved ones.
What an impressive career in MLB. RIP Merv R!
RIP Merv
Another one of my favorite players passes away. Seems like everybody who goes I know now. RIP Merv. Solid career.
Rest in Piece Merv
He will rest in pieces after a while, but the proper wish is Rest in PEACE.
Ignore Baron Blue Balls, he is just insecure and wants everyone to see him as “smart”. I am just glad he changed his profile pic…woof!!
I remember Merv with the Reds and as a hitting coach. Another guy from my youth gone.
RIP.
I’m sorry to hear that. I still have Merv’s Angels baseball card. He made a difference in many people’s lives, including a then-11-year-old boy in Southern California.
Magic Merv was a stud with the Padres 98 squad.
Loved him as hitting coach under Bochy with a very talented team featuring the likes of Gwynn, Camminiti and Finley among othes.
Wonderful guy!
A “fourth outfielder” who was better than many fans might remember.
Orioles with a combined bWAR of 8.0-plus in 1970-71.
Jim Palmer — 10.8
Merv Rettunmund — 10.5
Brooks Robinson — 9.9
Don Buford — 9.6
Paul Blair — 8.7
Boog Powell — 8.7
Davey Johnson — 8.2
Frank Robinson — 8.1
What a team that was…
Incredible team. Brooksie, Belanger, and Blair defensively — jeesh! And they had a bit of pitching, too.
Four twenty game winners. How many teams the last 50 years had even one?
The four 20-game winners tossed 1,081 innings and 70 complete games. They essentially used four starters and five relievers. Eddie Watt and Pete Richert, the relievers with the most appearances, each had 35. And you know what else? Those pitchers remained healthy.
Four 20-game winners in ‘71, and still lost to the Pirates in the WS
(Sorry, had to do it. We Pirates fans don’t have many good memories)
RIP Merv
I’m a Dodger fan, but I loved the teams from those days. It was fun baseball to watch. We were blessed to have seen it. And your Pirates came back and did it again to the Orioles in ’79. Down three games to one with Flanagan, Palmer, and McGregor looming, and games six and seven in Baltimore, it was a foregone conclusion that the Orioles would win.
I remember both series like yesterday. Exciting times here in town. And you’re right. In an athletics sense, it was a more innocent time, before big money ‘ruined’ it
I’m happy that era led to players getting paid more. I can also understand the argument that the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction. Once the agents got involved, the days of 250-300 inning stud starters were doomed.
Yeah, there’s enough greed to go around for everyone. It’s not just the players.
To me, big money corrupts everything and sports is no different. Now we have sports books involved?
I get it. I’m a dinosaur. But sports seemed a lot more “pure” when we just focused on the games themselves
There was nothing pure about players being underpaid for their services. But I get what you’re saying about focusing on the games themselves. That’s what I try to do in the summer: focus on the standing and the scoreboard.
I agree that sports books being involved is nauseating.
I am very sympathetic to the recent pirate teams who won 90+ games only to lose that stupid one game WC series..
In 71, the year the O’s had four 20-game winners, Merv Rettenmund was a key member of their OF. He was used as a full-time SuperSub OF.
Once he was traded to the Reds, he was a favorite of Sparky Anderson.
@El Kabong, the game back then “was fun to watch”, indeed.
My favorite play in that 71 World Series was when aging superstar Frank Robinson played small ball. Game 6 extra innings neither team could muster any kind of offense. Frank gets on base and works his way around to 3rd. Then it happened. Brooks Robinson hits a shallow fly ball to CF Vic Davalio(sp?). Frank tags anyway. Vic’s throw is on line but hops high and Frank slides under a leaping Manny Saguillen (sp?). SAFE! Os live for another day. I believe you can find this play on Youtube.
“Pure” in the way the game was played and the idea that there was still some integrity involved. Now, I’m not so sure
Agree completely with your assertion about player salaries but that’s not my point specifically.
@El Kabong
Respect. What a great post.
RIP to an amazing man and career.
A Ring with three different teams…not many folks can say that.
Rmbr em w/Angel’s. Wow, didn’t realize he was hitting cch for so long n for 5 teams. Thanks for the memories. May his family n friends find peace. RIP
RIP
Proud to call him a Flint Southwestern alum. Condolences to his family.
13 big league seasons, 4 World Series and 2 rings. It doesn’t get much better than that. Condolences to Merv’s family, friends and fans.
He retired before I was even born but one of the things I look for in great hitters is their walk to strike out ratio. If you walk more than you strike out in your career, you are an outstanding hitter in my book. Even more so if your playing time is more as a fourth outfielder/platoon/pinch hitter. You won’t find many guys with the level of plate discipline to take walks more often than striking out nowadays. Merv Rettenmund was an outstanding hitter.
He could run too.
Merv lived in our neighborhood in San Diego. I have his jersey #11 with the Padres. I will wear it tomorrow in his honor. In 2006, he arranged and took the entire group of neighbors to a hitting demonstration by Padre Adrian Gonzalez in the batting cages under the stands at Petco. We became friends, a wonderful guy, a lovely wife. Always ran into him and chatted about baseball because I had played the game too. God bless him. May he rest in peace.
He was a very nice man and leaves behind many admirers.
He sure liked living in San Diego, Poway, et. al. No offense to his hometown, but Flint vs. ‘America’s Finest City’ is rather a boat race.
Alot of solid hitters in that era get disrespected because they played in a pitcher dominated era he was way better than people realize.
Thoughts and prayers to his loved ones.
Walk machine. RIP
Remember watching him play A Ball in Stockton. Man could he hit. RIP
Poor man’s Terry Crowley
Solid player and two WS rings. RIP, Merv.
I have a card of the 1971 A.L. batting leaders and there’s Merv with Tony Olivia and Bobby Murcer!
RIP Merv Rettenmund.
When Rettenmund was with the Reds, I saw him hit an inside the park homer against Don Wilson and the Astros. Bob Watson was playing LF and crashed into the wall as Merv flew around the bases. What a memory from my childhood.
It was the 2nd game of a scheduled doubleheader. Both day games back then! May 12, 1974.