Minnesota Twins.

Date of birth:  March 14, 1956 York, PA

High School: Red Lion HS (Red Lion, PA)

WYNEGAR: Like Vinegar with a W. The surname Wynegar is of English origin and is believed to have medieval roots, with early records dating back to the 13th century. It is a variant spelling of Winegar, an occupational name for a wine merchant.

First Impression; Wynegar is happy, he should be, he nearly won ROY. He finished 2nd in AL Rookie of the Year voting behind Mark Fidrych.

Career stats player: Debuted in 1976 as the only catcher ever to jump straight from A‑ball to the majors. And he was the youngest All‑Star in MLB history at the time (20 years, 212 days). He was also an All-Star his second year. 1,301 games, 1,102 hits, 65 HR, 506 RBI, .255 AVG, .989 fielding percentage.

Wynegar signed a five‑year, $2 million deal with the Twins in 1981, but he didn’t stay long. In May of ’82, Minnesota shipped him and pitcher Roger Erickson to the Yankees for Larry Milbourne, John Pacella, and Pete Filson.

Wynegar later said the Twins were trying to unload expensive contracts. Owner Calvin Griffith pushed back, saying the move had nothing to do with money — he claimed Wynegar was traded because he was hitting just .209 at the time.

After a few seasons in New York, Wynegar hit free agency but chose to come back for 1986. By then, though, the whole Yankees circus had worn him down. By mid‑1986, he told the team he just wasn’t enjoying the game anymore and needed time away. He asked GM Clyde King for a break, but the Yankees only offered him a single day. Wynegar knew that wasn’t going to fix anything, so he went home and didn’t return, walking away from the rest of his contract — about $1.4 million.

A few months later he asked for a trade, and the Yankees sent him to the Angels that December for Ron Romanick and a player to be named later (who became Alan Mills).

Butch would strap the gear on for the Angels in 58 games over 2 seasons (’87-88) hitting one homer and batting .224. Romanick never played for the Yankees. Mills would not debut for the Yankees until 1990 and would pitch in less than 50 games for NY.

All Time Stat: Led AL catchers in baserunners caught stealing twice (60 in ’77, 64 in ’79). His 52.9% caught stealing rate in 1979 was 17.2% higher than the rest of the league.

Fun Fact: Caught Dave Righetti’s no‑hitter on July 4, 1983 and caught Phil Niekro’s 3000th strikeout and 300th win.

Ever a Future Star?  No, he was a Topps All-Star Rookie Cup winner in 1977.

Rookie or final card? No, his boyish smile would be featured on his last card in 1988.

Hall of Fame? Number retired? N/A

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