5 Teams in 6 Years

Name: Mark Ryal

Card Company: Topps

Year: 1988

Team: California Angels

Bats/Throws: L

Ht: 6'0

Mark Ryal didn’t have a great career, nor did he have any memorable moments. But guess what he played in the MLB, and he got selected for today’s article. The good news is that he right now is guaranteed to be on “The Squad, this week so I guess that’s something. So without further ado let’s begin.

Mark Ryal was drafted in the 3rd round by the Kansas City Royals in 1978, and surprisingly enough he showed some promise hitting 20 home runs in the minors in 1982. He would get called up at the end of the 82’ season playing in only 6 games, but managed to collect his first career hit. It would be almost 3 years till he made it back to the big leagues, this time as a member of the Chicago White Sox. He would only play in 12 games with the White Sox collecting his first career RBI in the process.

The following season he would sign with the California Angels as a utility player. However, he would not start the season with the Angels, being relegated to the minor leagues. But after posting a .340 BA with 14 HR’s and 84 RBI’s in 127 games with the Edmonton

Trappers he was called up to the Angels. Again, he did not play in many games but in the ones, he did he was very solid collecting his first career homerun as well as batting an impressive .375. In 1987, he started out the regular season in the minors but quickly made his way back up to the MLB. In that season, he would be used as a utility platoon player hitting a career high 5 home runs and driving in a career high 18 RBI’s. The problem was that while there was production it wasn’t consistent enough to warrant any everyday spot, as his .200 BA reflects.

He signed on as a free agent with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1988 where he would spend the entirety of that year in AAA. He would spend a few more short stents with both the Phillies and Pirates before leaving the MLB for good. In 1991, he would sign with the Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese Central League hitting an impressive 24 HR with 87 RBI’s all while posting a respectable .284 BA. But after an injury limited him to only 7 games the following year he would retire from baseball.

Overall the issue with players like Ryal is that they’re a common commodity in the MLB. Making players like him the disposable lighters of baseball, handy but replaceable. However, it’s still an accomplishment to make it to the MLB, and you can’t take that away from him.

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