Former Rangers, Mariners, Twins first baseman dies at 72

Pat Putnam, who played for three teams over eight MLB seasons, died Aug. 25 according to a report in Florida Weekly on Sunday, Sept. 6. He was 72.

According to the report, Putnam died of natural causes. Andy Hill, who played with Putnam in Fort Myers (Fla.) Little League and remained friends with him into adulthood, said a neighbor found Putnam in his bedroom.

Putnam played 677 games for the Texas Rangers (1977-82), Seattle Mariners (1983-84) and Minnesota Twins (1984). He retired with a .255 batting average, 63 home runs and 255 RBIs.

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The New York Mets drafted Putnam out of Miami-Dade College, but he didn’t sign. After Putnam transferred to the University of South Alabama, the Texas Rangers selected him 22nd overall in 1975.

Playing for the Asheville Tourists in the Class A Western Carolinas League in 1976, Putnam hit .361 with 24 home runs and 142 RBIs. That gave him the league’s first Triple Crown. He was also named the league’s Player of the Year. 

In 1979, his first full big league season, Putnam hit .277 with 18 homers and 64 RBIs in 139 games for the Rangers. He collected downballot votes in the American League Rookie of the Year race, and finished fourth.

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The Rangers traded Putnam to the Mariners in December 1982 for Ron Musselman. He hit .269 with 19 homers and 67 RBI in 1983, his first season in Seattle. His teammates selected him as the team’s MVP.

An August 1984 trade to the Minnesota Twins dropped Putnam into a division title race, but the Twins fell short in the end. Putnam spent the entire 1985 season with the Kansas City Royals’ Triple-A affiliate.

With his major league career effectively over, Putnam signed with the Nippon-Ham Fighters, and slugged 27 home runs over two seasons (1986-87) in Japan’s top league.

After returning to the United States, Putnam eventually retired from the baseball industry altogether. He settled in Fort Myers, where he owned a business that specialized in air and water purification. 

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