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As it turns out, Geovany Soto would not be the first rookie to be the primary starting catcher on a World Series winner — even if the Cubs manage to pull it off. Thanks and a tip of the cap to Ajax, who pointed out in responding to a previous post that Andy Etchebarren was the rookie catcher on the 1966 world-champion Baltimore Orioles. Etchebarren made his big-league debut in 1962, when he was the youngest player in the American League at 19, and had another brief cup of coffee with the team in 1965, when he became one of many players whose every hit was a homer for a full season (he was 1-for-6). So he was still a rookie in 1966 — one of three at critical positions up the middle for Baltimore, joining second baseman Davey Johnson and center fielder Paul Blair. Soto has already surpassed Etchebarren’s 11 homers he hit in 121 games, and will soon top his 50 runs batted in.
