Bruce Benedict on his nicknames with the Braves

Bruce Benedict grew up around baseball, as his dad played the sport. Bruce was born in Birmingham, Alabama, where his dad was playing baseball at the time.

When Bruce entered the Atlanta organization, Biff Pocoroba was the new starting catcher. Dale Murphy, a top pick in the 1974 draft, was also a top prospect. But Pocoroba got hurt in 1978 with a bad shoulder injury, and Murphy proved over time he was best suited for another position.

Benedict hit .274 in 1976 in the minor leagues, then .273 in 1977 and .279 in 1978. So, when Pocoroba was hurt in 1978, Benedict got the call to the big leagues. He hit .250 in 22 games and showed he could play defensively in the big leagues.

Benedict took over as the starting catcher in 1980. The next season, Benedict was an All-Star, and then again in 1983.

Benedict was great defensively, but his offense was occasionally a problem. He hit just .259 in his five years as the main starting catcher, with only 16 home runs and 181 RBI – an average of three home runs and 36 RBI over those five seasons.

Benedict was a huge fan favorite, as Braves fans all over the country liked his hard play behind the plate. He was also a personal favorite catcher of Phil Niekro.

Listen to The Bill Shanks Show weekdays at 3:00 p.m. ET on Middle Georgia’s ESPN. You can listen online at TheSuperStations.com. Follow Bill on Twitter at @billshanks and you can email him at thebillshanksshow@yahoo.com.