#202 Scipio Spinks

Unfulfilled promise and had trouble with enduring a season….but undeniably great name….listed as an Astro on his card but traded to Cards a week into play starting in a walk out delayed 1972….So highly regarded that the Cards parted him and rookie Lance Clemons for an already established 14 game winner Jerry Ruess….Interestingly the Spinks and Clemons appear in a combined 33 MLB games after the trade….Ruess tallied 571 games in a distinguished career reaching the 1990’s…Hard thrower and was holding his own in Cardinal uniform at 5-5 and 2.68 ERA….season abruptly ended after meeting Johnny Bench at the plate…Returned 1973 but comeback fizzled with a 5.45 ERA…two more years in minors were even worse…..named after a Roman general who defeated the Carthaginians in the Punic Wars.