Longevity appeared in MLB 14 seasons and stepped up to the plate nearly 3500 times....patron saint of journeyman everywhere....did things well; serviceable bat, solid fielder, fine work ethic...pinch hitter or platoon player, good team guy....a definite cog in a given team but usually just short of an everyday player status.... studied under Ted Williams, Whitey Herzog, Billy Martin in first three seasons....started as the part of the Senators/Rangers started a youth movement along with Burroughs, Harrah....moved along to Montreal then to the northside of Chicago....Found his high watermark of employability and overall performance was 1977 as a Cub....in 138 games hit .298 plus a personal best show of pop with 12 home runs....Biitner’s strongest attraction was with the Cubs and his time on the north side his largest body of work........good sized but was prototypical line drive hitter sometimes puzzling his skippers, Teddy Ballgame for one........Along with the lack everyday work the other snakebite in his career may have been his consistent employment by teams mired in the second division or basement of standings .....The exception was 1981 with Cincinnati who finished at a total of 24 games above .500....the caveat wa the strike season was split in two...neither half being eligible for the playoffs, and no postseason for Larry...next year Reds lost over 100 games....more than frustration that’s downright foiling....Despite unusual spelling of last name it was pronounced Bit-ner.....Rumor has it that Topps printed 3 1973 Larry Biitner cards for one of everybody else...not true just saying.
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