Former Seattle Mariners Infielder Has Reportedly Died

Former Seattle Mariners first baseman Pat Putnam, a productive power hitter during two seasons in the Pacific Northwest, has died at age 72.

Putnam died Aug. 25 of natural causes, according to a report published Sunday in Florida Weekly.

A neighbor found Putnam in his bedroom, said Andy Hill, who played with Putnam in Fort Myers, Fla., Little League and remained friends with him into adulthood.

Putnam appeared in 677 major league games across eight seasons with the Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners and Minnesota Twins. He finished his big-league career with a .255 batting average, 63 home runs and 255 RBIs.

The New York Mets drafted Putnam out of Miami-Dade College, but he did not sign.

After transferring to the University of South Alabama, the Rangers selected him 22nd overall in the 1975 draft.

In 1976 with the Asheville Tourists of the Class A Western Carolinas League, Putnam hit .361 with 24 home runs and 142 RBIs. That performance earned him the league’s first Triple Crown and Player of the Year honors.

In 1979, his first full major league season, Putnam batted .277 with 18 homers and 64 RBIs in 139 games for Texas. He collected down-ballot votes and finished fourth in American League Rookie of the Year balloting.

The Rangers traded Putnam to the Mariners in December 1982 for pitcher Ron Musselman.

In 1983, his first season in Seattle, Putnam hit .269 with 19 home runs and 67 RBIs.

His Mariners teammates selected him as the club’s most valuable player that year. An August 1984 trade sent Putnam to the Twins during a division-title race, though Minnesota ultimately fell short.

Putnam spent the entire 1985 season with the Kansas City Royals’ Triple-A affiliate.

With his major league career effectively over, he signed with the Nippon-Ham Fighters and hit 27 home runs over two seasons in Japan from 1986 to 1987.

After returning to the United States, Putnam left the baseball industry and settled in Fort Myers, where he owned a business specializing in air and water purification.