John Herrnstein John Ellett Herrnstein ( born March 31 , 1938 ) is a former American baseball and football player . He played Major League Baseball from 1962 to 1966 for the Philadelphia Phillies , Chicago Cubs , and Atlanta Braves . He also played college baseball and football at the University of Michigan from 1956 to 1959 . He was the captain of the 1958 Michigan Wolverines football team and the third generation of the Herrnstein family to play for a Michigan Wolverines football team . His father William Herrnstein , Jr . , played for the Wolverines from 1923 to 1925 , and his grandfather William Herrnstein , Sr . , played for the team in the 1898 and 1900 seasons . His great uncle Albert E . Herrnstein played for Fielding H . Yost ' s famed " Point - a - Minute " teams in 1901 and 1902 . University of Michigan . Herrnstein attended the University of Michigan where he was a star athlete in both baseball and football . In football , he played fullback on offense and linebacker on defense from 1956 to 1958 . As a sophomore , he rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown in his third game against Army and scored three touchdowns in his fourth game against Northwestern . He was the starting fullback on the 1956 Michigan Wolverines football team that finished with a 7 – 2 record and a # 7 ranking in both the Associated Press and United Press International polls . He rushed for 475 net yards on 123 carries , scored seven touchdowns and tied with Terry Barr as Michigan ' s leading scorer in 1956 . In a preview of the 1957 season , " The Sporting News " called Herrnstein " Michigan ' s Big Gun " and a " pounding fullback . " During the 1957 football season , an injury to his left foot slowed Herrnstein . He had played 442 minutes as a sophomore , but was limited to 179 minutes in 1957 . In December 1957 , he was elected by his teammates as the captain of the 1958 Michigan Wolverines football team . In the 1958 season opener , Herrnstein rushed for a career - high 144 yards and scored two touchdowns against the USC Trojans . However , in the second game , he sustained a hand injury in the first quarter and was sidelined for the rest of the game . In the first quarter of the season ' s third game , a 20 – 14 loss to Navy , Herrnstein injured his left knee . Herrnstein later recalled the play : " I was the linebacker and a Navy blocker hit me from nowhere . That was the third game of the year , but the last one for me . The ligaments in my knee were torn up pretty bad . " The knee injury sidelined Herrnstein for the remainder of the 1958 season and ended his football career . In baseball , Herrnstein played for the Michigan Wolverines baseball team in 1957 and 1958 . He batted and threw left - handed , stood tall and weighed . Michigan baseball coach Ray Fisher called him the Wolverines ' best baseball player since Dick Wakefield in the early 1940s . Professional baseball . Signing with the Phillies . Herrnstein had been a highly touted baseball prospect prior to his knee surgery in 1958 . He had turned down offers from major league teams in order to attend college . While the knee surgery reduced the interest in Herrnstein among some clubs , the Philadelphia Phillies remained interested and signed him to a contract on December 2 , 1958 , in exchange for a bonus of $ 35 , 000 . Herrnstein signed with the Phillies while still a student at Michigan and while recuperating from the knee surgery . He later recalled , " They operated on me right away and the Phillies scout came to me and I signed the contract while I was still in the hospital . " At the time , Herrnstein said , " I ' ll leave school at the end of the semester in January and plan to return in September to finish up . " Minor leagues . Herrnstein began his professional baseball career in 1959 for the Des Moines Demons in the Illinois - Indiana - Iowa League . He appeared in 105 games , compiling a . 244 batting average with 21 doubles , three triples and 10 RBIs , as he helped lead the team to a 78 - 48 record . Herrnstein later recalled that he was disappointed with his offensive performance at Des Moines : " That first year I didn ' t think I ' d ever hit . " He was promoted to the Eastern League in 1960 where he became a key player for the Williamsport Grays as the team won the 1960 league pennant . Herrnstein hit . 305 with 16 home runs , six triples , 11 stolen bases , and 85 RBIs . Following his strong showing at Williamsport , Herrnstein played in 1961 for the Chattanooga Lookouts in the Southern Association . He appeared in 159 games for the Lookouts and batted . 292 with a . 365 on base percentage , 22 doubles , six triples , 17 home runs , and 95 RBIs . 1962 season . In 1962 , Herrnstein played for the Buffalo Bisons in the International League . He appeared in 148 games and compiled a . 293 batting average , . 356 on base percentage , 30 doubles , seven triples , 23 RBIs , and six stolen bases . " The Sporting News " published a feature story on Herrnstein in June in which it noted his ability to hit effectively off left - handed pitchers : " A modern rarity - - a lefthanded batter who rips lefthanded pitching - - is Buffalo ' s candidate for rookie of the year . He is Outfielder John Herrnstein , six feet , four inches and 215 pounds , who runs with a 10 . 2 sprinter ' s speed . " Buffalo ' s manager Kerby Farrell said at the time , " At this stage of his career , Herrnstein has more potential than either Roger Maris or Rocky Colavito , " both of whom Farrell had coached in the minor leagues . In September 1962 , he was reacquired by the Phillies from Buffalo . He made his major league debut on September 15 , 1962 , and over the next two weeks he appeared in eight games for the Phillies , all as a pinch hitter . He had one hit and one RBI in five at bats . During the winter of 1962 , Herrnstein played for Arecibo in the Puerto Rican League . By mid - December , he was leading the league with nine home runs . He ultimately led the Puerto Rican League with 14 home runs . 1963 season . Rumors spread in the spring of 1963 that the Phillies intended to trade Herrnstein to the New York Mets . However , Phillies owner Bob Carpenter quashed the rumors noting , " Herrnstein will not be traded . He ' s going to be playing for the Phillies one day soon . " With Wes Covington , Tony Gonzalez and Johnny Callison entrenched in the outfield , the Phillies saw an opportunity for Herrnstein to become their starting first baseman , replacing Roy Sievers . Accordingly , and after a brief stint with the Phillies at the start of the 1963 season , Herrnstein was optioned to the Little Rock Travelers to allow him to try his hand at first base . Herrnstein appeared in 124 games for Little Rock , batting . 271 with a . 361 on base percentage , 19 doubles , 22 home runs and 73 RBIs . Herrnstein appeared in 15 games as a pinch hitter for the Phillies in 1963 . In 12 at bats , he compiled a . 163 batting average . On September 23 , 1963 , he hit his first major league home run off Don Larsen of the San Francisco Giants . Herrnstein was called into the game as a pinch hitter with two out in the ninth inning . The blow , which flew over the right - center field fence at Candlestick Park , gave the Phillies a 5 - 4 victory . 1964 season . Herrnstein spent the full 1964 season with the Phillies . He got off to a quick start , working his way into the starting lineup after an injury to outfielder Tony Gonzalez . On April 19 , 1964 , he played his first game as a starter and hit a single and a home run . In his next game , he hit a two - run , game - winning double down the left field line off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher , Roy Face . He followed the next night with two doubles and a triple . By the end of April , he was batting over . 400 with an on base percentage over . 500 . Herrnstein also began the 1964 season with a solid defensive showing . He initiated a triple play in May on a ground ball from Jerry Grote . Herrnstein fielded the ball , threw to shortstop Bobby Wine for the first out . Wine threw back to Herrnstein for the second out , and Herrnstein threw to catcher Gus Triandos who tagged Rusty Staub attempting to score from second base . Herrnstein appeared in 125 games for the 1964 Phillies team , including 61 as the team ' s starting first baseman and 15 games as a starter in the outfield . He compiled a . 234 batting average in 1964 with 12 doubles , four triples , six home runs , and 25 RBIs . His batting average in 21 at bats as a pinch hitter was . 333 . 1965 season . Herrnstein remained with the Phillies throughout the 1965 season , but he saw his playing time reduced to 63 games , only 12 as a starter . Dick Stuart took over as the team ' s starting first baseman , leaving Herrnstein to be used mostly as a pinch hitter . Herrnstein batted . 200 in 85 at bats with one home run and five RBIs . 1966 season . The 1966 season was Herrnstein ' s final year in professional baseball . He began the season with a strong showing in spring training for the Phillies . He led the team with four home runs in Grapefruit League games . He won the opening night assignment in left field , but he had only one hit in his first 10 at bats during the regular season . After the slow start , the Phillies traded Herrnstein to the Chicago Cubs on April 21 . Traded to the Cubs along with Herrnstein was Ferguson Jenkins , later inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame but then a prospect who had appeared in only eight major league games . Herrnstein appeared in only nine games for the Cubs , compiling a . 176 batting average in 17 at bats . After only one month with the Cubs , Herrnstein was traded to the Atlanta Braves in late May in exchange for first baseman Marty Keough . He appeared in 17 games for the Braves , batting . 222 in 18 at bats . He appeared in his last major league game with the Braves on July 7 , 1966 . The Braves assigned Herrnstein to the Richmond Braves in the International League on July 14 . Playing for his fourth team in a span of three months , Herrnstein compiled a . 134 batting average in 82 at bats for Richmond . In December 1966 , Herrnstein was traded by the Braves with Chris Cannizzaro to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Julio Navarro and Ed Rakow . Herrnstein did not play professional baseball after the 1966 season . Later years . After retiring from baseball , Herrnstein had a career in business . His son , Seth Herrnstein , played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes .