John Gamble

John Robert Gamble Jr. (February 10, 1948 – September 1, 2022) was an American professional baseball shortstop who played thirteen games for the Detroit Tigers in two seasons of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1972 to 1973. He batted and threw right handed and served primarily as a pinch runner. Gamble was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1966 and played for the team's minor league affiliates until 1970, when he was acquired by the Detroit Tigers via the Rule 5 draft. The Tigers promoted him to the major leagues two years later. Although he was noted for his base stealing skills during his time in the farm system, and was added to the major league roster to bring speed into the lineup, he ultimately did not attempt a stolen base. He played his last game on May 25, 1973, but carried on playing three more seasons in the minor leagues. He subsequently returned to his home state of Nevada and worked for a local county park and as a high school coach. Early life Gamble was born in Reno, Nevada, on February 10, 1948. He was the first of three sons of John Sr. and Muriel Gamble, both of whom worked as teachers. His father also served as superintendent of public education in Nevada from 1966 to 1978. Gamble attended Carson High School in nearby Carson City, Nevada, where he starred in basketball and football in addition to baseball. He posted batting averages of .479 and .420 during his junior and senior years, respectively, which caught the attention of scouts and led to him being offered a baseball scholarship by the University of the Pacific.