Don Pepper

Who is Don Pepper?

Donald Hoyte Pepper is a retired American professional baseball player. He was a first baseman whose seven-year professional career included a four-game trial with the 1966 Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. Pepper batted and threw left-handed, stood 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighed 215 pounds.

Pepper's career was spent with the Detroit organization. In his best season, 1966 with the Double-A Montgomery Rebels, he batted .302 and reached career highs in home runs and runs batted in. Called up to the Tigers after the post-September 1 roster expansion, he was a pinch hitter in three contests. In his fourth game, he was a defensive replacement for veteran Tiger first baseman Norm Cash, but did not bat.

Pepper made the cover of Sports Illustrated in March 1968, along with Johnny Bench, Cisco Carlos, Alan Foster and Mike Torrez, as "The Best Rookies of 1968". He is the father of Dottie Pepper, a former professional golfer and current golf commentator.