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'{{Infobox baseball biography |name=Willie Royster |position=[[Catcher]] |image= |bats=Right |throws=Right |birth_date={{Birth date and age|1954|4|11}} |birth_place=[[Clarksville, Virginia]] |debutleague = MLB |debutdate=September 3 |debutyear={{By|1981}} |debutteam=[[Baltimore Orioles]] |finalleague = MLB |finaldate=October 2 |finalyear={{By|1981}} |finalteam=[[Baltimore Orioles]] |statleague = MLB |stat1label=[[Games played]] |stat1value=4 |stat2label=[[At bat]]s |stat2value=4 |stat3label=[[Hit (baseball)|Hits]] |stat3value=0 |teams= *[[Baltimore Orioles]] ({{by|1981}}) }} '''Willie Arthur Royster''' (April 11, 1954 - November 23, 2015) was a [[United States|American]] former [[professional baseball]] [[baseball player|player]]. The [[catcher]] spent eleven seasons in [[minor league baseball]], with a brief, four-game [[Major League Baseball|Major League]] trial for the {{by|1981}} [[Baltimore Orioles]]. He threw and batted [[right-handed]], stood {{convert|5|ft|11|in}} tall and weighed {{convert|180|lb}}. Royster was chosen by the Orioles in the 22nd round of the [[1972 Major League Baseball Draft]]. He played in the minors from 1972–1976 and 1978–1981 — missing the entire 1977 season — until a breakout season with the 1981 [[Charlotte O's]] of the [[Double-A (baseball)|Double-A]] [[Southern League (baseball)|Southern League]] saw him hit 31 [[home runs]] and drive in 88 [[runs batted in]], both career highs.<ref>[http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=royste001wil Minor league record from [[Baseball Reference]]]</ref> Baltimore recalled him after the September 1 roster expansion. In Royster's four MLB [[games played]], he appeared as a late-inning defensive replacement and pinch hitter. In his four big-league [[at bats]], he [[strikeout|struck out]] twice and [[ground out (baseball)|gounded out]] twice.<ref>[http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1981/Iroysw1010011981.htm [[Retrosheet]]]</ref> He returned to the minors in 1982, and his pro career ended after the 1983 season. He played all but 66 of his 961 minor-league [[games played|games]] in the Orioles' organization. Willie died at home in Ocean View, New Jersey on November 23, 2015 at the age of 61. ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== {{Baseballstats | br=r/roystwi01 | brm=royste001wil}} [[Willie Royster obituary]] <ref>[http:// http://hosting-10528.tributes.com/show/103031938] {{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. --> | NAME = Royster, Willie | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = Baseball player | DATE OF BIRTH = April 11, 1954 | PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Clarksville, Virginia]] | DATE OF DEATH = November 23, 2015 | PLACE OF DEATH = [[Ocean City, New Jersey]] }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Royster, Willie}} [[Category:1954 births]] [[Category:2015 deaths]] [[Category:Asheville Orioles players]] [[Category:Baltimore Orioles players]] [[Category:Baseball players from Virginia]] [[Category:Bluefield Orioles players]] [[Category:Charlotte O's players]] [[Category:Evansville Triplets players]] [[Category:Lodi Orioles players]] [[Category:Major League Baseball catchers]] [[Category:Miami Orioles players]] [[Category:Niagara Falls Pirates players]] [[Category:Rochester Red Wings players]] {{US-baseball-catcher-1950s-stub}}'