Former Ranger Bob Sebra has passed away

Bob Sebra, who pitched for the Texas Rangers in 1985 as part of a six year major league career, passed away today of organ failure after what had been a year-long hospital stay. He was 58.

Sebra was a fifth round draft pick of the Texas Rangers in 1983 out of the University of Nebraska. He moved quickly through the system and, along with Jose Guzman and Glen Cook, was part of the group of young pitchers who were brought up in the second half of 1985. The Rangers lost 99 games that season and were forced into a rebuild.

Sebra, who had a 7.52 ERA in four starts and three relief appearances in 1985, contributed significantly to that rebuild, though not with his performance on the field for Texas. When the Montreal Expos couldn’t sign first round pick Pete Incaviglia because they wouldn’t agree to let him skip the minors, the Rangers swooped in and worked out a deal that had Inky signing with Montreal and then being dealt to Texas. Sebra and infielder Jim Anderson went to Montreal in that deal.

Sebra spent most of the next three seasons with the Expos before being dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies in September, 1988. Sebra was dealt to the Cincinnati Reds, and then to the Milwaukee Brewers in the summer of 1990. After being released after the 1990 season, Sebra spent the 1991-93 seasons in the minors with the Rangers, the Houston Astros, the Chicago a Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals, but didn’t make it back to the majors.