The Elusive Don Welchel

Don Welchel 1982-83

I received this card in a trade from fellow Orioles collector, Tim, and I was very pleased to add Don to my collection. I know the card is personalized to Steve, and I'm no Steve, but Welchel is such a tough autograph to track down that I don't even care. My dad has been searching for a Welchel auto on one of his cards from between '82-'84 for much longer than I, and he hasn't had any luck so far. It's like his autographs almost don't exist. He is a good example of a player who had a short time with the Orioles but is now a tough signature to track down. I've never seen an autograph of his on eBay and Tim had the only autograph for trade on SCN. He doesn't seem to sign TTM any more either. If anyone out there has an extra autograph of Don, please let me know so I can try to help my dad out. Thanks!

Don was drafted by the Orioles in 1978 and steadily rose through the Minor League system until he made his Major League debut on September 15, 1982 against the Yankees; picking up his first, and only, big league win. He ended up appearing in relief in 13 games over the '82-'83 seasons. Although he continued to pitch until the 1988 season, Don did not make it back to the Bigs after 1983. His Orioles stat line is a 1-2 W-L record with a 5.88 ERA in 31 innings. He only gave up one HR and also finished three games, so he had a decent run.