John Pregenzer

Who is John Pregenzer?

John Arthur Pregenzer is a retired American professional baseball pitcher who appeared in parts of two Major League Baseball seasons for the San Francisco Giants. The right-hander stood 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 220 pounds.

Pregenzer attended Illinois Wesleyan University and was initially signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates before being acquired by the Giants as a minor leaguer during the 1960–1961 offseason. That everyday baseball transaction would contribute to Pregenzer's fame during his brief Major League career. When Pregenzer made the Giants' roster at the outset of 1963, he came to the attention of Novella O'Hara, a baseball fan who wrote the "Question Man" column for the San Francisco Chronicle.

According to the journalist's 1997 obituary: "Miss O'Hara organized in 1963 the remarkable John Pregenzer Fan Club, after hearing that the Giants had acquired a rookie relief pitcher of that name for the waiver fee of $100. Miss O'Hara was fascinated with the idea that a baseball player could be acquired for such an affordable sum, and she asked the Giants if she could buy one, too.