Dennis Paepke

Dennis Ray Paepke (born April 17, 1945 in Long Beach, California) is a former Major League Baseball catcher who graduated from Rancho Alamitos high school in 1963. He had one of the highest batting averages in school history; batting over 700 during his Senior year. He was signed right after graduation to the LA Angels. He was later traded to the Kansas City Royals in 1969, 1971, 1972, and 1974, playing in 80 career games. In 1974 he suffered a career-ending injury to his left arm by an (unnamed) major league player with sharpened cleats. This injury severely tore the ligaments in his arm. Paepke was a power hitter who once broke a window across the street from the Baltimore Stadium of nearly 500 feet.