Larry Wallin
was a teammate of Ray's with the Portland Beavers in 1970. He was a catcher who signed with the New York Mets in 1965 and caught Nolan Ryan as a rookie with the Marion Mets. Though he never made the major leagues, he came close....
This is an excerpt from a newspaper article from 2011 in the Star Tribune about senior baseball
"Larry Wallin grew up in Spring Lake Park. A big, strong catcher, he signed with the Mets in 1965, went to the organization's rookie team and found himself catching a guy named Nolan Ryan.
"I've never seen a guy throw like that," he said. "He scared the hell out of me in the bullpen."
Wallin came one injury away from a shot at a cup of big-league coffee. It was 1971 and he was in the Cleveland organization, playing at Class AAA Wichita. Indians catcher Ray Fosse got hurt, but Wallin wasn't available.
"Two days before Fosse got hurt, I got a foul tip in Iowa," Wallin said. "Tore the tip of my finger off. I was out for the year. Right place, right time, but I was hurt."
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