[dennis_keith]

Johnny Wyrostek had a couple of unimpressive cups of coffee with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1942 and 1943, but after two years in the military he came back to the big leagues as a much improved player. In his first year as an everyday player with the Phillies in 1946 he hit .281 and led all National League outfielders in defensive putouts and led all center fielders in assists.
He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds before the 1948 season and had his best year in home runs that year with 17. Wyrostek would make two National League all-star teams as a Red in 1950 and 1951 and would have his career year in batting average for them in 1951, hitting .311. A trade mid-way through the 1952 season brought Johnny back to the Phillies where he held semi-regular status through 1954.
He was a late cut near the end of spring training 1955 by the Phils and that ended his career. He hit .271 lifetime in over 1,200 games.
He was photographed here as a 1946 Phillie. (Changes in the team's uniform that were unique to the 1946 season. particularly the broad bands of piping trim on the sleeves and around the collar, make this photo easy to date).