{{Short description|American baseball player (1957–2025)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}} {{Infobox baseball biography | image = 1979 Nashville Dave Van Gorder.jpg | width = | caption = Van Gorder with the Nashville Sounds in 1979 | name = Dave Van Gorder | position = Catcher | bats = Right | throws = Right | birth_date = {{Birth date|1957|3|27}} | birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2025|2|4|1957|3|27}} | death_place = Tucson, Arizona, U.S. | debutleague = MLB | debutdate = June 15 | debutyear = 1982 | debutteam = Cincinnati Reds | finalleague = MLB | finaldate = July 11 | finalyear = 1987 | finalteam = Baltimore Orioles | statleague = MLB | stat1label = Batting average | stat1value = .212 | stat2label = Home runs | stat2value = 3 | stat3label = Runs batted in | stat3value = 38 | teams = *Cincinnati Reds ({{mlby|1982}}, {{mlby|1984}}–{{mlby|1986}}) *Baltimore Orioles ({{mlby|1987}}) }}
'''David Thomas Van Gorder''' (March 27, 1957 – February 4, 2025) was an American Major League Baseball catcher. He played parts of five seasons in the majors for the Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles from 1982 to 1987.
Van Gorder was originally drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the ninth round of the 1974 MLB draft, but he opted to play college ball at USC, where he led the team in hitting with a .339 average in 1977 and helped the Trojans win the 1978 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, earning All-American honors.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2025 USC Baseball Record Book |url=https://usctrojans.com/documents/2025/2/3/2025_USC_Baseball_Record_Book.pdf |access-date=2025-03-25 |website=USC Athletics |language=en}}</ref> He was subsequently drafted by the Reds in the second round of the 1978 amateur draft.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Gazdziak |first=~ Sam |date=2025-03-07 |title=Obituary: Dave Van Gorder (1957-2025) |url=https://ripbaseball.com/2025/03/07/obituary-dave-van-gorder-1957-2025/ |access-date=2025-03-25 |website=RIP Baseball |language=en}}</ref>
Van Gorder made his MLB debut for the Reds on June 15, 1982, catching for future Hall-of-Famer Tom Seaver. He spent the 1983 season back in the minors and then parts of the next three seasons with the Reds. The Reds released Van Gorder after the 1986 season and he signed with the Baltimore Orioles, but played sporadically and after being demoted to the minors in July he chose to retire.<ref name=":0" />
Van Gorder died in Tucson, Arizona, on February 4, 2025, at the age of 67.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dave Van Gorder |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=vangoda01 |website=Baseball Almanac |access-date=February 17, 2025}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==Sources== {{baseballstats |mlb=123645 |espn= |br=v/vangoda01 |fangraphs= |brm=vangor001dav |retro=V/Pvangd001}}
{{1978 College Baseball All-Americans}} {{1978 USC Trojans baseball}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Gorder, Dave}} Category:1957 births Category:2025 deaths Category:Baltimore Orioles players Category:Baseball players from Los Angeles Category:Cardenales de Lara players Category:American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Category:Cincinnati Reds players Category:Denver Zephyrs players Category:Indianapolis Indians players Category:Major League Baseball catchers Category:Nashville Sounds players Category:Rochester Red Wings players Category:USC Trojans baseball players Category:Wichita Aeros players Category:American expatriate baseball players in Italy Category:Grosseto Baseball Club players Category:Anchorage Glacier Pilots players Category:All-American college baseball players Category:20th-century American sportsmen
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