Chet Trail

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Chet Trail

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{birth date and age|1944|1|19}}

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Chester Borner Trail (born January 19, 1944) is an American former professional baseball infielder and clergyman. He was a phantom ballplayer, as he never appeared in any games while on the active player roster of a Major League Baseball (MLB) team.[https://www.mlb.com/news/notable-phantom-players-in-mlb-history?partnerId=zh-20230513-909806-mlb-1-A&qid=1026&bt_ee=MO%2BfKklBHaO46p6id3QvJGx7Kz35MK1r6zN1lYFVsF0wdQvRSwkdTztF3T9xDRr1&bt_ts=1683982073789 Jacobson, Cole. "What is a phantom ballplayer? Here are 5 from MLB history," MLB.com, Friday, May 12, 2023.] He was declared eligible for the New York Yankees roster for the 1964 World Series.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21401964/series_lineups/ |title=Series Lineups |newspaper=Arizona Daily Star |location=Tucson, Arizona |page=37 |date=October 7, 1964 |accessdate=June 29, 2018 |via=newspapers.com}}

Playing career

Trail attended Libbey High School in Toledo, Ohio, where he was a star player in baseball, basketball and tennis. He was later recruited by Ohio State University to play college basketball, but accepted a scholarship from Bowling Green State University instead, as they offered him the opportunity to play college baseball. Trail began being scouted by the New York Yankees. At {{convert|6|ft}} tall, Trail believed that he was too short to have a professional basketball career, so he signed with the New York Yankees under the bonus rule on July 1, 1962,{{cite news|url=http://www.toledoblade.com/SteveJunga/2011/10/02/10-Questions-with-Chet-Trail.html|title=10 Questions with Chet Trail|first=Steve |last=Junga |date=October 2, 2011|newspaper=Toledo Blade |accessdate=May 19, 2016}}{{cite news |first=Bill |last=Fox |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19650323&id=XAJPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XAEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5237,4523974&hl=en|title=Trail An Unlikely Mud Hen |newspaper=Toledo Blade |date=March 23, 1965 |page=18 |accessdate=May 19, 2016}} when he reportedly received a $43,000 signing bonus.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SLQyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RAEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6780%2C305760|title=Chet Trail Off To Fine Start As Pro |newspaper=Toledo Blade |date=May 7, 1963 |page=20 |accessdate=May 19, 2016}}

Trail made his professional debut in 1963 for the Fort Lauderdale Yankees, a minor league team in the Florida State League, where he had a .260 batting average. In 1964, Trail was with the Greensboro Yankees of the Carolina League, where he batted .257; he also played in the Florida Instructional League. Trail was ruled eligible for Yankees' 1964 World Series roster,{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21604413/frick_announces_series_eligibles/ |title=Frick Announces Series Eligibles |agency=AP |newspaper=The Morning Call |location=Allentown, Pennsylvania |page=39 |date=September 25, 1964 |accessdate=July 6, 2018 |via=newspapers.com}} but he was not activated and did not play. The Yankees had named Trail their "designated player" for the season under the aforementioned bonus rule, which allowed him to be assigned to a minor league club while still counting against (and being considered part of) the team's 25-man active roster.

Returning to Greensboro in 1965, Trail batted .276 with 22 home runs and 89 runs batted in.{{cite news|first=Bill |last=Fox |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19660324&id=dCYxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jQEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5445,955029&hl=en|title=From Florida, Libbey Boost! |newspaper=Toledo Blade |date=March 25, 1966 |page=32|accessdate=May 19, 2016}} In 1966, he began the season with the Toledo Mud Hens of the International League, but struggled to get in the starting line up and was demoted to Greensboro.{{cite news |first=Bill |last=Fox |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19660627&id=pudOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=aAEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4874,2254306&hl=en|title=Frustration At An End |newspaper=Toledo Blade |date=June 28, 1966 |page=20 |accessdate=May 19, 2016}}

Trail played for the Binghamton Triplets of the Eastern League and the Syracuse Chiefs of the International League in 1967. The Yankees eventually traded Trail to the Baltimore Orioles with Joe Brady on December 15, 1967, to complete an earlier trade where the Yankees acquired Steve Barber for Ray Barker, players to be named later, and cash.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2205&dat=19671209&id=d_smAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4QIGAAAAIBAJ&pg=800,4463658&hl=en|title=Birds get Chet Trail in Steve Barber deal |newspaper=Baltimore Afro-American |date=December 9, 1967 |page=17|accessdate=May 19, 2016}} Trail retired after the 1969 season without playing in the major leagues.

Trail is the only player to have appeared on a World Series eligibility list without ever appearing in a major league game.Snyder, John. [https://books.google.com/books?id=3CBwa-yFmL0C&pg=PT104 The World Series' Most Wanted], p. 104. Potomac Books, 2004. {{ISBN|9781612340524}}. "Chet Trail is the only player in history to appear on a World Series eligibility roster without ever appearing in a major league game." There are, however, examples of a player making his major league debut in the postseason (Bug Holliday in 1885), a player making his major league debut in the World Series (Adalberto Mondesí in 2015), and a player's only major league appearances being in the postseason (Mark Kiger in 2006{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/10/11/SPGP4LMRS21.DTL|title=A's Notebook: Kiger Arrives|last=Slusser|first=Susan|authorlink=Susan Slusser|accessdate=October 13, 2006|date=October 11, 2006|newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061028094131/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2006%2F10%2F11%2FSPGP4LMRS21.DTL|archivedate=October 28, 2006|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}).

Personal life

Trail's father, Eddie, played baseball in the Ohio-Indiana Negro League.

Trail was the third of ten children.{{cite web|url=http://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2014/03/02/meet-your-neighbor-chester-trail-dared-to-dream-big/5969557/|title=Meet Your Neighbor: Chester Trail dared to dream big|date=March 2, 2014|work=Coloradoan|accessdate=May 19, 2016}} Trail took courses at Bowling Green State during his playing career.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19620419&id=xQwwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LwEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5068,526659&hl=en|title=Bowling Green Lands Trail |newspaper=Toledo Blade |date=April 19, 1962 |page=29 |accessdate=May 19, 2016}} After he retired, Trail worked in insurance and investments, and coached basketball at Sylvania Southview High School.{{cite news|first=Jack |last=Baessler |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19800212&id=TXcUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=lgIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7096,256098&hl=en|title=Net Effect Pleases Him |newspaper=Toledo Blade |date=February 12, 1980 |page=W-2 |accessdate=May 19, 2016}} He became a pastor, and later a bishop, working at Grace Temple Church of God in Christ in Toledo and Greater St. James Church of God in Christ in Fremont, Ohio.{{cite news|url=http://www.toledoblade.com/Keith-Burris/2014/07/24/Fight-gangs-with-meals-and-baseball.html|title=Fight gangs with meals and baseball|first=Keith C. |last=Burris |date=July 24, 2014|newspaper=Toledo Blade|accessdate=May 19, 2016}}{{cite news |url=http://www.toledoblade.com/Keith-Burris/2016/04/03/The-preacher-and-the-physician.html|title=The preacher and the physician |first=Keith C. |last=Burris |date=April 3, 2016|newspaper=Toledo Blade|accessdate=May 19, 2016}}

Trail and his wife, Donna, have three daughters.