Leron Lee
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| Leron Lee | |
|---|---|
| Outfielder | |
| Born: March 4, 1948 Bakersfield, California |
|
| Batted: Left | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| September 5, 1969 for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 3, 1976 for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .250 |
| Home runs | 31 |
| Runs batted in | 152 |
| Teams | |
Leron Lee (born March 4, 1948 in Bakersfield, California) is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball who played 8 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians and San Diego Padres.
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[edit] Early life and United States baseball career
Lee, the oldest of six children, graduated from Grant High School in Sacramento with 36 football scholarship offers from major 4-year universities. Instead, he began his professional career at 18 as the number one draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals.[1] He then played for the Cardinals for three seasons, the Padres for three seasons, and the Indians and Dodgers for 1.5 seasons.
On July 4, 1972, Lee broke up a no-hit bid by Tom Seaver of the New York Mets. Lee singled with one out in the ninth inning.[2]
[edit] Japanese baseball career
Following his major league career, he played for the Lotte Orions in Japan from 1977-1987. He currently holds the Japanese record for career batting average (players with more than 4,000 at bats). He led the league in home runs and runs batted in in his first season, and won the batting title in 1980. In 1978, he invited younger brother Leon Lee (the father of Pittsburgh Pirates player Derrek Lee) to play in Japan, and the brothers formed a feared cleanup for the Orions.
Before the arrival of Lee, foreign players mostly played in Japan when their careers were winding down. Lee revolutionized the Japanese view of foreign players by playing in Japan during his prime, raising the standard for all foreign players thereafter.
[edit] Coaching career
After retiring from Japanese Baseball, he went on to become the batting coach for the Oakland Athletics in 1989 when they won the World Series. Currently, he works with the Cincinnati Reds as an advising batting coach to scouted players.
[edit] References
- ^ Hand, Jack (6 June 1966). "Catcher No. 1 baseball selection". The Free Lance–Star: p. 17. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5XIQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UYsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7266,7309673&dq=baseball+leron-lee&hl=en. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
- ^ July 4, 1972 San Diego Padres at New York Mets Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
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- Major League Baseball left fielders
- St. Louis Cardinals players
- Modesto Reds players
- Arkansas Travelers players
- Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players
- San Diego Padres players
- Cleveland Indians players
- Los Angeles Dodgers players
- Baseball players from California
- African American baseball players
- African American baseball coaches
- American expatriate baseball players in Japan
- Lotte Orions players
- People from Bakersfield, California
- 1948 births
- Living people
