Don Baylor: Difference between revisions
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==Coaching career== |
==Coaching career== |
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[[File:DonBaylorRockies.png|thumb|left|100px|Baylor as hitting coach of the Colorado Rockies in 2010.]] |
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After retiring as a player, Baylor served as a hitting coach for the [[Milwaukee Brewers]] and [[St. Louis Cardinals]] until he was named the manager of the expansion [[Colorado Rockies]]. He led the team for six years from 1993-98. The Rockies posted their first winning record (77-67) in {{By|1995}} and made the postseason as the wildcard team, and as a result, Baylor won the National League [[Manager of the Year Award]]. By 1997, the Rockies under Baylor's leadership had the best five-year record (363-384) of any expansion club in MLB history. |
After retiring as a player, Baylor served as a hitting coach for the [[Milwaukee Brewers]] and [[St. Louis Cardinals]] until he was named the manager of the expansion [[Colorado Rockies]]. He led the team for six years from 1993-98. The Rockies posted their first winning record (77-67) in {{By|1995}} and made the postseason as the wildcard team, and as a result, Baylor won the National League [[Manager of the Year Award]]. By 1997, the Rockies under Baylor's leadership had the best five-year record (363-384) of any expansion club in MLB history. |
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Revision as of 00:38, 24 May 2010
| Don Baylor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Outfielder / Designated hitter | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| debut | |
| September 18, 1970, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| Last appearance | |
| October 1, 1988, for the Oakland Athletics | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .260 |
| Home runs | 338 |
| Runs batted in | 1,276 |
| Teams | |
|
As player
As manager | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Donald Edward Baylor (born June 28, 1949) is a Major League Baseball coach and a former player and manager. During his 19-year playing career, he was a power hitter who played as a first baseman, outfielder, and designated hitter. He played for six different American League teams, primarily the Baltimore Orioles and California Angels. He later managed the expansion Colorado Rockies for six years and the Chicago Cubs for three.
Biography
Born in Austin, Texas, Baylor graduated from Austin High School. He starred in both baseball and football at Austin High, and was offered a scholarship to play football at Texas by legendary Longhorns coach Darrell Royal, which would have made him the first African American to play football at Texas.[1] He opted to pursue a baseball career, enrolling at Blinn Junior College in Brenham, Texas. He was drafted in the second round of the 1967 amateur draft by Baltimore. He played for the Orioles (1970-75), Oakland Athletics (1976, 1988), Angels (1977-82), Boston Red Sox (1986-87), and Minnesota Twins (1987).
In 1979, he led the American League with 139 RBIs and 120 runs and was an AL All-Star. He won the AL's MVP award and led the Angels to their first AL Western Division title ever. He reached the World Series three times in his career, in consecutive years with three different teams (one of two players in history to accomplish this feat, Eric Hinske the other)—the Red Sox in 1986, the Twins in 1987, and the A's in 1988—and was on the winning side in 1987. Baylor was a power hitter known for crowding the plate. He set the Red Sox' team record for most Hit by Pitches in a season (24 in 1985, and 35 in 1986 respectively); in his career, he was hit by pitches 267 times, 4th most all time [2]. Baylor retired with 285 stolen bases, 2,135 hits, and 338 home runs.
In the book Planet of the Umps, umpire Ken Kaiser said the hardest ball he ever saw hit was by Don Baylor. Kaiser said the ball glanced off the third baseman's glove and over the outfield wall for a home run. [3]
Coaching career
After retiring as a player, Baylor served as a hitting coach for the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals until he was named the manager of the expansion Colorado Rockies. He led the team for six years from 1993-98. The Rockies posted their first winning record (77-67) in 1995 and made the postseason as the wildcard team, and as a result, Baylor won the National League Manager of the Year Award. By 1997, the Rockies under Baylor's leadership had the best five-year record (363-384) of any expansion club in MLB history.
After a subpar 1998 season, Baylor was released. He became the hitting coach for the Atlanta Braves in 1999 and was hired to manage the Chicago Cubs in 2000 and managed through 2002. From 2003 to 2004, he served as the bench coach for the New York Mets. He spent the 2005 season with the Seattle Mariners as hitting coach for manager Mike Hargrove, and was as a fill-in analyst for MASN in 2007 on Nationals broadcasts. He is currently the hitting coach for the Rockies. Baylor has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma.
See also
- Top 500 home run hitters of all time
- List of major league players with 2,000 hits
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
- List of Major League Baseball RBI champions
- List of Major League Baseball runs scored champions
- Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game
Notes and references
- ^ Reid, Scott M. (2005-12-23). "Millions watched the Texas-Arkansas game in 1969". The Orange County Register. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ [1]
- ^ Kaiser, Ken. "Planet of the Umps".
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs
- Don Baylor managerial career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | American League RBI Champion 1979 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | American League Most Valuable Player 1979 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | National League Manager of the Year 1995 |
Succeeded by |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by | Milwaukee Brewers Hitting Coach 1990-1991 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by ???
|
St. Louis Cardinals Hitting Coach 1992 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by First Manager
|
Colorado Rockies Manager 1993-1998 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Atlanta Braves Hitting Coach 1999 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chicago Cubs Manager 2000-2002 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | New York Mets Hitting Coach 2003-2004 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Seattle Mariners Hitting Coach 2005 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Colorado Rockies Hitting Coach 2009-present |
Succeeded by incumbent
|
- 1949 births
- Living people
- American League All-Stars
- African American baseball players
- African American sports coaches
- American League RBI champions
- Atlanta Braves coaches
- Austin High School (Austin, Texas) alumni
- Baltimore Orioles players
- Boston Red Sox players
- Bluefield Orioles players
- California Angels players
- Chicago Cubs coaches
- Chicago Cubs managers
- Colorado Rockies (baseball) coaches
- Colorado Rockies managers
- Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs players
- Elmira Pioneers players
- MASN
- Major League Baseball designated hitters
- Major League Baseball hitting coaches
- Major League Baseball left fielders
- Major League Baseball managers
- Major League Baseball players from Texas
- Manager of the Year Award
- Miami Marlins players
- Milwaukee Brewers coaches
- Minnesota Twins players
- Multiple myeloma patients
- New York Mets coaches
- New York Yankees players
- Oakland Athletics players
- People from Austin, Texas
- People from Baltimore, Maryland
- Rochester Red Wings players
- Seattle Mariners coaches
- St. Louis Cardinals coaches
- Stockton Ports players
- Washington Nationals broadcasters