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| Jim Dwyer | |
|---|---|
 Coach Dwyer signing autographs for Miracle fans | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: (1950-01-03)January 3, 1950 (age 75) Evergreen Park, Illinois, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 10, 1973, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 21, 1990, for the Minnesota Twins | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .260 |
| Home runs | 77 |
| Runs batted in | 349 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
James Edward Dwyer (born January 3, 1950) is an American formerbaseball player who was anoutfielder for 18 seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for seven different teams between1973 and1990. Listed at 5' 10", 185 lb., he batted and threw left-handed.[1]
A graduate ofSt. Laurence High School inBurbank, Illinois, just outsideChicago, Dwyer was selected by theSt. Louis Cardinals in the1971 draft out ofSouthern Illinois University. Dwyer spent time in the Cardinals' minor league organization in 1971-1973 at Cedar Rapids, Arkansas, Modesto, and Tulsa[2] before debuting in the majors on June 10, 1973 with the Cardinals. He became known as a fastball hitter who was used mostly against right-handed pitching, and played all three outfield positions, mostly as a reserve or spot starter.
Midway through the1975 season, he was traded to theMontreal Expos (1975–76). Another midseason trade landed him with theNew York Mets (1976), who then sent him in the off-season to theChicago Cubs as part of a three-team trade. Although leading theAmerican Association in batting average, runs, hits and doubles in 1977 for theWichita Aeros,[3] the Cubs' AAA affiliate, he was released on September 7, 1977 and signed a contract with the Cardinals a week later. After playing parts of the1977 and1978 seasons back on the Cardinals, he was traded again, this time to theSan Francisco Giants, on June 15, 1978.[4] Just before the 1979 season, Dwyer was purchased from the Giants by theBoston Red Sox. After two seasons with the Red Sox (1979–80), Dwyer signed a three-year free agent contract with theBaltimore Orioles.[5]
With Baltimore, Dwyer became one of ManagerEarl Weaver's key platoon players, primarily used as a corner outfielder,designated hitter andpinch-hitter. He enjoyed a good season in1982, hitting .304 (74-for-260) in 71 games, but his most productive year came in1983, when he appeared in 100 games while hitting .286 with eighthome runs and 38runs batted in, helping his team to reach theWorld Series, won by Baltimore in five games. In Game 1 on October 11, 1983, Dwyer became the 18th player to hit a home run in his first World Series at-bat when he homered offJohn Denny for the Orioles' only run in their 2-1 loss to thePhiladelphia Phillies.[6]
In a 13–11 loss to theTexas Rangers atMemorial Stadium on August 6, 1986 which was the first-ever game in MLB history that featured threegrand slams, Dwyer hit one in the fourth offJeff Russell afterLarry Sheets had done likewise offBobby Witt earlier in the same inning.Toby Harrah had hit the first one of the contest offKen Dixon two innings earlier in the second.[7] During the1987 season he hit a career-high 15 home runs in 241at-bats. After a late season trade in 1988 from the Orioles to theMinnesota Twins, Dwyer finished out his career in 1990 with the Twins (which also included a brief stint with the contending Expos late in the 1989 season).
For his career, Dwyer was a .260 hitter (719-for-2761) with 77 home runs and 349 RBI in 1328 games, including 409runs, 115doubles, 17triples, 26stolen bases, and a .353on-base percentage. In four postseason games he hit .333 (4-for-12), including one home run, two doubles, four runs, and one RBI.
During the off-season, he played from1977 to 1980 with theMayagüez Indians of thePuerto Rican Professional Baseball League, and following his MLB career, Dwyer played for the 1990Sun City Rays of theSenior Professional Baseball Association.
Following his playing career, Dwyercoached (1991) the Triple APortland Beavers and thenmanaged theKenosha Twins (1992) andFort Wayne Wizards (1993–94) . In1995, he became hitting coach of the Minnesota Twins' Double-A affiliate, theNew Britain Rock Cats, and remained within the Twins' organization in one capacity or another for the rest of his career. He remained with the Rock Cats through1996 before becoming the Twins' minor league roving hitting coordinator (1997-2005). In 2006, Dwyer became the hitting coach of Minnesota's advanced A affiliate, theFort Myers Miracle.[15] He retired in 2016 after 11 years as a coach with the Miracle.[16]
· Baseball Almanac
