| John Vander Wal | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Vander Wal as manager of theWest Michigan Whitecaps in 2018 | |
| Outfielder /First baseman | |
| Born: (1966-04-29)April 29, 1966 (age 59) Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 6, 1991, for the Montreal Expos | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 27, 2004, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .261 |
| Home runs | 97 |
| Runs batted in | 430 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
John Henry Vander Wal (born April 29, 1966) is anAmerican formerMajor League Baseballleft-handed hitter who playedoutfield andfirst base for eight different teams over 14 seasons.
Vander Wal grew up inHudsonville, Michigan and graduated fromHudsonville High School in Hudsonville. He was drafted in the 8th round of the1984 Major League Baseball Draft by theHouston Astros. He did not sign with Houston, and instead attendedWestern Michigan University.[1] He was drafted by theMontreal Expos in the third round of the1987 Major League Baseball Draft.[2]
Vander Wal made his major league debut with the Expos on September 6,1991, and finished his first season with 13hits in 61at-bats for a .213batting average.
Vander Wal played two more seasons inMontreal before moving on to theColorado Rockies in1994, where he would spend all of four seasons and part of another, although he never recorded more than 151 at-bats or appeared in 105 games in any of those seasons. On August 31,1998, he was traded to theSan Diego Padres for aPTBNL. He went on to appear in theWorld Series with the Padres, recording two hits in five at-bats.
Vander Wal spent1999 inSan Diego before moving on to thePittsburgh Pirates in a2000 trade that broughtAl Martin to the Padres. While playing for the Pirates, he posted his best season, appearing in 134 games, and batting .299 with 24home runs and 94RBI. In2001, Vander Wal was traded to theSan Francisco Giants, who later traded him to theNew York Yankees forJay Witasick. Vander Wal was a part-time performer for the Yankees in2002, before moving on to theMilwaukee Brewers in2003, and theCincinnati Reds in2004, where he recorded just 6 hits in 51 at-bats for a .118 average.
Vander Wal played 14 seasons in the major leagues. 13 of these seasons were withNational League clubs, where thepinch hitter was a much more widely used tactic prior to adoption of thedesignated hitter.
In 1372 games over 14 seasons, Vander Wal posted a .261batting average (717-for-2751) with 374runs, 170doubles, 18triples, 97home runs, 430RBI, 38stolen bases, 385bases on balls, .351on-base percentage and .441slugging percentage. He finished his career with a .987fielding percentage playing at right and left field and first base. In 16 postseason games, he hit .286 (6-for-21) with 2 runs, 1 double, 1 triple, 1 home run and 4 RBI.
On February 10,2009, Vander Wal was named ascout for theSan Diego Padres[3] and held that position until 2016.[4]
Vander Wal holds the modernMajor League Baseball single-season record forpinch hits, with 28 in 1995 while playing for theColorado Rockies.[5] In 2017,Ichiro Suzuki almost equaled Vander Wal's record, but finished with 27 pinch-hits. In his career, Vander Wal contributed 129 pinch hits, which isone of the highest totals of the modern era, behindLenny Harris' 212.
Vander Wal was inducted into theWestern Michigan University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003.