Andrew James Van Slyke (born December 21, 1960) is an American formerMajor League Baseball (MLB)center fielder and coach.

Andy Van Slyke
Van Slyke as coach with the Seattle Mariners in 2014
Center fielder
Born: (1960-12-21)December 21, 1960 (age 64) Utica, New York, U.S.
Batted: Left Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 17, 1983, for the St. Louis Cardinals
Last MLB appearance
October 1, 1995, for the Philadelphia Phillies
MLB statistics
Batting average	.274
Home runs	164
Runs batted in	792
Stats atBaseball Reference
Teams
As player St. Louis Cardinals (1983–1986) Pittsburgh Pirates (1987–1994) Baltimore Orioles (1995) Philadelphia Phillies (1995) As coach Detroit Tigers (2006–2009) Seattle Mariners (2014–2015)
Career highlights and awards
3×All-Star (1988,1992,1993) 5×Gold Glove Award (1988–1992) 2×Silver Slugger Award (1988, 1992)

Van Slyke earned All-American honors in baseball as a senior at New Hartford Central High school inNew Hartford, New York.

He was drafted in the first round (sixth overall pick) of the 1979 Major League Baseball amateur draft by theSt. Louis Cardinals.

Called up from the AAALouisville Redbirds, he made his Major League debut with the Cardinals on June 17, 1983, collecting adouble, arun batted in (RBI) and making threeputouts in the outfield without anerror.^[1]

The first two years of his career Van Slyke playedfirst base,third base and all threeoutfield positions. He mostly playedright field the next two years on the strength of his throwing arm, occasionallyplatooning withTito Landrum, sometimes substituting forWillie McGee incenter field. Van Slyke was the Cardinals' right fielder during the1985 World Series; in Game 6 he fieldedDane Iorg's ninth-inning game winning two-run base hit and his true and accurate throw was barely beaten byJim Sundberg for the winning run. On September 21, 1986, he hit a rareinside-the-park home run.^[2]

During spring training 1987, he was traded to thePittsburgh Pirates along with left-handed hitting catcherMike LaValliere and minor league pitcherMike Dunne for catcherTony Peña. The trade occurred on April 1, with Van Slyke initially believing that it was anApril Fools' Day joke.^[3] In Pittsburgh, he mostly played center field alongside starsBarry Bonds andBobby Bonilla.

During the 1991Gulf War, when MLB decreed all players would wear both the Canadian and U.S. flags on their batting helmets as a patriotic gesture, Van Slyke scraped the Maple Leaf off his helmet, stating "I guess the people inQuebec won't be upset because the last time we were there they booed [the Canadian] National Anthem".MLB CommissionerFay Vincent ordered that the Canadian flag decal be reinserted onto the helmet.^[4]

Van Slyke possessed one of the most accurate and powerful throwing arms in the majors, so much that the "Slyke Zone" was established atThree Rivers Stadium. From 1985 to 1994, he was frequently among the league leaders in outfieldassists. From 1985 to 1988, he posted seasons of 13, 10, 11, and 12 assists, respectively. As center fielder for the Pirates, he won five consecutiveGold Gloves from 1988 to 1992. In 1988, Van Slyke set career highs with 25 home runs and 100 RBIs, led the majors with 15 triples and 13 sacrifice flies, and finished fourth inNational League MVP voting. In 1992, Van Slyke led the National League in hits with 199 and doubles with 45 while finishing second with a .324 batting average.

Van Slyke played for four teams in his career: the St. Louis Cardinals (1983–1986), Pittsburgh Pirates (1987–1994),Baltimore Orioles (1995), andPhiladelphia Phillies (1995). He played his final game on October 1, 1995. In his 13-year career, Van Slyke appeared in three All-Star games (1988, 1992, 1993), won fiveGold Glove Awards, twoSilver Slugger Awards, and ranked in the top 10 in many offensive categories in varying seasons.

In 1658 games over 13 seasons, Van Slyke compiled a .274batting average (1562-for-5711) with 835runs, 293doubles, 91triples, 164home runs, 792RBI, 245stolen bases, 667walks, 1063strikeouts, anon-base percentage of .349 and aslugging percentage of .443. He recorded a .987fielding percentage at all three outfield positions, first base and third base.^[5]

Prior to the 2006 season, Van Slyke was named first base coach for theDetroit Tigers by managerJim Leyland, under whom he had played in Pittsburgh. Van Slyke served in that capacity on Leyland's staff for four years through the2009 season.

WhenLloyd McClendon was named theSeattle Mariners' manager prior to the2014 season, Van Slyke was hired to be the team's first base coach. He also worked as the assistant hitting coach and outfield instructor through the 2015 season.

• June 5, 1979: Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the first round (6th pick) of the1979 amateur draft.
• April 1, 1987: Traded by the St. Louis Cardinals withMike Dunne andMike LaValliere to the Pittsburgh Pirates forTony Peña.
• October 21, 1994: Grantedfree agency.
• April 21, 1995: Signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles.
• June 18, 1995: Traded by the Baltimore Orioles to the Philadelphia Phillies forGene Harris.
• November 3, 1995: Granted free agency.^[6]

# =MLB All-Star Game selection

Van Slyke became eligible for theNational Baseball Hall of Fame in2001. 75% of the vote was necessary for induction, and 5% was necessary to stay on the ballot. Of the 32 total candidates,^[7] Van Slyke received no votes and was eliminated from futureBBWAA voting.^[8] He still remains eligible for the Hall of Fame via theVeterans Committee.

After baseball, Van Slyke pursued a career as an author, focusing on books centered on baseball. In 2009, he authoredTiger Confidential: The Untold Inside Story of the 2008 Season (with co-author Jim Hawkins). In July 2010, he publishedThe Curse: Cubs Win! Cubs Win! Or Do They? (with co-authorRob Rains), a book in the subgenre sports fiction about theChicago Cubs finally breaking their one hundred year curse and playing in the World Series.

Van Slyke has four sons, three of whom played college or professional sports.Scott Van Slyke played for theLos Angeles Dodgers and theDoosan Bears of theKBO league;^[9] Jared Van Slyke was a defensive back on theUniversity of Michigan football team;^[10] and A. J. Van Slyke played baseball for theUniversity of Kansas and for four seasons in the St. Louis Cardinals' minor league system.^[11]

He attended New Hartford Central High School in New Hartford, New York, Class of 1979. His father was the school's principal.^[12]

• List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders
• List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
• List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
• List of second-generation Major League Baseball players

• Career statistics fromMLB, orESPN, orBaseball Reference, orFangraphs, orBaseball Reference (Minors), orRetrosheet, orBaseball Almanac 
• Official Detroit Tigers Coaching Profile^{[dead link‍]}