| Don Baylor | |
|---|---|
 Baylor in 1984 | |
| Designated hitter /Left fielder /Manager | |
| Born:(1949-06-28)June 28, 1949 Austin, Texas, U.S. | |
| Died: August 7, 2017(2017-08-07) (aged 68) Austin, Texas, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 18, 1970, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 1, 1988, for the Oakland Athletics | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .260 |
| Hits | 2,135 |
| Home runs | 338 |
| Runs batted in | 1,276 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Don Edward Baylor (June 28, 1949 – August 7, 2017), nicknamed "Groove," was an American professionalbaseball player, coach and manager. During his 19 seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB), Baylor was a power hitter known for standing very close tohome plate ("crowding the plate") and was afirst baseman,left fielder, anddesignated hitter. He played for six differentAmerican League (AL) teams, primarily theBaltimore Orioles andCalifornia Angels, but he also played for theOakland Athletics,New York Yankees,Minnesota Twins, andBoston Red Sox. In 1979, Baylor was anAll-Star and won theAL Most Valuable Player Award. He won threeSilver Slugger Awards, theRoberto Clemente Award, and was a member of the1987 World Series champion Minnesota Twins.
After his playing career, Baylor managed the expansionColorado Rockies for six years and theChicago Cubs for three seasons. He was namedNL Manager of the Year in 1995, and was inducted into theAngels Hall of Fame.
Baylor reached theWorld Series three times in his career, in consecutive years with three different teams. Baylor played in the World Series with the Red Sox in 1986, the Twins in 1987, and the A's in 1988, and he was on the winning side in 1987. Baylor is one of three players in history to accomplish this feat, along withEric Hinske andWill Smith. He set the Red Sox team record for most hit by pitches in a season (35 in 1986); in his career, he was hit by pitches 267 times, fourth-most all time.[1] Baylor retired with 285stolen bases, 2,135hits, and 338home runs.[2]
Born inAustin, Texas, on June 28, 1949,[3][2] Baylor grew up inClarksville. He graduated fromStephen F. Austin High School. After being one of three African Americans to integrate Texas public schools when he was in junior high school,[4] Baylor starred in baseball andfootball at Austin High, where he was the first African American to play athletics at that school.[5] Baylor was offered ascholarship to playcollege football for theTexas Longhorns of theUniversity of Texas, which would have made him the first African American to play football at Texas.[6] He opted to pursue a baseball career, enrolling atBlinn Junior College inBrenham, Texas.[7]
TheBaltimore Orioles selected Baylor in the second round of the1967 MLB draft. He received a $7,500 signing bonus from the team.[2] In 1970, Baylor led theTriple-A level of the minor leagues with 34 doubles, 15 triples, 127 runs, and 140 games-played while playing for theRochester Red Wings. The following year, he again led the Triple-A level in doubles with 31.[8] Baylor was called up to the major leagues by the Orioles on September 18, 1970. He debuted at home against Cleveland, accruing two hits and three runs batted in across five plate appearances, including awalk-off RBI single in the 11th inning. Baylor only played a total of 9 games with the Orioles in the 1970 and 1971 seasons and did not see consistent involvement with the major league roster until 1972.
In his true rookie season in 1972, Baylor posted a .253batting average, .416slugging percentage, 11 home runs, and 38runs batted in across 102 games. Baylor quickly became a respected hitter for the Orioles, averaging .280 at the plate, a .437 slugging percentage, 46 home runs, and 186 runs batted in between 1973 and 1975. He developed a reputation for gettinghit by pitches, frequently leaning into off-target pitches and crowding the plate to get on first base without having to get a hit or work abase on balls. In 1973, Baylor led the American League in hit-by-pitches with 13 and he led the major leagues in 1975 with 13.[3]
In a transaction influenced by his imminent free agency after the upcoming season, the Orioles traded Baylor withMike Torrez andPaul Mitchell to theOakland Athletics forReggie Jackson,Ken Holtzman and minor-league right-handed pitcher Bill Van Bommel on April 2, 1976.[9] In 1976, Baylor posted a .247 batting average and .368 slugging percentage with 15 home runs and 68 runs batted in. He once again led the major leagues in hit-by-pitches with 20.[3]
In 1977, Baylor signed with theCalifornia Angels as a free agent, joining his former Baltimore teammateBobby Grich in Anaheim. In 1978, his second season with the Angels, Baylor posted a .255 batting average, .472 slugging percentage, 34 home runs, 99runs batted in, 22 stolen bases, and a league-leading 18 hit-by-pitches. He placed seventh in AL MVP voting that season. In 1979, Baylor led the majors with 139 runs batted in and 120runs. He was anAL All-Star, the lone selection of his career. He won the AL'sMVP award, gaining 20 of 28 first-place votes[10] and led the Angels to their first-everAL West Division title.[2] Following his MVP season, Baylor's stats regressed. In 1980, he played only 90 games due to a wrist injury.[11] In those games, he posted a modest .250 batting average and .341 slugging percentage with 5 home runs, the lowest in any of his career seasons with double-digit games played. Baylor again missed time due to an injury in the 1981 season, playing only 103 games with an again-regressed batting average of .239 but an improved slugging percentage of .427 with 17 home runs and 66 runs batted in. Upon the arrival of superstar free agent Reggie Jackson in the 1982 offseason, Baylor took him in as a roommate.
In his autobiography titledDon Baylor: It's Nothing But The Truth - A Baseball Life, Baylor told how his friendship with Jackson was tumultuous at times, particularly some instances where Jackson was highly dismissive of fans who wanted pictures or autographs.[12] Baylor returned to full health in the 1982 season, playing 157 games and looking like his old self by posting a .263 batting average with a .424 slugging percentage accompanied by 24 home runs and 93 runs batted in. AfterTommy John allowed three runs through the first three innings of the1982 American League Championship Series against the Brewers, Baylor came up to John and said, "If you hold them to three runs, I'm personally good for four runs against [Milwaukee starter Mike] Caldwell."[13] Baylor delivered on his promise, batting in 5 runs that game as California came back to win 8–3.[13] John later called Baylor the team's "catalyst".[14] Baylor spent six seasons with the Angels and played a plurality of his games with the team. In that time, he batted .262 and slugged .448 with 141 home runs and 523 runs batted in.[3]
In 1983, Baylor signed a four-year, $3.7 million contract with theNew York Yankees. Former Angels teammate Tommy John said of Baylor, "When we lost him, we lost our guts. Pitchers feared Don Baylor."[14] In his autobiography, Baylor told of Yankee alumnus Tommy John and Reggie Jackson warning Baylor not to sign with New York due to team ownerGeorge Steinbrenner's infamous strict and harsh attitude towards players. Baylor said that he found out for himself that the Yankees would treat free agent targets "like a celebrity" and then treat them like a "piece of trash" once they were on the team. In his autobiography, Baylor notes his rough experience in his first spring training with the Yankees as Steinbrenner would obsess over the exhibition games against the rivaling Mets and Red Sox or New York-televised games. This led to Steinbrenner demoting young players for poor performances in such spring training games. In one instance, Steinbrenner tried to make his team play in a televised game on a field that was made subpar by inclement weather.[12]
Baylor's first season with the Yankees was his statistical best as he batted .303 and slugged .494 with 21 home runs and 85 runs batted in. He was awarded his first careerSilver Slugger award for his performance. The following season, Baylor's batting percentages dropped but he totaled higher counting stats in fewer games. Baylor had batted .262 and slugged .489 with 27 home runs and 89 runs batted in. Baylor also was less active on the basepaths in 1984, stealing only one base compared to his 17 in the previous season. In the third year of his stint with the Yankees, Baylor's percentages continued to decline, this time posting a .231 average and .430 slugging percentage. He earned his second career Silver Slugger that year. In his 3 seasons with the Yankees, Baylor batted .267, hit 71 home runs, and batted in 265 runs.[3]
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Following the 1985 season, Baylor was traded to theBoston Red Sox forMike Easler in 1986.[15][16] It was the first time the Yankees and Red Sox had traded with each other in 14 years.[17] In the 1986 season, Baylor batted .238 with a .439 slugging percentage, 31 home runs, and 94 runs batted in. He was awarded the third Silver Slugger of his career and placed 13th in AL MVP voting.[3]
While a member of the Red Sox, Baylor delivered a key hit in the 1986American League Championship Series when he hit a two-run home run with one out in the top of the ninth inning during game five against theCalifornia Angels. At the time, the Angels led the series three games to one and were one out away from their first ALCS victory.[18] The Red Sox went on to win the game and eventually the ALCS, denying the Angels their first trip to theWorld Series.Al Michaels, broadcasting the game forABC, called it the greatest baseball game he had ever seen.[19] However, the Red Sox would fall in the1986 World Series to the New York Mets in seven games. Baylor played most of the 1987 season with Boston. In 108 games with the Red Sox that year, he batted .239, slugged .404, hit 16 home runs, and batted in 57 runs.[3]
Late in the 1987 season, the Red Sox traded Baylor to theMinnesota Twins for aplayer to be named later that ended up being Enrique Rios. He played 20 regular-season games with the Twins and made the postseason roster that year. Baylor aided the Twins in the winning of their 1987 championship by accruing 5 hits, 3 runs, 1 home run, and 3 runs batted in during the World Series.[3]
Baylor returned to the Oakland Athletics in 1988, his final season as a player.[2] The 39-year old Baylor batted a career-low .220 and slugged .326 with 7 home runs and 34 runs batted in through 92 games.[3] Baylor was on the playoff roster for the American League champion Athletics that season. Following the season, he retired as a player from baseball.
After retiring as a player, Baylor served as a hitting coach for theMilwaukee Brewers andSt. Louis Cardinals until he was named the first manager of the expansionColorado Rockies.[20] He led the team for six years from1993 to1998. The Rockies posted their first winning record (77–67) in 1995 and made thepostseason as the wildcard team. As a result, Baylor won the National LeagueManager of the Year Award.[21]
After the 1998 season, Baylor was fired.[2] He finished his Rockies managerial career with a regular season record of 440–469 and a post–season record of 1–3.[22] He became the hitting coach for theAtlanta Braves in 1999 and was hired to manage theChicago Cubs in 2000, a job he held through the 2002 season. He had a record of 187–220 with the Cubs.[22] From 2003 to 2004, he served as the bench coach for theNew York Mets.[23] He spent the2005 season with theSeattle Mariners as hitting coach under managerMike Hargrove[24] and was as a fill-in analyst forMASN in 2007 for Washington Nationals broadcasts.[25]
Baylor served as hitting coach for theColorado Rockies during the 2009 and 2010 seasons.[26] Baylor was replaced byCarney Lansford after the Rockies hit a franchise-low .226 on the road during the 2010 season.[27] Baylor was offered a special assistant position to remain with Colorado but turned it down.[28]
Baylor agreed on a two-year contract to become hitting coach for theArizona Diamondbacks for the 2011 and 2012 seasons.[29] He was hired by theLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim as their hitting coach for the 2014 season.[30] On March 31, 2014, Baylor suffered a fracture to his right femur while catching theceremonial first pitch of the 2014 season, thrown byVladimir Guerrero.[31] On April 1, 2014, he had surgery to have a plate and screws inserted into his leg.[32] On October 13, 2015, the Angels announced that Baylor would not return as the team hitting coach in 2016.[33]
Baylor was diagnosed withmultiple myeloma in 2003.[34] He died on August 7, 2017, at the age of 68.[5]
On May 22, 2025, a park in Baylor's hometown of Austin was renamed Don Baylor Neighborhood Park.[35]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| COL | 1993 | 162 | 67 | 95 | .414 | 6th in NL West | – | – | – | – |
| COL | 1994 | 117 | 53 | 64 | .453 | 3rd in NL West | – | – | – | – |
| COL | 1995 | 144 | 77 | 67 | .535 | 2nd in NL West | 1 | 3 | .250 | LostNLDS (ATL) |
| COL | 1996 | 162 | 83 | 79 | .512 | 3rd in NL West | – | – | – | – |
| COL | 1997 | 162 | 83 | 79 | .512 | 3rd in NL West | – | – | – | – |
| COL | 1998 | 162 | 77 | 85 | .475 | 4th in NL West | – | – | – | – |
| COL total | 909 | 440 | 469 | .484 | 1 | 3 | .250 | |||
| CHC | 2000 | 162 | 65 | 97 | .401 | 5th in NL Central | – | – | – | – |
| CHC | 2001 | 162 | 88 | 74 | .543 | 3rd in NL Central | – | – | – | – |
| CHC | 2002 | 83 | 34 | 49 | .410 | (fired) | – | – | – | – |
| CHC total | 407 | 187 | 220 | .459 | – | – | – | |||
| Total[36] | 1,316 | 627 | 689 | .476 | 1 | 3 | .250 | |||
· Baseball Almanac| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Milwaukee Brewers Hitting Coach 1990–1991 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | St. Louis Cardinals Hitting Coach 1992 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Atlanta Braves Hitting Coach 1999 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Seattle Mariners Hitting Coach 2005 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Colorado Rockies Hitting Coach 2009–2010 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Arizona Diamondbacks Hitting Coach 2011–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Hitting Coach 2014–2015 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
