| Ron LeFlore | |
|---|---|
 LeFlore with the Detroit Tigers in 1975 | |
| Center fielder | |
| Born: (1948-06-16)June 16, 1948 (age 76) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 1, 1974, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 3, 1982, for the Chicago White Sox | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .288 |
| Home runs | 59 |
| Run batted in | 353 |
| Stolen bases | 455 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Ronald LeFlore (born June 16, 1948) is an American formerMajor League Baseballcenter fielder. He played six seasons with theDetroit Tigers before being traded to theMontreal Expos. LeFlore retired with theChicago White Sox in 1982. He stole 455 bases in his career and was anAmerican League All-Star selection in 1976.
A movie and book were made about LeFlore's rise to the major leagues after being an inmate at theJackson State Penitentiary.One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story was a made-for-television movie starringLeVar Burton that aired onCBS in 1978. LeFlore is the cousin of former MLB outfielderTodd Steverson.
LeFlore was born inDetroit,Michigan, and was involved in the criminal justice system at an early age. Although his parents John and Georgia LeFlore were married, his father was an unemployedalcoholic who rarely took part in family life. His mother was a hard-working nurses' aide who held the family together financially and physically, even feeding Ron while he was aheroin addict and small-timedrug dealer. He credits his mother's compassion for his survival during this period. He attended Detroit's Eastern High School.[1]
He was introduced to shooting heroin in a neighborhood 'shooting gallery'. He dropped out of school and spent many nights breaking into theStroh's Brewery onGratiot Avenue, stealing beer and getting drunk with friends. After dropping out of school, he did not play any organized sports and rarely followed theTigers, although he had been toTiger Stadium at least once in childhood, sitting in the upper bleachers with his father. First arrested at 15, he was ultimately sentenced to 5–15 years in state prison at theState Prison of Southern Michigan (usually called Jackson State Penitentiary) forarmed robbery of a local bar in January 1970 in which he carried a rifle.[2]
Incarcerated on April 28, 1970, the first organized baseball league LeFlore played in was for inmates. Jimmy Karalla, a fellow inmate who was imprisoned for extortion, convinced his longtime friend Jimmy Butsicaris who co-owned a Detroit bar frequented by Detroit sports celebrities, to speak to his good friendBilly Martin, then-manager of the Detroit Tigers, to ask him to observe LeFlore.[2][3] Martin visited Jackson State Prison on May 23, 1973.[2] Martin then helped LeFlore get permission for day-parole and a tryout atTiger Stadium in June.
In July 1973 the Tigers signed LeFlore to a contract which enabled him to meet the conditions forparole. He was paid a $5,000 bonus and $500 per month for the rest of the 1973 season.[2] Assigned to theClinton Pilots in theClass AMidwest League, and managed byJim Leyland, LeFlore hit .277.[4]
The next year he played for theLakeland Tigers in the Class AFlorida State League, and after hitting .331 with 45 steals in 102 games was promoted to theEvansville Triplets of theClass AAAAmerican Association, where he played nine games.
The following season, he made the major league club out of spring training.
LeFlore split time in center field in 1974 with veteran TigerMickey Stanley before taking over as the starter in 1975. Largely known as a base stealer, in his prime he also hit for average and moderate power. He, along withMark Fidrych, were the primary reasons that the Tigers' attendance rose in 1976 by close to 5,000 per game over the previous year. Both players made the 1976 American League All-Star team, yet the team never finished higher than fourth in the American League East standings during LeFlore's tenure. In 1977, he hit 16 home runs and batted .325 – both career highs. But 1978 may have been his career year, when he led the league in singles (153), runs scored (126) and stolen bases (68), and finished second in hits (198), plate appearances (741) and at bats (666).[5] He also set career highs in games played, plate appearances, at bats, RBIs, and walks.
After the 1979 season, in which he hit .300 and stole 78 bases, LeFlore was traded to theMontreal Expos forDan Schatzeder on December 7.[6] In 1980, he came closest to playoff action as he stole a career-high 97 bases (becoming the first player to lead both leagues in steals) to help the Expos finish the season in second place, only a game behind the eventualWorld Series championPhiladelphia Phillies.[7] His 97 steals made him only the fourth National League player since 1900 to have 95 or more steals in a season joiningMaury Wills,Lou Brock andOmar Moreno (who stole 96 bases in 1980).
In 1981 he signed with theChicago White Sox as a free agent, but he played in only a combined 173 games in his two years there.[2] After failing to make the Chisox roster in the spring of 1983, he was released by the team on April 2 and he announced his retirement. Soon afterward, he revealed that he was actually four years older than he had previously admitted, possibly giving some explanation for his rapid decline with the White Sox.[8]
As of the end of the 2011 season, LeFlore's 1976, 1978 and 1979 seasons were 10th, 6th and 3rd respectively on the Tigers' all-time single-season stolen base list and his 294 steals are 4th on the Tigers' career list.[9] His 97 stolen bases for the Expos in 1980 are still a record for the Expos/Washington Nationals franchise.[10] He also finished in the top ten in his league in triples, finishing as high as 3rd in 1980 with 11. Despite his speed and in contrast to his above-average hitting, he was never adept in the field. In his career, he finished in the top five outfielders in errors every year except 1979, leading the league in outfield errors in 1974, 1976, 1980 and 1982 (despite playing in only 91 games in '82).[5] His worst moment in the field was when he misplayed a ball into a four-base error. Notoriously, on August 1, 1982, in a game against theBoston Red Sox, LeFlore was in center field when in the 6th inning Boston leadoff hitter, catcherGary Allenson, hit a soft liner off Sox starterJerry Koosman. As he drifted back for the catch, the ball struck him on the forehead near the bill of his cap, took a wild bounce and rolled away. By the time anyone got to it, Allenson had crossed the plate with an unearned run.[11] LeFlore also struck out frequently, finishing in the top ten in his league in strikeouts five times (and second in the American League in 1975 with 139).
In 1099 games over nine seasons, Leflore posted a .288batting average (1283-for-4458) with 731runs, 172doubles, 57triples, 59home runs, 353RBI, 455stolen bases, 363bases on balls, .342on-base percentage and .392slugging percentage. He finished his career with a .968fielding percentage playing at center and left field.[5]
In 1988 while working as abaggage handler forEastern Airlines, LeFlore saw an ad for anumpire school run byMLB umpireJoe Brinkman.[2][12] He attended the five-week course after which top graduates are assigned to whatever openings exist on the minor league level, hoping to make it back to the majors eventually as an umpire, but barely missed his opportunity.[2]
In 1989, LeFlore played for theSt. Petersburg Pelicans andBradenton Explorers of theSenior Professional Baseball Association, hitting .328 in 44 games overall (11 with St. Petersburg and 33 with Bradenton). In 1990, he played for theFlorida Tropics of the SPBA.[2] He played in 18 games, hit two home runs and drove in nine runs. He also had the second-highest batting average with .403 when the league folded.
In 1995, Leflore managed theNewburgh Night Hawks of theNortheast League to a 28–45 record.[citation needed]
On September 27, 1999, LeFlore was arrested at the closing ceremonies ofTiger Stadium for unpaidchild support for his adult daughter and her mother.[13] LeFlore had been living inSt. Petersburg, Florida at the time, and ultimately was not jailed in exchange for making payments.[13]
In 2000, LeFlore was hired as the manager of the now-defunctCook County Cheetahs of theFrontier League.[2] He also worked as a manager and coach in the Midwest and Northeastern leagues. In the spring of 2003, he was hired as manager for theSaskatoon Legends franchise in the fledglingCanadian Baseball League, a league that folded midway through its inaugural season.[2]
On May 5, 2007, during an autograph signing, LeFlore was again arrested for failure to pay child support.[14]
In the summer of 2011 LeFlore had his right leg amputated from the knee down due to complications caused byarterialvascular disease, a result of his having smoked cigarettes since he was a teenager, and lost 100 pounds as a result of three surgeries.[15][2][16] He now uses aprosthetic leg and lives in St. Petersburg, Florida.[17]
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