| Steve Henderson | |
|---|---|
 Henderson as a coach with the Phillies in 2016 | |
| Left fielder | |
| Born: (1952-11-18)November 18, 1952 (age 72) Houston, Texas, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 16, 1977, for the New York Mets | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 28, 1988, for the Houston Astros | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .280 |
| Home runs | 68 |
| Runs batted in | 428 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Steven Curtis Henderson (born November 18, 1952) is an American formerMajor League Baseballleft fielder who is best remembered for being one of the players theNew York Mets acquired in the infamous "Midnight Massacre."
Henderson was drafted by theCincinnati Reds in the fifth round of the1974 Major League Baseball Draft out ofPrairie View A&M University. After leading theEastern League with 158hits, eleventriples and 255 total bases, and batting .312 in1976 for the Reds' Double-A affiliate, theTrois-Rivières Aigles, he was batting .326 for the Triple-AIndianapolis Indians in1977 at the time of his trade to New York.
Tom Seaver was in a contract dispute with New York Mets chairmanM. Donald Grant when on June 15, 1977, the Mets traded Seaver to the Cincinnati Reds forPat Zachry,Doug Flynn,Dan Norman and Henderson, one of a series of trades that became known as the "Midnight Massacre".[1]
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Henderson debuted with the Mets the following day as apinch runner forEd Kranepool, and his first major leaguerun was the tying run in the Mets' 4-3 victory over theHouston Astros.[2] On June 21, facing theAtlanta Braves atShea Stadium, Kranepool hit a ninth inninghome run offAndy Messersmith to send the game intoextra innings. Following a one-outdouble byJohn Stearns in the 11th inning, the Bravesintentionally walkedFélix Millán to get to Henderson. The strategy didn't work, as Henderson connected for a three-runwalk off home run.[3]
He set a Mets rookie record, tied byJosh Satin in 2013, by reaching base in 29 consecutive games that he started.[4][5]
For the season, Henderson had a .297batting average in 99 games and 350 at-bats with twelve home runs, 65runs batted in, 67 runs, 104 hits, sixteen doubles, six triples, sixstolen bases, 43base on balls, and four sacrifice flies. He finished second toAndre Dawson of theMontreal Expos inNational LeagueRookie of the Year balloting by only one point (10–9).
On June 14, 1980, Henderson had perhaps his best moment in a major league uniform. The Mets had recovered from a terrible start to the season, going on a tear to approach the .500 mark. That day, facing the Giants, Mets' starting pitcherPete Falcone was lit up, staking the Giants to a 5-0 lead, which later became 6-0. Still trailing 6-2 with two outs in the ninth, the Mets staged a highly improbable comeback, which ended with Henderson hitting a three-run home run to win the game 7-6 in the bottom of the ninth, pulling the team within a game of .500. The Mets resumed their losing ways immediately thereafter, as that day turned out to be the high point of the season.[6][7]
According to Henderson, he was at his best when he focused on getting hits, and suffered when he was pressured by the Mets to try to hit home runs. Henderson was not a natural power hitter, but the Mets were desperate for power at the time.[6]
On February 28,1981, eager to make right with a fan base that had become disenchanted with the team, the Mets sent Henderson and cash to theChicago Cubs in order to reacquireDave Kingman, who had been traded away during the "Midnight Massacre". For his Mets career, Henderson batted .287 with 35 home runs and 227 runs batted in.
Henderson batted .293 with five home runs and 32 runs batted in during the1981strike shortened season. His production fell off considerably the following season, as he batted only .233, and found himself sharing playing time inleft field withKeith Moreland andJay Johnstone. He was traded from theCubs to theSeattle Mariners forRich Bordi at theWinter Meetings on December 9, 1982.[8]
After two seasons in Seattle, Henderson and Kingman became teammates when Henderson signed as a free agent with theOakland Athletics on March 31, 1985. Batting only .077 for the season, he was released by the A's on May 29, 1986.
He signed with theChicago White Sox shortly afterwards. The ChiSox released him at the end of the season. Henderson then signed again with the A's for 1987, and split the season between Oakland and their Triple-A affiliate, theTacoma Tigers.
Henderson signed a minor league deal with theHouston Astros for1988. After splitting the season between the Astros and their Triple-A affiliate, theTucson Toros, Henderson was released during the off season. He played the entire1989 season with the Buffalo Bisons, who were now aPittsburgh Pirates affiliate, before retiring.
| Games | AB | Runs | Hits | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | HBP | Avg. | Slg. | OBP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1085 | 3484 | 459 | 976 | 162 | 49 | 68 | 428 | 79 | 58 | 386 | 677 | 13 | .280 | .413 | .352 |
Henderson spent 1989 with theBuffalo Bisons, where he batted .298 with seven home runs.[9]
Henderson finished in the top ten in the National League inon-base percentage twice during his career.
Following his retirement, he won theSenior Professional Baseball Association championship with theSt. Petersburg Pelicans.
Henderson served as a coach in the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system from1990 through1993. He moved to the Houston Astros organization in1994, and served as theirhitting coach from1995 to1996.
He moved to theTampa Bay Devil Rays organization in1996, serving as hitting coach during their inaugural1998 season and from2006 to2009, making the first trip of his baseball career to the post season in2008. He was relieved of his duties as hitting coach of the Tampa Bay Rays on October 5, 2009.[10] Henderson joined the Philadelphia Phillies in 2010 as an outfield/baserunning coordinator, and he spent 2011 and 2012 as the organization's hitting coordinator. On October 4, 2012, he was promoted to hitting coach for the major league team.[11] He was fired by the Phillies after the 2016 season.[12]
He and his wife, Pam, reside inTampa, Florida. He graduated with degrees in Multimedia andPolitical Science fromMcMaster University in2006.[13]
