Don Baylor
Don Baylor was born in Austin, Texas, United States on June 28th, 1949 and is the Baseball Player. At the age of 68, Don Baylor biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 68 years old, Don Baylor has this physical status:
Don Edward Baylor (June 28, 1949 – August 7, 2017) was an American professional baseball player and manager.
During his 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), Baylor was a power hitter known for crowding the plate and was a first baseman, left fielder, and designated hitter.
He played for six different American League (AL) teams, primarily the Baltimore Orioles and California Angels, but he also played for the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, and Boston Red Sox.
In 1979, Baylor was an All-Star and won the AL Most Valuable Player Award.
He won three Silver Slugger Awards, the Roberto Clemente Award, and was a member of the 1987 World Series champion Minnesota Twins. After his playing career, Baylor managed the expansion Colorado Rockies for six years and the Chicago Cubs for three seasons.
He was named NL Manager of the Year in 1995 and was inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame.
Early life
Born in Austin, Texas, Baylor grew up in Clarksville. He graduated from Stephen F. Austin High School. After being one of three African Americans to integrate Texas public schools when he was in junior high school, Baylor starred in baseball and football at Austin High, where he was the first African American to play athletics at that school. Baylor was offered a scholarship to play college football for the Texas Longhorns of the University of Texas, which would have made him the first African American to play football at Texas. He opted to pursue a baseball career, enrolling at Blinn Junior College in Brenham, Texas.
Professional career
In the second round of the 1967 MLB draft, the Baltimore Orioles selected Baylor. From the team, he received a $7,500 signing bonus. Baylor played for the Rochester Red Wings in 1970, leading the Triple-Achievers of the minor leagues with 34 doubles, 15 triples, 127 runs, and 140 games played. With 31 points, he took the Triple-A level in doubles the following year. By the Orioles in September 18, 1970, Baylor had been called up to the major leagues. He made his home against Cleveland, collecting two hits and three runs batted in five plate appearances, including a walk-off RBI single in the 11th inning. Baylor only played in nine games with the Orioles in the 1970 and 1971 seasons and did not have a regular presence on the major league roster until 1972. Baylor's batting average,.416 slugging percentage, 11 home runs, and 38 runs batted in 102 games in his 92nd season. Baylor was a solid hitter for the Orioles for a short time, a.437 slugging percentage, 46 home runs, and 186 runs batted in between 1973 and 1975, with a.280 average on the field, a.480 slugging percentage, 46 home runs, and 186 runs batted. He developed a reputation for being struck by pitches, leaning toward off-target pitches and crowding the plate to land on first base without having to get a hit or work a base on balls. Baylor led the American League in hit-by-pitches with 13 girls in 1973, and he led the major leagues with 13.
The Orioles traded Baylor with Mike Torrez and Paul Mitchell to the Oakland Athletics for Reggie Jackson, Ken Holtzman, and minor-league right-handed pitcher Bill Van Bommel on April 2, 1976, influenced by his impending free agency after the upcoming season. Baylor registered a.247 average and.368 slugging percentage in 1976, with 15 home runs and 68 runs batted in. With 20 runs, he led the major leagues in hit-by-pitches.
Baylor, a former Baltimore teammate, joined the California Angels as a free agent in 1977, joining Bobby Grich in Anaheim. Baylor's second season with the Angels, he had a.255 batting average, 34 home runs, 99 runs batted in, 22 stolen bases, and a league-leading 18 hit-by-pitches. He came in seventh place in AL MVP polling this season. Baylor led the majors in 1979 with 139 runs batted in and 120 runs. He was one of his career's top picks. He received 20 of 28 first-place votes and led the Angels to their first-ever AL West Division championship, winning the AL's MVP award and leading the team to their first-ever AL West Division championship. Baylor's numbers regressed after his MVP season. Due to a wrist injury in 1980, he played 90 games. He had a modest batting average and.341 slugging percentage in five home runs, the lowest in any of his career seasons with double-digit games played. Baylor skipped time due to an accident in the 1981 season, playing only 103 games with a revised batting average of.239 but an improved slugging percentage of.427 has been batted in. Baylor accepted superstar free agent Reggie Jackson as a roommate upon his arrival in the 1982 offseason. Don Baylor's autobiography, "It's Nothing But The Truth - A Baseball Life," Baylor described how his relationship with Jackson was tumultuous at times, particularly in cases where Jackson was dismissive of fans who wanted photos or autographs. Baylor returned to full fitness in 1982, playing 157 games and looking like his old self by a.424 batting average and 93 runs batted in. Baylor said, "I'm personally good for four runs against [Milwaukee starter Mike] Caldwell" after Tommy John allowed three runs through the first three innings of the 1982 American League Championship Series against the Brewers. As California came back to win 8–3, Baylor kept his promise by batting in 5 runs in 5 runs the game. "Catalyst" became John's nickname for Baylor. Baylor spent six seasons with the Angels, playing a variety of his games with the team. He batted.262 and slugged.448 with 141 home runs and 523 runs batted in.
Baylor's four-year, $3.7 million contract with the New York Yankees began in 1983. "We lost our guts when we lost him," Angels teammate Tommy John said of Baylor. Don Baylor was feared by the pitchers. Baylor warned Baylor not to sign with New York due to team owner George Steinbrenner's legendary tough and tough treatment of players in his autobiography. Baylor said he found out for himself that the Yankees would treat free agent targets "like a celebrity" and then treat them like a "piece of garbage" when they first joined the team. Baylor's autobiography, he recounts his rough start with the Yankees in his first spring training as a Steinbrenner would become obsessive over the exhibition games against the rivaling Mets and Red Sox or New York-televised games. In such spring training games, Steinbrenner chastised young players for their poor results. In one case, Steinbrenner attempted to make his team play in a televised game on a field that had been made subpar by inclement weather. Baylor's first season with the Yankees was his best on record, hitting.303 and slugging.494 with 21 home runs and 85 runs batted in. For his efforts, he was given his first Silver Slugger award in his career. Baylor's batting percentages dropped over the course of the season, but he had better counting figures in fewer games. Baylor had batted.262 and slugged.489 with 27 home runs and 89 runs batted in. In 1984, Baylor was less noticeable on the basepaths, stealing just one base against his 17 in the previous season. Baylor's numbers continued to decline in the third year of his Yankee tenure, this time a.231 average and a.430 slugging percentage. That year, he earned his second Silver Slugger title in his career. Baylor batted.267, hit 71 home runs, and batted in 265 runs in his three seasons with the Yankees.
Baylor was traded to the Boston Red Sox in 1986 for Mike Easler, following the 1985 season. It was the first time the Yankees and Red Sox had traded together in 14 years. Baylor batted.238 with a.439 slugging percentage, 31 home runs, and 94 runs batted in in 1986. He was named his third Silver Slugger of his career and finished 13th in AL MVP voting, placing him 13th.
Baylor, a member of the Red Sox, hit a two-run home run with one out in the ninth inning against the California Angels in 1986. The Angels dominated the series three games to one and were just one win away from winning their first ALCS victory. The Red Sox won the game and then the ALCS, effectively ending the Angels' first trip to the World Series. Al Michaels, who was on ABC, called it the best baseball game he's ever seen.
Baylor spent the majority of the 1987 season with Boston. He batted.239, slugged.404, 16 home runs, and batted in 57 runs in 108 games with the Red Sox this year.
The Red Sox traded Baylor to the Minnesota Twins for a player to be announced later that would be Enrique Rios. He appeared in 20 regular-season games with the Twins and was named on the Minnesota Postseason roster this year. During the World Series, Baylor helped the Twins win the 1987 championship by accumulating 5 hits, 3 runs, 1 home run, and 3 runs batted in.
Baylor's career began in 1988, his final season as a player. In 92 games, the 39-year old Baylor batted a career-low.220 and slugged.326 with 7 home runs and 34 runs batted. Baylor was on the playoff roster for the AL Pennant-winning Athletics this season. He resigned as a baseball player following the season.
Coaching and managerial career
Baylor spent time as a baseball coach for the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals before being named as the manager of the Milwaukee Rockies. He was in charge of the team from 1993 to 1998. In 1995, the Rockies won their first victory (77–67) and then made the playoffs as the Wildcard team. Baylor received the National League Manager of the Year Award as a result.
Baylor was fired after the 1998 season. He concluded his Rockies' managerial career with a record of 440–469 and a single-season record of 1–3. In 1999, he became the hitting coach for the Atlanta Braves and was hired to lead the Chicago Cubs, a position he held through the 2002 season. With the Cubs, he had a record of 187–220. He served as the bench coach for the New York Mets from 2003 to 2004. He spent the 2005 season with the Seattle Mariners as a hitting coach under new owner Mike Hargrove, and was also a bench analyst for MASN in 2007 for Washington Nationals broadcasts.
During the 2009 and 2010 seasons, Baylor served as hitting coach for the Colorado Rockies. After the Rockies had a franchise-low.226 on the road during the 2010 season, Baylor was replaced by Carney Lansford. Baylor was offered a special assistant position to stay with Colorado but turned down the opportunity.
Baylor has decided to hire a two-year contract to serve as the Arizona Diamondbacks' hitting coach for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. For the 2014 season, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim had recruited him as their hitting coach. While watching the ceremonial first pitch of the 2014 season, Baylor suffered a fractured right femur, which was thrown by Vladimir Guerrero on March 31, 2014. He underwent surgery on April 1, 2014 to have a plate and screws embedded into his leg. The Angels announced on October 13, 2015, that Baylor will not return as the team's hitting coach in 2016.