Dave Winfield (2001)


Date of Birth: 10/3/1951
Birthplace: St. Paul, Minnesota
College: University of Minnesota

In 1969, Dave Winfield won an athletic scholarship to the University of Minnesota. He was an outstanding athlete there and after he graduated, he was drafted by the San Diego Padres. Prior to joining the Padres, Winfield was a pitcher but the Padres immediately placed him in right field, the position he played for most of his major league baseball career.

San Diego Padres

Winfield went from college baseball directly to the major leagues, bypassing minor league baseball. In 1973, his first season with the Padres, Winfield batted .277 with 39 hits in 56 games. By 1978, he had proven his worth to the Padres and they made him the team's captain.

In 1974, his first full season in the major leagues, Winfield batted .265 with 132 hits, 18 doubles, 20 home runs, 75 RBIs, and 96 strikeouts to 40 walks. He had very similar numbers the following season, when he batted .267 in 143 games. He finished the 1975 season with 136 hits, 20 doubles, 15 home runs, 23 stolen bases, 76 RBIs, and 82 strikeouts to 69 walks.

Winfield's batting average went up to .283 in 1976. That year he had 139 hits, 26 doubles, 13 home runs, a career high 26 stolen bases, and 29 RBIs in 137 games. He struck out 78 times and he walked 65 times. The next year, he had 169 hits, 29 doubles, 25 home runs, 93 RBIs, 75 strikeouts to 58 walks, and a .275 batting average in 157 games.

Winfield batted .308 in 158 games in 1978. He had 181 hits, 30 doubles, 24 home runs, 97 RBIs, 21 stolen bases, and 81 strikeouts to 55 walks. In 1979, he led the NL in RBIs. He had career highs in triples (10), RBIs (118), and walks (85 to 71 strikeouts). He finished the season with 184 hits, 27 doubles, 34 home runs, and a .308 batting average in 159 games. He won his first Gold Glove in 1979, leading all NL right fielders in putouts with 351.

Winfield played in a career high 162 games in 1980. He had 154 hits, 25 doubles, 20 home runs, 23 stolen bases, 87 RBIs, and a .276 batting average. He walked 79 times and struck out 83 times. Defensively, he played well and he won his second Gold Glove.

New York Yankees

Winfield became a free agent after the 1980 season and he signed a 10-year, $23 million contract with the New York Yankees, making him the highest paid player in the major leagues at the time. He won his first Silver Slugger award in his first season with the Yankees. In the strike shortened 1981 season, he batted .294 with 114 hits, 25 doubles, 13 home runs, and 68 RBIs in 105 games.

Winfield continued to play well for the Yankees from 1982 through 1986. During that time, he won a Silver Slugger award and a Gold Glove each year. In 1982, he had a career high 37 home runs. He finished the season with 151 hits, 24 doubles, 106 RBIs, and a .280 batting average in 140 games. The next year, he batted .283 in 152 games. He had 169 hits, 26 doubles, 32 home runs, and 116 RBIs.

Winfield had career highs in hits (193) and batting average (.340) in 1984. He finished the year with 34 doubles, 19 home runs, and 100 RBIs in 141 games. Although he played well in 1985, his batting average dropped to .275. He finished the season with 174 hits, 34 doubles, 26 home runs, 19 stolen bases, 114 RBIs, and 96 strikeouts to 52 walks in 155 games.

Winfield's batting average dropped even further in 1986. That year, he batted just .262 with 148 hits, 31 doubles, 24 home runs, 104 RBIs, and 106 strikeouts to 77 walks in 154 games. He played better in 1987, batting .275 in 156 games. He had 158 hits, 22 doubles, 27 home runs, and 97 RBIs. He won his seventh and final Gold Glove in 1987.

Winfield had a strong season in 1988, batting .322. He finished the season with 180 hits, a career high 37 doubles, 25 home runs, 107 RBIs, and 88 strikeouts to 69 walks in 149 games.

In 1989, Winfield was out for the entire season with a back injury.

Los Angeles Angels

During the 1990 season, after years of owner George Steinbrenner feuding with Winfield, the Yankees traded him to the Los Angeles Angels. That year, he played in 20 games with the Yankees and in 112 games with the Angels. He batted .267 with 127 hits, 21 doubles, 21 home runs, and 78 RBIs. Those numbers earned him the Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year award.

Winfield played in 150 games with the Angels in 1991. He batted .262 with 149 hits, 27 doubles, 28 home runs, and 86 RBIs.

Toronto Blue Jays

In December, 1991, at the age of 40, Winfield signed a contract with the Toronto Blue Jays to be their designated hitter for the 1992 season. He won his sixth Silver Slugger award for his hitting that season. He had 169 hits, 33 doubles, 26 home runs, 108 RBIs, 89 strikeouts to 82 walks, and a .290 batting average in 156 games. He won the Outstanding Designated Hitter award and the Branch Rickey award in 1992.

Winfield had a strong postseason in 1992, and he won the Babe Ruth award. He batted .239 with 11 hits, 2 doubles, 2 home runs, and 6 RBIs in 46 at-bats in 12 games. He struck out 5 times and walked 7 times.

Minnesota Twins

Winfield became a free agent again after the 1992 season and he signed with the Minnesota Twins. He batted .271 with 148 hits, 27 doubles, 21 home runs, and 76 RBIs in 143 games in 1993.

In the strike-shortened 1994 season, Winfield batted .252 with 74 hits in 77 games with the Twins. He won the Roberto Clemente award that season.

Cleveland Indians

The Twins traded Winfield to the Cleveland Indians on August 31, 1994, but he never had the chance to play with them that season due to the strike. However, he signed a new contract with them on April 5, 1995, and he played in 46 games with the Indians that year. He batted just .191 in 46 games in his last season as a major league player.

Awards

  • Gold Glove (7 times)
  • Silver Slugger award (6 times)
  • Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year
  • Outstanding Designated Hitter award
  • Branch Rickey award
  • Babe Ruth award
  • Roberto Clemente award

Career Statistics

Batting statistics for Winfield in 19 full seasons (1974-1988, 1990-1993) in the major leagues include:

  • 11 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 193 in 1984
  • 6 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 37 in 1988
  • 15 seasons with 20 or more home runs, with a high of 37 in 1982
  • 8 seasons with 100 or more RBIs, with a high of 118 in 1979
  • 4 seasons with over 20 stolen bases, with a high of 26 in 1976
  • 4 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .340 in 1984

Career batting statistics for Winfield include:

  • 2,973 games played
  • 3,110 hits
  • 540 doubles
  • 465 home runs
  • 1,834 RBIs
  • 223 stolen bases
  • 1,686 strikeouts to 1,216 walks
  • .283 batting average
  • .353 on-base percentage
  • .828 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Winfield as an outfielder include:

  • 2,469 games played
  • 95 errors
  • 4,975 putouts
  • .982 fielding percentage

Post Playing Career

Winfield retired as a major league player in 1996. That same year, he was hired as a studio analyst by the Fox Network. He was an analyst for ESPN's Baseball Tonight show in 2009.

Winfield helped to create "The Baseball Music Project," a series of concerts to celebrate baseball history. He was the host and narrator for the series.

From 2001-2013, Winfield joined the Padres as an executive vice-president and senior advisor. In December, 2013, he was hired as a special assistant to the executive director of the MLB Players' Association.

Winfield was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2001 on the first ballot with 84.5% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Dave Winfield
ESPN - Dave Winfield
Baseball Reference - Dave Winfield

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