Harold Baines (2019)


Date of Birth: 3/15/1959
Birthplace: Easton, Maryland

Harold Baines played little league baseball as a youngster. When he was twelve years old, former Chicago White Sox owner Bill Veeck saw him play.

In high school, Baines was an All-American in baseball. He batted .532 in his senior year.

Chicago White Sox

Baines was drafted by the White Sox on June 7, 1977. He was the first pick in the first round of that year's draft. He played in the minors from 1977 through 1979.

In 1980, his first season with the White Sox, Baines batted .255 with 125 hits, 23 doubles, and 49 RBIs in 141 games. The following season, he batted .286 with 80 hits in 82 games.

Baines played in a career high 161 games in 1982. He had 165 hits, 29 doubles, 25 home runs, 105 RBIs, and a .271 batting average. His numbers were similar in 1983: 167 hits, 33 doubles, 20 home runs, 99 RBIs, .280 batting average in 156 games.

Baines had a career high in home runs in 1984. He batted .304 with 173 hits, 28 doubles, 29 home runs, and 94 RBIs in 147 games. The next year, he had career highs in hits (198) and RBIs (113). In 160 games in 1985, he had 29 doubles, 22 home runs, and a .309 batting average. He batted .296 in 1986, and he had 169 hits, 29 doubles, 21 home runs, and 88 RBIs in 145 games.

Baines became a DH in 1987, and he won the Outstanding DH award. He finished the season with 148 hits, 26 doubles, 20 home runs, 93 RBIs, and a .293 batting average in 132 games. The following season, he again won the Outstanding DH award, batting .277 with 166 hits, a career high 39 doubles, and 81 RBIs in 158 games.

Texas Rangers

Baines was traded to the Texas Rangers on July 29, 1989. He won his only Silver Slugger award that year. He finished the season with 156 hits, 29 doubles, 72 RBIs, 79 strikeouts to a career high 73 walks, and a .309 batting average in 96 games with the White Sox and 50 games with the Rangers.

Oakland Athletics

The Rangers traded Baines to the Oakland Athletics on August 29, 1990. That year, he had 118 hits, 65 RBIs, and a .284 batting average in 103 games with the Rangers and 32 games with the Athletics. The following season, he batted .295 with 144 hits, 25 doubles, 20 home runs, and 90 RBIs in 141 games. He struck out 67 times and he walked 72 times in 1991.

Baines' batting average dropped to .253 in 1992. He finished the season with 121 hits, 18 doubles, 76 RBIs, and 61 strikeouts to 59 walks in 140 games. He played much better in the postseason, when he batted .440 with 11 hits and 4 RBIs in 25 at-bats in 6 games.

Baltimore Orioles

Baines was traded to the Baltimore Orioles on January 14, 1993. He finished that year with a career high batting average of .313. He had 130 hits, 22 doubles, 20 home runs, and 78 RBIs in 118 games. The next year, he played in 94 games and he had 96 hits, 54 RBIs, and a .294 batting average.

In 1995, Baines had career highs in on-base percentage and OPS. He finished the season with 115 hits, 19 doubles, 24 home runs, 63 RBIs, 45 strikeouts to 70 walks, .299 batting average, .403 on-base percentage, and .943 OPS.

Return to Chicago White Sox

Baines became a free agent on November 6, 1995. He signed with the White Sox on December 11, 1995. He finished the 1996 season with 154 hits, 29 doubles, 22 home runs, 95 RBIs, 62 strikeouts to a career high 73 walks, and a .311 batting average in 143 games.

Return to Baltimore Orioles

Baines was traded back to the Orioles on July 29, 1997. He had a good season, finishing with 136 hits, 23 doubles, 67 RBIs, and a .301 batting average in 93 games with the White Sox and 44 games with the Orioles. He played in the postseason with Baltimore and he had 8 hits, including 2 home runs, 3 RBIs, and a .364 batting average in 22 at-bats in 8 games.

Baines played well again in 1988, although he played in just 104 games. He finished the season with 88 hits, 57 RBIs, and a .300 batting average.

Cleveland Indians

The Orioles traded Baines to the Cleveland Indians on August 27, 1999. He finished the season with 134 hits, 25 home runs, 103 RBIs, and a .312 batting average in 107 games with the Orioles and 28 games with the Indians. He had another strong postseason, batting .357 with 5 hits and 4 RBIs in 14 at-bats in 4 games.

Return to Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox

Baines became a free agent on October, 29, 1999. He signed with the Orioles on December 9th. He was traded again to the White Sox on July 29th. In 2000, he batted .254 with 72 hits in 72 games with the Orioles and 24 games with the White Sox. He played in just 32 games in 2001.

Awards

  • Outstanding DH - 2 times
  • Silver Slugger award in 1989

Career Statistics

Career batting statistics for Baines include:

  • 2,830 games played
  • 2,866 hits
  • 488 doubles
  • 384 home runs
  • 1,628 RBIs
  • 1,441 strikeouts to 1,062 walks
  • .289 batting average
  • .356 on-base percentage
  • .821 OPS

Career postseason statistics for Baines include:

  • 6 postseasons
  • 31 games played
  • 102 at-bats
  • 33 hits
  • 4 doubles
  • 5 home runs
  • 16 RBIs
  • 12 strikeouts to 9 walks
  • .324 batting average

Post Playing Career

Baines became a bench coach for the White Sox in March, 2004. He stayed in that position through the 2015 season.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Harold Baines
Baseball Reference - Harold Baines

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