Don Baylor

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Donald Edward Baylor (born June 28, 1949) is a Major League Baseball coach and a former player and manager. During his 19-year playing career, he was a power hitter who played as a first baseman, outfielder, and designated hitter. He played for six different American League teams, primarily the Baltimore Orioles and California Angels. He later managed the expansion Colorado Rockies for six years and the Chicago Cubs for three.

Born in Austin, Texas, Baylor graduated from Austin High School before attending Blinn Junior College in Brenham, Texas. He was drafted in the 2nd round of the 1967 amateur draft by Baltimore. He played for the Orioles (1970-75), Oakland Athletics (1976, 1988), Angels (1977-82), New York Yankees (1983-85), Boston Red Sox (1986-87), and Minnesota Twins (1987).

In 1979, he led the American League with 139 RBIs and 120 runs and was an AL All-Star. He won the AL's MVP award and led the Angels to their first AL Western Division title ever. He reached the World Series three times in his career, in consecutive years with three different teams—the Red Sox in 1986, the Twins in 1987, and the A's in 1988—and was on the winning side in 1987. Baylor was a power hitter known for crowding the plate. He set the Yankees' team record for most Hit by Pitches in a season (24 in 1985). Baylor retired with 285 stolen bases, 2135 hits, and 338 home runs.

After retiring as a player, Baylor served as a hitting coach for the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals until he was named the manager of the expansion Colorado Rockies. He led the team for six years from 1993-98. The Rockies posted their first winning record (77-67) in 1995 and made the postseason as the wildcard team, and as a result, Baylor won the National League Manager of the Year Award. By 1997, the Rockies under Baylor's leadership had the best five-year record (363-384) of any expansion club in MLB history.

After a subpar 1998 season, Baylor was released. He became the hitting coach for the Atlanta Braves in 1999 and was hired to manage the Chicago Cubs in 2000 and managed through 2002. From 2003 to 2004, he served as the bench coach for the New York Mets. He spent the 2005 season with the Seattle Mariners as hitting coach for manager Mike Hargrove, and is currently (as of October 2005) unemployed.

Baylor has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma.

Preceded by
Jim Rice
American League RBI Champion
1979
Succeeded by
Cecil Cooper
Preceded by
Jim Rice
American League Most Valuable Player
1979
Succeeded by
George Brett
Preceded by
Felipe Alou
National League Manager of the Year
1995
Succeeded by
Bruce Bochy
Preceded by
First Manager
Colorado Rockies Manager
1993-1998
Succeeded by
Jim Leyland
Preceded by
Jim Riggleman
Chicago Cubs Manager
2000-2002
Succeeded by
Bruce Kimm
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