MLB: Former player and manager Don Baylor dies at 68
By Tim Haberin
Don Baylor, winner of an MVP, World Series and Manager of the Year Award, passed away this morning at age 68.
In what has turned into a sad day for baseball, former MLB player and manager Don Baylor has died at age 68 after a long battle with cancer. Late last night we learned that longtime Phillies catcher Darren Daulton had passed away after his own bout with the disease.
Baylor was one of an exclusive group of baseball figures to earn accolades for both his playing and managerial careers. A second-round draft pick by the Baltimore Orioles in 1967, the Austin, Texas native made his major league debut for the O’s in 1970, but he didn’t receive extensive playing time until two years later. Baylor would spend six seasons in Baltimore before being traded to the Oakland A’s in the deal that sent Reggie Jackson to the Orioles.
After playing one year in Oakland, Baylor signed with the California Angels as a free agent prior to the 1977 campaign. It was there he enjoyed the most productive stretch of his career, highlighted by him winning the 1979 American League Most Valuable Player Award. Baylor played in all 162 games that season, slashing .296/.371/.530 with 36 home runs and a majors-leading 139 RBI. His 120 runs scored were also tops in the big leagues. Somewhat surprisingly, that season gave Baylor the only All-Star Game appearance of his career.
Baylor proceeded to stints with the Yankees, Red Sox and Twins before returning to the A’s to hang up the spikes in 1988 after 19 seasons. He was a member of the Twins team that won the 1987 World Series, and he boasts the distinction of being one of only two players along with Eric Hinske to play in three consecutive Fall Classics for three different teams (’86 Red Sox, ’87 Twins, ’88 A’s).
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Renowned for his tendency to crowd the plate, Baylor developed a knack for getting hit by pitches. In fact, he was struck by a pitch 267 times, which ranks as the fourth-most in history after Hughie Jennings (287), Craig Biggio (285) and Tommy Tucker (272). “Getting hit is my way of saying I’m not going to back off,” Baylor said in a 1987 interview.
Baylor became the first manager in Colorado Rockies franchise history in 1993, starting what would be a nine-season career as a major league skipper. He won the 1995 National League Manager of the Year Award after piloting the Rockies to a 77-67 record during the strike-shortened season. The club captured the NL Wild Card spot for its first ever postseason berth. Baylor, Frank Robinson, Joe Torre and Kirk Gibson are the only four to win both an MVP and Manager of the Year Award.
After his run as Rockies skipper ended in 1998, Baylor spent a year as the Braves’ hitting coach and was named manager of the Cubs for the 2000 season. He helmed the Cubs through 2002, posting a 187-220 record (.459) in Chicago with no playoff appearances. Baylor remained a fixture in big league dugouts, however, serving as bench or hitting coach with the Mets, Mariners, Rockies, Diamondbacks and Angels through 2015.
Next: Remembering Darren Daulton
Baylor was diagnosed with multiple myeloma 14 years ago, but it’s clear he never let that slow him down. His wife Rebecca put it best in her statement (per ESPN.com): “Don passed from this earth with the same fierce dignity with which he played the game and lived his life.” He will certainly be missed among the baseball community.