Andy Van Slyke
| Andy Van Slyke | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Van Slyke as coach with the Seattle Mariners in 2014
|
|||
| Center fielder | |||
|
Born: December 21, 1960 Utica, New York |
|||
|
|||
| MLB debut | |||
| June 17, 1983, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| October 1, 1995, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .274 | ||
| Home runs | 164 | ||
| Runs batted in | 792 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
|
|||
Andrew James Van Slyke (born December 21, 1960) is an American retired Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder.
Van Slyke earned All-American honors in baseball as a senior at New Hartford Central High school in New Hartford, New York.
He was drafted in the first round (sixth overall pick) of the 1979 Major League Baseball amateur draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. Called up from the AAA Louisville Redbirds, he made his Major League debut with the Cardinals on June 17, 1983, collecting a double, a run batted in (RBI) and making three putouts in the outfield without an error.
In 1985, he was one of five Cardinals to steal at least 30 bases. He stole 34 that season, part of the "Whiteyball" era.
The first two years of his career Van Slyke played first base, third base and all three outfield positions. He mostly played right field the next two years on the strength of his throwing arm, occasionally platooning with Tito Landrum, sometimes substituting for Willie McGee in center field. On September 21, 1986, he hit a rare inside-the-park home run. During spring training 1987, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates along with left-handed hitting catcher Mike LaValliere and minor league pitcher Mike Dunne for catcher Tony Peña. The trade occurred on April 1, with Van Slyke initially believing that it was an April Fools' Day joke. In Pittsburgh, he mostly played center field alongside stars Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla.
...
Wikipedia