Leon Durham
| Leon Durham | |||
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| Detroit Tigers | |||
| First baseman / Outfielder / Coach | |||
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Born: July 31, 1957 Cincinnati, Ohio |
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| MLB debut | |||
| May 27, 1980, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| September 17, 1989, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .277 | ||
| Home runs | 147 | ||
| Runs batted in | 530 | ||
| Teams | |||
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As player
As coach |
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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As player
As coach
Leon "Bull" Durham (born July 31, 1957) is a former first baseman and outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for 10 seasons, a longtime minor league hitting coach, and the current assistant hitting coach of the Detroit Tigers. Durham played with the St. Louis Cardinals (1980, 1989), Chicago Cubs (1981-1988), and Cincinnati Reds (1988). Durham batted and threw left-handed.
Durham graduated from Cincinnati Woodward High School in 1976 where he was a high school All-American selection his senior year, posting a .385 batting average with 16 home runs and an 11-3 record as a pitcher. Durham was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1976 amateur draft in the first round and 15th overall.
Durham made his major league debut on May 27, 1980 with the St. Louis Cardinals. He was traded that off-season to the Cubs for Bruce Sutter, and his career took off. He hit 10 home runs and drove in 55 runs in a strike-shortened 1981 season, then followed that with a stellar 1982 season in which he had a .312 batting average with 22 homers, 90 RBI, and 28 stolen bases. He won the Silver Slugger Award as the Cubs' left fielder and made the All-Star team. He followed that with a hot first half in 1983 of 12 homers and 55 RBI and another All-Star Game appearance, but was injured shortly after the break and missed the rest of the season.
In 1984, the Cubs made several team-improving deals. They acquired Bob Dernier and Gary Matthews from the Phillies, moved Keith Moreland to right field, and Durham to first base. Durham essentially supplanted Bill Buckner, who was then dealt to the Red Sox for Dennis Eckersley. Durham responded with another stellar year by hitting .279 with 23 homers and 96 RBIs as the Cubs won the National League East. For good measure, Durham homered in both Games 4 and 5 of the 1984 NLCS. Durham would follow that season with three more consecutive 20-homer seasons, including a career-high 27 in 1987. However, his RBI totals decreased from 96 in 1984 to 75, 65, and 63, respectively.
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