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The following biography
is from
Wikipedia.org
“The
Free Encyclopedia.”
Timothy Raines (born September 16, 1959 in
Sanford, Florida), nicknamed "Rock" [1], is a former American left
fielder in Major League Baseball known for his speed and ability to get
on base. The Montreal Expos selected him in the 5th round of the 1977
amateur draft. He started as a second baseman for the Expos in 1979 and
rapidly became a fan favorite due to his aggressiveness on the basepaths.
He eventually switched to playing the outfield and by the end of his
career, Raines entered the very select 800-steal club, becoming the
fifth member behind Rickey Henderson, Lou Brock, Billy Hamilton, and Ty
Cobb. Brock, Hamilton and Cobb are all in the Baseball Hall of Fame, and
Henderson surely will be when he becomes eligible. Currently, he serves
as the Hitting Coach for the Harrisburg Senators.
During his career, Raines stole more than
70 bases in a season six years in a row (1981-1986), including a career
high 90 in 1983. His stolen base percentage (84.7%) is the highest in
baseball history for players with 300 or more attempts.
"The Rock" was named a National League
All-Star in 7 consecutive seasons (1981-1987), and in 1987 he was the
MVP of the All-Star game. Raines finished in the top 10 in MVP voting
for the National League three times (1983, 1986, 1987). He won the NL
batting title in 1986 with a .334 average and hit over .300 in five
full-seasons. He also topped the .320 mark in three straight years
(1985-1987).
Raines won a Silver Slugger award as an OF
in 1986 when he led the NL in both batting average and on-base
percentage. He led the NL in runs scored in 1983 and 1987, in doubles in
1984 and in stolen bases in 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1984. Raines set
single-season career highs with a .334 batting average and 194 hits in
1986, 18 HR in 1987, and 71 RBI, 133 runs scored and 90 SB in 1983.
In his 23-year career, Raines hit .294 with
170 HR, 980 RBI, 1571 runs scored, 2605 hits, 808 stolen bases, 430
doubles, 113 triples and an on-base percentage of .385. Those numbers
make "The Rock" a borderline Hall of Fame candidate, but his status is
still up in the air.
Also likely to hurt his induction chances
is his involvement in the cocaine scandal of the 1980s. During the
Pittsburgh drug trials of 1985, Raines admitted that he would use the
drug to get high during games and that he would famously slide headfirst
into bases so as not to break the vials he kept in his back pocket [1].
His son, Tim Raines, Jr., also became a
major league player. In 2001, Raines, at the age of 41, and his son
became the second MLB father-and-son combination to play in the same
game, both playing for the Baltimore Orioles (the first were Ken Griffey,
Sr. and Ken Griffey, Jr.).
For his career, Raines played for: Montreal
Expos (1979-1990, 2001), Chicago White Sox (1991-1995), New York Yankees
(1996-1998), Oakland Athletics (1999), Baltimore Orioles (2001), Florida
Marlins (2002).
Raines was a coach for the Chicago White
Sox from November 2004 until October 13, 2006.[2] During the 2005 World
Series Championship season, Raines served as first base coach. During
the 2006 season, he served as bench coach.
****
Outfielder
Batted: Both Threw: Right
MLB Debut
September 11, 1979 for the Montreal Expos
Final game
September 29, 2002 for the Florida Marlins
Career Statistics
Batting average .294
Hits 2605
Stolen bases 808
Teams
Montreal Expos (1979-1990, 2001)
Chicago White Sox (1991-1995)
New York Yankees (1996-1998)
Oakland Athletics (1999)
Baltimore Orioles (2001)
Florida Marlins (2002)
Career Highlights and Awards
All-Star (NL): 1981-1987
All-Star Game MVP (NL): 1987
Batting title (NL): 1986
Silver Slugger (NL OF): 1986
5th all time for stolen bases in a career
(808)
Led the National League in on base
percentage in 1986
Led the National League in runs scored in
1983 and 1987
Led the National League in stolen bases in
1981-1984
Finished 3rd in the National League in
batting average in 1985 and 1987 and hits in 1984 and 1986
****
Accomplishments
5th all time for stolen bases in a career
(808)
Youngest player in the National League
(1979, 19)
Seven-Time All-Star (1981-87)
Led the Major Leagues in stolen bases
(1981, 1984)
Led the National League in stolen bases
(1982-83)
Led the Major Leagues in runs scored (1983,
1987)
Led the National League for times on base
(1983-84, 1986)
Led the National League in Doubles (1984,
with 38)
Silver Slugger for National League
Outfielder (1986)
Led the National League in batting average
(1986, with .334)
All-Star Game MVP (1987)
Has an 84.7% career success rate stealing
bases, the highest of all players with over 300 stolen bases.
References
Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics
and analysis
1. The nickname Rock was given to Raines in
the minor leagues, referring to his solid physique.
2. ESPN.com (2006-10-14). White Sox fire
bench coach Raines (English). ESPN.com. Retrieved on 2006-10-28.
****
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URL of Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Raines
Date Article Copied:
January 2007
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