Don Baylor has passed away

[bobmc]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Former Orioles slugger and MLB manager, hitting coach Don Baylor dies at 68 <a href="https://t.co/c75930NSgW">https://t.co/c75930NSgW</a> <a href="https://t.co/GHS7Ag0Vwt">pic.twitter.com/GHS7Ag0Vwt</a></p>&mdash; Eduardo A. Encina (@EddieInTheYard) <a href="https://twitter.com/EddieInTheYard/status/894602204258082816">August 7, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Big Al]

My first favorite baseball player.  I was devastated when we traded him to Oakland for Reggie.   

[HbgOsFan]

My memory may be foggy, but I always was under the impression that Don wanted to remain an Oriole.  Reggie and Kenny, not so much.  That trade saddened me very much, but as Frobby astutely pointed out, Kenny did us a favor when we traded with the Yankees.

Just very sad to see Lee May and Don Baylor pass.  I'm getting old. 

[billw76]

Very sad news, RIP Mr. Baylor

[jjnono]

Was saddened to hear of this.  I went back and looked at the 1979 season MVP voting, as I recalled that Ken Singleton was very much in the running that year.  I was sort of astonished to see the voting results and the stats for each of the leading candidates.  How is it that Freddie Lynn didn't receive a single first place vote? Those stats are gaudy... It's not like the Red Sox didn't have a good season - they won 91 games, although were a distant third.  Did the team's placement really count for that much when it came to MVP voting?  I was 13 at the time, so not very clued in on nuance...

https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1979.shtml

 

[wildcard]

Don Baylor was a sight to behold in a baseball uniform.  Broad shoulders, small waist and muscles budging.   He has a 4 tool player that could hit the ball long and hard.  He hit for average and power, he could run and he had range in the field.  He couldn't throw very well because of high school football injury.   That injury limited him to left field for most of his career when he played the field.

The O's minor leagues were brimming with talent in 1970.  Don was named Minor League player of the Year by Sporting News for his play at Rochester in the International League in 1970.   But with Buford in left, Blair in center, Frank Robinson in right and Rettenmund  as  backup outfielder on an O's World Series team , Don could not break into the O's team in 1971.  Instead he was sent back to AAA in 1971.   There was no competition for playing time with Frank Robinson as I remember it.  Frank was the perennial All Star and MVP candidiate.   Besides Frank played right and Baylor was a left field because of  his arm.  In wasn't until 1972 after Frank was traded that Don made the team as the backup outfielder to Rettenmund replacing Frank in right.  Buford has a bad year in left in 1972 and that allowed  Baylor to get some playing time.  Baylor replaced Buford in left field in 1973  which was the first seasons  the Don was a everyday player in the majors.

When Baylor was in his "Groove" there were not many that were better.   That is what made him am MVP after he was traded to the Angels.   I have many fond memories of Don.  RIP.

[Frobby]

17 minutes ago, jjnono said:

Was saddened to hear of this.  I went back and looked at the 1979 season MVP voting, as I recalled that Ken Singleton was very much in the running that year.  I was sort of astonished to see the voting results and the stats for each of the leading candidates.  How is it that Freddie Lynn didn't receive a single first place vote? Those stats are gaudy... It's not like the Red Sox didn't have a good season - they won 91 games, although were a distant third.  Did the team's placement really count for that much when it came to MVP voting?  I was 13 at the time, so not very clued in on nuance...

https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1979.shtml

 

RBI were a very important factor in MVP voting at the time.   Baylor's 139 led the league.   Also, the fact that Jim Rice also had a great season probably kept Lynn from getting some votes.   And yes, how the team finished usually made a big difference.   

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

1 hour ago, HbgOsFan said:

My memory may be foggy, but I always was under the impression that Don wanted to remain an Oriole.  Reggie and Kenny, not so much.  That trade saddened me very much, but as Frobby astutely pointed out, Kenny did us a favor when we traded with the Yankees.

Just very sad to see Lee May and Don Baylor pass.  I'm getting old. 

You are correct.  Baylor broke down in tears when he was informed that he had been traded to Oakland.  

[weams]

4 hours ago, Frobby said:

I'm not sure I'd say that.   Both Baylor and Jackson were due to be free agents at the time.   Baylor played all year and had a decent season (.247/.329/.368, 15 HR, 68 RBI, 2.9 rWAR).    Jackson missed a month but produced a lot more than Baylor (.277/.351/.502, 27 HR, 93 RBI, 5.3 rWAR).    Holtzman pitched decently for us for half a season, then was a key element of the trade that brought us Scott McGregor, Rudy May, Tippy Martinez, Rick Dempsey and Dave Pagan. 

 

Very true. 

[Fuzzball22]

Very sad news. The farm system back in the day was great. Baylor was on a team with Grich and Roger Freed who we traded to the Phillies. Frank was my favorite player ever and when he was traded I couldn't believe it. The only saving grace was that we had Baylor and he was going to be just like Frank. Couple years later Baylor gets traded. Kind of the start of me not liking free agency:)

[Number5]

RIP, Goove. 

I went to college in the Midwest, so I was the only O's fan I knew there.  I remember telling my friends that the O's had a rookie coming up that was going to be special - maybe an MVP one day.  They thought I was nuts.  It was Don Baylor.

[linedrive]

Very sad to hear the news. Never got to see him play in an Orioles uniform, but always admired him.

[Cumberbundy]

 

[ChipTait]

Here is a terrific remembrance of Don Baylor from his hometown newspaper, the Austin American-Statesman.

 

http://www.mystatesman.com/sports/baseball/bohls-don-baylor-won-lost-and-lived-with-dignity-even-hard-times/smtgymvjKIBRdN7eiVggWI/

 

He grew up in a city and state that were very slow to desegregate.  

[Cumberbundy]

36 minutes ago, ChipTait said:

Here is a terrific remembrance of Don Baylor from his hometown newspaper, the Austin American-Statesman.

 

http://www.mystatesman.com/sports/baseball/bohls-don-baylor-won-lost-and-lived-with-dignity-even-hard-times/smtgymvjKIBRdN7eiVggWI/

 

He grew up in a city and state that were very slow to desegregate.  

Longhorn footballs loss. Great story. Thank you CT.