Baylor, Don E.
Baseball
b. June 28, 1949, Austin, TX
An aggressive hitter who became known as a team leader, Baylor was named the AL's most valuable player with the California Angels in 1979, when he led the league with 139 RBI and 120 runs scored. He hit .296 with 36 home runs to lead the Angels to the Western Division championship that season.
Baylor entered the major leagues with the Baltimore Orioles in 1970, but appeared in just 9 games in his first two seasons. He became a starter in the outfield and at first base in 1972. Beginning in 1973, he was primarily an outfielder and designated hitter.
The Orioles traded him to the Angels in 1976, and he went to the New York Yankees as a free agent in 1983. After three seasons with New York, Baylor joined the Boston Red Sox for the 1986 season. Traded by the Red Sox to Minnesota late in the 1987 season, Baylor finished his career with the Oakland Athletics in 1988.
In 2,292 games, he had a .260 batting average on 2,135 hits, including 366 doubles, 28 triples, and .338 home runs. He drove in 1,276 runs and scored 1,236.
After serving as a major league hitting coach for four seasons, Baylor became manager of the expansion Colorado Rockies in 1993. He guided the Rockies to the best four-year record for an expansion team, winning 280 games while losing 305 from 1993 through 1996. However, he was fired after the team went 77-85 in 1998.
In 2000, Baylor took over the Chicago Cubs. He brought them a sixth-place finish in his first season to a winning record and third place in their division in 2001. He was fired midway through the 2002 season, with a 34-49 record.
His overall managerial record is 627-689, a .476 percentage.