Jim Dwyer (baseball)
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| Jim Dwyer | |
|---|---|
 Coach Dwyer signing autographs for Miracle fans | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: January 3, 1950 Evergreen Park, Illinois, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 10, 1973, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 21, 1990, for the Minnesota Twins | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .260 |
| Home runs | 77 |
| Runs batted in | 349 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
James Edward Dwyer (born January 3, 1950) is an American former baseball player who was an outfielder for 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for seven different teams between 1973 and 1990. Listed at 5' 10", 185 lb., he batted and threw left-handed.
MLB career
A graduate of St. Laurence High School in Burbank, Illinois, just outside Chicago, Dwyer was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1971 draft out of Southern Illinois University, and he wasted little time in the minor leagues, debuting in the majors on June 10, 1973 with the Cardinals. He became known as a fastball hitter who was used mostly against right-handed pitching, and played all three outfield positions well as a reserve.
Midway through the 1975 season, he was traded to the Montreal Expos (1975–76). The following season, another midseason trade landed him with the New York Mets (1976). He rejoined the Cardinals for the 1977 season and part of 1978, and later played with the San Francisco Giants (1978) and Boston Red Sox (1979–80). Finally, he found a home with the Baltimore Orioles in 1981.
With Baltimore, Dwyer became one of Manager
In a 13–11 loss to the
For his career, Dwyer was a .260 hitter (719-for-2761) with 77 home runs and 349 RBI in 1328 games, including 409 runs, 115 doubles, 17 triples, 26 stolen bases, and a .353 on-base percentage. In four postseason games he hit .333 (4-for-12), including one home run, two doubles, four runs, and one RBI.
During the off-season, he played from
MLB Career Highlights
- While playing for the Expos in 1975, shortly after being traded by the Cardinals, Dwyer was named by MLB as the National League's Player of the Week for the week ending August 3, 1975 with a slash line of .478/.480/.826.[3]
- In the heat of the Orioles' 1982 pennant race, Dwyer reached base 13 consecutive times over 4 games against Detroit and Milwaukee.[4]
- In July 1983, Dwyer started only 12 games, playing a complete game just four times that month. Even without playing regularly, Dwyer was one of the Baltimore Orioles' hottest hitters during the middle of the 1983 pennant race, leading the team that month in batting average (.474), on-base percentage (.574) and slugging average (1.053). Dwyer's surge helped the Orioles to a 11-4 record in the games he played.[5]
.*Dwyer was well-known throughout his career as a clutch left-handed pinch hitter,[6] appearing in over 500 games in that role. He is currently 17th on the list of MLB's All-Time Pinch Hit Leaders, garnering career 103 pinch hits,[7] with 10 pinch homers and 74 RBIs.
- Although he was the 246th overall pick (11th round) in the MLB draft,[8] Dwyer's perseverance and versatility carried him to an 18-yr. major league career. In a 2014 essay, noted baseball historian Bill James recognized Dwyer's value by naming him as #4 in his list of "The Greatest Bench Players of All Time."[9]
Coaching career
Following his playing career, Dwyer
See also
References
- ^ "World Series First At-Bat Homers". ESPN.com.
- ^ Boswell, Thomas. "Orioles, Rangers Set Record With 3 Grand Slams," The Washington Post, Thursday, August 7, 1986. Retrieved July 1, 2021
- ^ "Jim Dwyer 1975 Batting Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "Jim Dwyer 1982 Batting Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ Baseball-Reference.com
- ^ Baker, Kent. "Dwyer plays cool when things get hot," The Baltimore Sun, August 24, 1986.
- ^ "Pinch hitter". March 28, 2020 – via Wikipedia.
- ^ baseball-almanac.com/draft/baseball-draft.php?yr=1971
- ^ "The Greatest Bench Players of All Time | Articles | Bill James Online". www.billjamesonline.com.
- ^ "Fort Myers Miracle". Retrieved 2008-07-20.
- ^ DORSEY, DAVID. "Jim Dwyer, 66, retires from Fort Myers Miracle, Minnesota Twins". The News-Press.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Baseball Prospectus
- Retrosheet