Paul Molitor
Paul Molitor | |
---|---|
Designated hitter / Infielder / Manager | |
Born: Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S. | August 22, 1956|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
April 7, 1978, for the Milwaukee Brewers | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 27, 1998, for the Minnesota Twins | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .306 |
Hits | 3,319 |
Home runs | 234 |
Runs batted in | 1,307 |
Stolen bases | 504 |
Managerial record | 305–343 |
Winning % | .471 |
Teams | |
As player
As manager | |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Member of the National | |
Baseball Hall of Fame | |
Induction | 2004 |
Vote | 85.2% (first ballot) |
Paul Leo Molitor (born August 22, 1956), nicknamed "Molly" and "the Ignitor", is an American former professional
Molitor grew up in Minnesota and attended the
Early life
Molitor was born in
After his junior year in college, the Milwaukee Brewers selected Molitor in the first round, with the third overall selection, in the 1977 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the Brewers and began his professional career with the Class A Burlington Bees of the Midwest League.[6] In 64 games with Burlington, Molitor hit for a .346 batting average, 8 home runs, 50 runs batted in (RBI) and 14 stolen bases.[7]
Playing career
Milwaukee Brewers (1978–1992)
Molitor began as a
Molitor struggled with injuries for much of his early career, being placed on the
Molitor attracted national media attention in 1987 during his 39-game
Toronto Blue Jays (1993–1995)
Although Molitor wanted to remain with Milwaukee when he became a free agent after the 1992 season, the franchise offered him a one-year contract with a $900,000 pay cut (to $2.5 million), while the Toronto Blue Jays offered a three-year, $13 million deal (equivalent to $27.42 million in 2023), leading to his signing with the Blue Jays. Agent Ron Simon said, "I was also talking with Milwaukee, but it became clear to us that Milwaukee didn't have the same kind of interest in signing Molitor, perhaps because of their financial situation."[13]
Molitor quickly became an offensive juggernaut. In 1993, Molitor led the AL in plate appearances (725) and hits (211)
In 1994, a strike-shortened season, Molitor hit .341 and led the AL in games played (115) and singles (107). He also stole 20 bases that season without ever being caught, one short of Kevin McReynolds' 1988 major league record of 21.[15] Molitor's average dropped to .270 in 1995, his lowest mark in more than ten years.[8]
Minnesota Twins (1996–1998)
He left the Blue Jays after the 1995 season, and joined his hometown Minnesota Twins for the final three seasons of his career, where he acquired his 3,000th hit. He was the first player to reach the 3,000 hits plateau with a triple. Molitor was relishing the opportunity to play with Twins superstar Kirby Puckett, but Puckett developed career-ending glaucoma during spring training in 1996 and never played again. In 1996, Molitor became the second 40-year-old, after Hall of Famer Sam Rice, to have a 200-hit season, leading the league with 225, while also leading the league in singles with 167. Molitor also remains the last MLB player to drive in 100 or more runs in a season while hitting fewer than 10 home runs (9 HR, 113 RBIs).[16]
Molitor hit .305 in 1997, his twelfth season to finish with a batting average higher than .300. In 1998, he hit .281 with 4 home runs, 69 RBI and 9 stolen bases. Other than his very brief 1984 season, the 1998 season was the first in Molitor's career in which he did not reach double-digit stolen base totals.[8] He retired in December, saying, "My heart tells me I've done what I can do on the field and in this game", Molitor said. "I'm happy to leave it playing my last season in a Twins uniform... Now I'm going to redirect my efforts to find out what else the future holds."[17]
Coaching and managerial career
Early career
After retiring as a player, Molitor remained with the Twins as a bench coach for three seasons. He was considered a leading candidate to manage the team when Tom Kelly retired after 2001, but he declined in part because the Twins were still being targeted for potential contraction. Molitor was a hitting coach with the Mariners in 2004. He then spent the 2005 to 2013 seasons in the Twins organization as a minor league baserunning and fielding instructor. Molitor joined the Twins coaching staff in 2014 to oversee baserunning, bunting, infield instruction, and positioning.[18]
Minnesota Twins
The Twins hired Molitor to fill their manager vacancy for the 2015 season, and introduced him in a press conference on November 4, 2014.[19] At the end of the
Managerial record
- As of games played on September 30, 2018
Team | From | To | Regular season record | Post–season record | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | W | L | Win % | G | W | L | Win % | |||
Minnesota Twins | 2015 | 2018 | 648 | 305 | 343 | .471 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
Total | 648 | 305 | 343 | .471 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | ||
Ref.:[21] |
Accomplishments
Molitor's lifetime statistics include 2,683 games played, 1,782 runs scored, 3,319 hits, 605 doubles, 114 triples, 234
On June 11, 1999, the Brewers retired Molitor's uniform number 4. During the ceremony at
Molitor is one of five players in major league history with at least 3,000 hits, a .300 lifetime batting average, and 500 stolen bases. The other four are Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Eddie Collins and Ichiro Suzuki. Only Ichiro and Molitor played beyond 1930. Molitor is the only player ever to accomplish those feats and hit at least 200 home runs. Molitor is also the first player in World Series history to have at least two home runs, two doubles, and two triples in one series (1993). He is a member of an exclusive club, hitting .300 or better in full seasons across three decades (1970s, 80s, and 90s). He hit better than .300 a dozen times in his career. Including Game 1 of the 1982 World Series, he recorded eight 5-hit games and four 200+ hit seasons in his 21 year major league career. Molitor also compiled 56 4-hit games in his MLB career.[24]
As of 2021, Molitor is the last Major League player to execute the rare feat of stealing home plate at least ten times over the course of a career.[25]
Personal life
During the early years of his career, Molitor began using
Molitor married Linda Kaplan in 1981, and before their 2003 divorce it was revealed he had fathered a son in an extramarital affair with Joanna Andreou and was paying child support.[28] During his legal separation from Linda, he fathered another child with the woman who would become his second wife, Destini; they had a third child together and later divorced.[28]
During his Hall of Fame induction speech, Molitor mentioned his difficult family relationships; the divorce from Linda caused such hard feelings that his ex-wife[ambiguous] and daughter almost did not attend his induction ceremony.[29][28]
Molitor's nephew is professional disc golfer Cale Leiviska.[30]
See also
- List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball hit records
- List of Major League Baseball doubles records
- List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career doubles leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career triples leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
- 3,000 hit club
- List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle
- List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
References
- ^ "It's official: Paul Molitor named Twins manager". Star Tribune.
- ^ http://www.ManagerMolly.com Archived November 4, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Weir, Tom (June 29, 2001). "USA's best of 2 sports worlds". USA Today. Retrieved March 25, 2010.
- ^ Levitt, Daniel R.; Skipper, Doug. "Paul Molitor". SABR. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
- ^ a b Justice, Richard (August 16, 1987). "Now, it's pitchers, not Paul Molitor, who are hurting". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
- ISBN 9780803266391. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
- ^ "Paul Molitor Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Paul Molitor Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
- ^ "Sports People; Carter Close to Deal". The New York Times. December 5, 1981. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
- ^ "Paul Molitor 3-home run Game Boxscore at Retrosheet". retrosheet.org. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
- ^ a b Downey, Mike (August 19, 1987). "Molitor's feat Is just in playing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
- ^ "Consecutive Games Hitting Streaks". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved November 23, 2008.
- ^ Chass, Murray (December 8, 1992). "Baseball; Jays re-sign Carter and swipe Molitor". The New York Times. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
- ^ Jauss, Bill (October 6, 1993). "Molitor, Sprague chase jitters with their bats". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
- ISBN 9780786437931. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
- ^ Hunt, Ryan (September 8, 1999). "Long gone". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
- CNNSI.com. December 4, 1998.
- ^ Bollinger, Rhett (January 13, 2014). "Hall of Famer Paul Molitor preparing for role as Twin coach". MLB.com.
- ^ "Molitor: Twins 'where I'm supposed to be'". November 4, 2014.
- ^ "Torey Lovullo, Paul Molitor win manager honors". MLB.com.
- ^ a b "Paul Molitor". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- ^ KSTP Sports (July 20, 2021). "Q&A: Paul Molitor is back working for the Twins". KSTP TV. Saint Paul, MN.
- ^ a b Stone, Larry (July 25, 2004). "Man about Cooperstown: Molitor takes his place with game's best". Seattle Times. Retrieved February 5, 2008.
- ^ "Paul Molitor Top Performances at Retrosheet". retrosheet.org. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
- ^ "Major League Baseball Records for Stealing Home Base".
- ^ Missanelli, M. G. (August 27, 1987). "Molitor captures a nation's fancy". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
- ^ "Playing baseball helped Molitor open doors to hearts". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. July 25, 2004. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
- ^ a b c Daniel R. Levitt and Doug Skipper, Paul Molitor, SABR, Cronkite School at ASU, accessed April 19, 2017.
- ^ Rogers, Phil (July 26, 2004). "Chaotic lives, blessed careers". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
- ^ "Pro disc golf tourney to be hosted in Minnesota by Paul Molitor's nephew". kare11.com. June 24, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
Further reading
- Broomer, Stuart (1994). Paul Molitor: Good Timing: The Paul Molitor Story. ECW Press. ISBN 978-1550222074.
- Levitt, Daniel R.; Skipper, Doug. "Paul Molitor". SABR.
- Olson, Drew (July 24, 2004). "Molitor's induction ignites old memories". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on April 7, 2008 – via Wayback Machine.
External links
- Paul Molitor at the Baseball Hall of Fame
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Paul Molitor managerial career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com