Tony Armas
Tony Armas | ||
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Runs batted in | 815 | |
Teams | ||
Career highlights and awards | ||
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Member of the Venezuelan | ||
Baseball Hall of Fame | ||
Induction | 2005 |
Antonio Rafael Armas Machado (born July 2, 1953) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from 1976 to 1989. He is the father of pitcher Tony Armas Jr. and the older brother of outfielder Marcos Armas.
Armas was one of the top power hitters in the
Career
Pittsburgh Pirates
Armas debuted with the
During spring training in 1977, Armas, Doug Bair, Dave Giusti, Rick Langford, Doc Medich and Mitchell Page were dealt to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for Chris Batton, Phil Garner and Tommy Helms.[1]
Oakland A's
Armas was the opening day
In the strike shortened 1981 season, Armas tied for the league lead in home runs (22) and games played (109) to be named the American League Player of the Year by The Sporting News. In 1982 he set a pair of major league records with eleven putouts and twelve total chances in right field in a single game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Following the season he was traded, along with Jeff Newman, to the Boston Red Sox for Carney Lansford, Garry Hancock and minor leaguer Jerry King.
Boston Red Sox
In Boston, Armas became the
Armas had a monster
From 1980 to 1985, Armas hit more homers (187) than any other AL player. His next two seasons were ruined by recurring leg injuries and Boston's acquisition of Dave Henderson. Armas was released after batting just once in the 1986 World Series. In the following years, he became a valuable role player for the Angels, and he retired after the 1989 season.
Twice he finished in the top ten in AL Most Valuable Player award balloting (4th, 1981; 7th, 1984).
California Angels
Armas was signed as a free agent by the California Angels In July 1987, and played 3 seasons with them (1987-1989) to finish out his Major League career. For his career playing in 1,432 games over 14 seasons, Armas tallied 251 home runs, 614 runs, 204 doubles, 39 triples, 815 RBI, and 1,302 hits.
Family ties
Tony is one of 13 children, His younger brother, outfielder Marcos Armas, had a brief stint with the Athletics in the 1993 season, while his son Tony Jr. pitched from 1999 through 2008 for the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets.
Coaching career
Armas is the current Batting coach for the Leones del Caracas a team in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.
His playing career in Venezuela was a stellar one. He started playing with the Leones and later joined the
In 2005, he earned induction into the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum with 96% of the vote. He also was selected to the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998.
See also
- List of second-generation Major League Baseball players
- List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball players from Venezuela
References
- ^ "Pirates, A's Swap 9 Players; Garner and Medich Key Men". The New York Times. Associated Press. March 17, 1977. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Tony Armas - Baseballbiography.com
- The ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia – Gary Gillette, Peter Gammons, Pete Palmer. Publisher: Sterling Publishing, 2005. Format: Paperback, 1824pp. Language: English. ISBN 1-4027-4771-3