Dave Winfield

Guide Note:

Hall of Fame baseball player Dave Winfield was a 12-time All-Star outfielder and designated hitter whose career spanned 22 seasons with six different teams. Winfield ranks in the top 20 players all-time for RBIs, at-bats, doubles, games and hits.

Fast Facts:

1. Born: October 3, 1951
2. Birthplace: St. Paul, Minnesota
3. 12-Time All-Star
4. 7-Time Gold Glove Winner

A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, Winfield attended the University of Minnesota and was a star player on the school's baseball and basketball teams. After college, Winfield was drafted by three separate professional sports—baseball, basketball and football— the only person in sports history ever to accomplish this unusual feat. What is even more unusual is that while Winfield was excellent at both basketball and baseball, he had never played college football. After choosing baseball, Winfield's immense talent was again recognized when the San Diego Padres drafted him directly into the Major League Baseball in 1973. His first few years were solid ones, and in 1977, he made the All-Star team for the first of twelve consecutive seasons. The next year, he became a contender for the National League Most Valuable Player Award, and in 1979, he hit 34 home runs and batted in 118, all with a batting average of .308.

Once a free agent, Winfield signed a 10-year, $23 million contract with the New York Yankees in 1981, making him the highest-paid player in baseball. Over the next seasons, Winfield did not disappoint, driving in over 100 RBIs in every one of his eight years with the Yankees except for the strike-shortened '81 season and 1987, when he drove in 97. After the Yankees did not win a pennant since 1981, owner George Steinbrenner expressed his displeasure with Winfield's performance in the final months of the season, calling him "Mr. May", to contrast with Reggie Jackson's "Mr. October" nickname.

Winfield was traded in the middle of the 1990 season to the California Angels, and in 1992, a free agent again, signed with the Toronto Blue Jays and had one of his best years ever, leading the team to its first World Series and first World Championship. Winfield finished out his career with his hometown Minnesota Twins, and finally, the Cleveland Indians. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001, his first year of eligibility.