Dave Winfield

David Mark Winfield
Born: Oct. 3, 1951 in St. Paul, Minn.
Debut: 1973 | Pos: OF
H: 6'6" | W: 220 | B: R | T: R

>> Visit the Dave Winfield biography on Baseball Almanac for complete statistics.

Dave Winfield seemed to be destined for baseball greatness from birth. He came into the world on the day that Bobby Thomson hit the famed "Shot heard 'round the World."

Winfield was an imposing man when he was standing in the batter's box looking into the eyes of a pitcher. Off the field, he had the personality to be a goodwill ambassador for the game despite some unfortunate incidents. In 2001, he will join the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

A standout college athlete, Winfield was a pitcher and outfielder. He was named MVP of Minnesota's team which won the 1973 College World Series. Winfield was drafted fourth overall by the San Diego Padres in the 1973 amateur draft. The Padres' pick followed the selections of David Clyde, John Stearns and future Hall of Famer Robin Yount. 

That wasn't the only professional opportunity Winfield had. He was draved by the NBA's Atlanta Hawks and the ABA's Utah Stars. The Minnesota Vikings also picked Winfield in the NFL draft despite the fact Winfield didn't play college football. To this day, he is the only athlete to ever be drafted by three major sports.

By the time he retired from baseball, Winfield was in the Top 20 all-time for hits, runs batted in, games, at-bats, doubles and total bases. His career numbers total 3,100 hits, 465 home runs, 223 stolen bases and a .283 career batting average. Only four players have more hits and more home runs combined than Winfield. 

Winfield's play earned praise and respect from those he faced.

"He was the type of guy a third baseman didn't want to see coming up with the tying run on third base and two outs, because he could hit some of the wickedest ball," said George Brett, a Hall of Famer.

Winfield spent much of his career with the New York Yankees, but was never accepted as a star of the team. Fans seemed to want Winfield to lead the team in the way Ruth, DiMaggio and Mantle had done. However, Winfield's career in New York seemed to parallel that of the other Yankees' slugger, Roger Maris. Often misunderstood and not appreciated by the fans, Winfield hit 263 home runs as a Yankee - ironically the same as Roger Maris. 

His time with the Yankees was marked by an ongoing feud with George Steinbrenner and a continuing battle with the media.

The career timeline for Dave Winfield:

• 1973 -- Two weeks after his selection in the baseball draft, Winfield took the field for the Major League club. Walking straight into professional baseball from his collegiate team, Winfield appeared in 56 games, hitting .277 with 3 home runs and 12 RBI in 141 at-bats.
• 1974 - San Diego (.264, 20 HR, 75 RBI 9 SB).
• 1975 - San Diego (.267, 15 HR, 76 RBI, 23 SB)
• 1976 - San Diego (.283, 13 HR, 69 RBI, 26 SB).
• 1977 - San Diego (.275, 25 HR, 92 RBI, 16 SB)
• 1978 - San Diego (.308, 24 HR, 97 RBI, 21 SB)
• 1979 - San Diego (.308, 34 HR, 118 RBI, 15 SB) Winfield's 118 RBIs and 333 total bases are enough to lead the National League.
• 1980 - San Diego (.276, 20 HR, 87 RBI, 23 SB)
• 1981 - Yankees (.294, 13 HR, 68 RBI, 11 SB) In December 1979, Winfield signs with the New York Yankees as a free agent. Things get off to a bad start with the Yankees when George Steinbrenner realizes that Winfield's contract would cost him $23 million over 10 years instead of $16 million -- thanks to the cost of living increases.  The season began with a 10-week players strike. Once play resumed, Winfield helped to get the Yankees to the World Series, but feel into a slump when he got there. Winfield started out 0 for 15 and collected one hit and one RBI in the 6-game series loss to the Dodgers. Steinbrenner dubbed Winfield "Mr. May."
• 1982 - Yankees (.280, 37 HR, 105 RBI, 5 SB) Winfield wins the first of four consecutive Gold Gloves in the American League. He won two Gold Gloves in the National Leagues.
• 1983 - Yankees (.283, 32 HR, 116 RBI, 15 SB) Winfield's 32 home runs led the American League. In one of the stranger baseball moments, Winfield drew criticism from Canadians and environmental groups after he beaned and killed a seagull between innings in a game in Toronto. Steinbrenner and Winfield continued to argue over payments to Winfield's charitable foundation. 
• 1984 - Yankees (.340, 19 HR, 100 RBI, 6 SB) Following the 1983 season, Steinbrenner contended that Winfield could not hit for average. Winfield shortened his swing and battled teammate Don Mattingly for the AL batting title for much of the season before Mattingly won it on the season's final day. Mattingly finished with .343. During the final game, Winfield was booed by Yankees' fans for attempting to beat fan-favorite Mattingly.
• 1985 - Yankees (.275, 26 HR, 114 RBI, 19 SB)
• 1986 - Yankees (.264, 24 HR, 104 RBI, 6 SB) Winfield became the first Yankees since Joe DiMaggio to drive in 100 runs in five consecutive seasons.
• 1987 - Yankees (.275, 27 HR, 97 RBI, 5 SB)
• 1988 - Yankees (.322, 25 HR, 107 RBI, 9 SB)
• 1989 - Winfield missed the entire season after suffering a back injury that required surgery.
• 1990 - Yankees (.213, 2 HR, 6 RBI in 20 game), traded to California (.275, 19 HR, 72 RBI)  After a slow start in his return from injury, Winfield was sent to the Angels for starting pitcher Mike Witt. Witt was expected to lead the Yankees' pitching staff, but he was nearing the end of his career. Winfield, however, hit 47 home runs over his two seasons with the Angels.
• 1991 - California (.262, 28 HR, 86 RBI, 7 SB)
• 1992 - Toronto (.290, 26 HR, 109 RBI, 2 SB) Winfield signed with the Blue Jays and returned to the city that was the site of his famed seagull incident. In the ALCS, Winfield hits 2 HR against Oakland. In the World Series, he has 5 hits in 22 at-bats with 3 RBI. At 42, Winfield becomes the oldest player to hit a home run in the World Series. His 11th inning double in Game 6 of the series finished off Atlanta and gave the Blue Jays the Championship. Earlier in the game, in the 8th inning, Winfield make a sliding catch of a ball hit by Ron Gant. 
• 1993 - Minnesota (.271, 21 HR, 76 RBI, 2 SB) On September 6, Winfield collects his 3,000th hit. His RBI single brings fellow 2001 HOF inductee Kirby Puckett across the plate. Winfield's 21 home runs set the season record for players over the age of 40.
• 1994 - Minnesota (.252. 10 HR, 43 RBI, 2 SB)
• 1995 - Cleveland (.191, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1 SB in 43 games, suffered a shoulder injury) Winfield retires are 23 seasons with 3,110 hits.
• 2001 - In his first year of eligibility, Winfield is elected to the baseball Hall of Fame.