Don Baylor
| Birthdate | 6/28/1949 |
| Death Date | 8/7/2017 |
| Debut Year | 1970 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Angels, Astros, Cubs, Orioles, Red Sox, Rockies, Twins, Yankees |
| Positions | Designated Hitter, First Base, Left Field, Manager |
The 1979 AL MVP, Don Baylor had 2,135 hits & 338 homers in his 19-year playing career; when he retired he held the post-1900 record for HBP.
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Don Baylor's association with professional baseball started when he was 17; he remained in the game the rest of his life
Don Baylor's association with professional baseball started when he was 17; he remained in the game the rest of his life
Don Baylor was 17 years old when the Baltimore Orioles selected him in the second round of the 1967 draft. From that moment on, his life was spent in professional baseball.
After rapidly ascending through the minor leagues, Baylor made his big league debut in 1970. He enjoyed a productive 19-year big league career highlighted by the 1979 AL MVP Award, seven years in the postseason, and a World Series championship 8 years later with the Twins.
By the time he retired as a player, Baylor totaled 2,135 hits, 338 homers, 1,276 RBI, and 285 stolen bases. After hanging up his cleats, Baylor became a hitting coach and eventually the first manager in the history of the Colorado Rockies.
The 1995 Manager of they Year with Colorado, Baylor also managed the Cubs from 2000-2002. It is in that capacity that he signed this lineup card on August 18, 2000. It was a game to remember. Curt Schilling of the Diamondbacks handled Baylor’s Chicago squad in a complete game effort that resulted in an 11-2 Arizona victory.
Both Cubs runs came courtesy of Sammy Sosa who slammed a pair of solo homers. His first bomb helped him pass Rocky Colavito on the all time list while he second tied him with Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk.
Baylor was diagnosed with a cancer in the plasma cells called multiple myeloma in 2003. Despite this, he continued coaching at the major league level in a variety of roles. Baylor succumbed to the disease on August 7, 2017, at the age of 68.
