Andre Dawson
From Sports Library
| Andre Nolan Dawson | ||
|---|---|---|
| Right Field and Center Field | ||
| Born: July 7, 1954 | ||
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | ||
| September 11, 1976 for the Montreal Expos | ||
| Final game | ||
| September 29, 1996 for the Florida Marlins | ||
| Career statistics | ||
| Home Runs | 438 | |
| Stolen Bases | 314 | |
| Hits | 2774 | |
| Teams | ||
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| Career highlights and awards | ||
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Andre Nolan Dawson (born July 10, 1954, Miami, Florida) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. In 1975 he was drafted by the Montreal Expos, and he made his major-league debut on September 11, 1976. In 1977, he hit .282, with 19 homers and 65 RBI, and was named NL Rookie of the Year.
Dawson, whose nickname was "The Hawk", played 1443 games with the Expos, 4th highest in franchise history. As an Expo, Dawson set single-season club records for home runs (32, now 7th), RBI (113, now 4th), Extra Base Hits (78, now 7th), and Sacrifice Flies (18, still 1st). He still holds the Expos' career record for Sacrifice Flies (71), and is the only player to hit 200 home runs and steal 200 bases with Montreal.
Contents |
Career
Montreal Years
Dawson was drafted in 1975, and played in 24 major league games in 1976. His stardom rose in 1977 when he became an everyday outfielder for the Expos, and batted .282 with 19 home runs and 21 stolen bases. He was awarded the 1977 Rookie of the Year in the National League, narrowly beating out Steve Henderson of the New York Mets. Dawson had a blend of power and speed, hitting at least 20 home runs in his seven seasons with the Expos, and stealing at least 20 bases in seven seasons. Dawson, playing primarily center field for the Expos, also became an excellent defensive player, gaining his first of eight Gold Glove awards in 1980. Based on his all-around excellence, Dawson was second in the National League MVP voting in 1981 (winner was Mike Schmidt) and second again in 1983 (winner was Dale Murphy).
Chicago Years
He played for the Expos until after the 1986 season, when he took a pay cut to sign with the Chicago Cubs. Dawson's knee injuries were aggravated by playing on artificial turf in Montreal, and he hoped playing home games on grass at Wrigley Field would prolong his career. Dawson had campaigned for the Cubs to sign him during the offseason, but general manager Dallas Green resisted, insisting that the Cubs would start Brian Dayett in right field (Dawson had moved from center field to right field in his final two seasons as an Expo, due to the condition of his knees), and that one player could not make a 71-91 team a 91-71 team . When the Cubs opened camp in Mesa, Arizona that spring, Dawson and his agent Dick Moss arrived in an attempt to secure a contract with the Cubs. Dawson and Moss' stunt was derided as a "dog and pony show" by Green, who still wouldn't make an offer to Dawson. Two weeks into spring training, Dawson turned the tables on Green and the Cubs, presenting Green with a blank contract. Green filled in the contract with lean figures: a $500,000 base salary with $250,000 in incentives if Dawson made the All-Star team, started the All-Star Game, and won the National League MVP award.
He did all three, enjoying one of his finest seasons in 1987 in terms of raw statistics.[1] He became the Cubs' starting right-fielder, and hit 49 home runs and was named NL MVP. It was his first MVP award, as he was twice first runner up for MVP with Montreal, in 1981 and 1983. Dawson wasn't able to turn around the Cubs' fortunes: although the Cubs contended for the first half of the season and were even in first place in early May, they finished in last place (76-85) in the National League East.
Dawson played five more seasons with the Cubs, and was one of the franchise's most popular players during that time. His worst individual season came in 1989, but he missed nearly six weeks in the middle of the season due to arthroscopic knee surgery. However, he was playing right field at Olympic Stadium the night the Cubs clinched the National League East title. Dawson slumped during the National League Championship Series, hitting .105 as the San Francisco Giants beat the Cubs 4 games to 1.
Dawson made the All-Star team his first five seasons with the Cubs. In 1991, he hit a solo home run off of Boston's Roger Clemens at SkyDome.
In 1992, Dawson's skills began to show signs of decline, and the Cubs sent signals throughout the second half of the year that they were not interested in re-signing him. He and reigning Cy Young Award winner Greg Maddux departed at the end of the season via free agency.
His .507 career slugging percentage with the Cubs is 4th highest in Cubs history.
Boston and Florida Years / Career accomplishments
Dawson also played for the Boston Red Sox, and the Florida Marlins before retiring with 2774 hits, 438 home runs, 314 Stolen Bases, and 1591 RBI. He is 29th on the all-time Home Run list, and 28th on the all-time RBI list. He is one of only six players in major league history to record over 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases in his career (300-300 club). The other players to accomplish this are Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Bobby Bonds, Reggie Sanders and Steve Finley. Dawson is also one of only 3 members of the 400 HR-300 SB club, joining Barry Bonds and Willie Mays.
Dawson continues to serve the Marlins as assistant to the general manager. In a bitter twist of fate, he was celebrating with the Marlins in the visiting Wrigley Field locker room following the club's victory of the Cubs in the 2003 NLCS.
Hall of Fame Candidacy
In the 2006 BBWAA Hall of Fame Ballot, Dawson's name appeared on 61.0% of the ballots cast, up from 52.3% in the previous year, falling short of the required 75% [1] [2]. However, in the 2007 election, he received 56.7%, a slight decrease from 2006, but still an improvement from 2005.
The major negatives against Dawson's election to the Hall of Fame are his career .323 OBP, average for MLB players, and that his raw statistics in Chicago are less impressive after accounting for his playing time in Wrigley Field, a favorable hitter's environment (James 1988, 2001).
Former teammate Ryne Sandberg campaigned for Dawson's induction during his speech at his own Hall of Fame induction ceremony, "No player in baseball history worked harder, suffered more or did it better than Andre Dawson," Sandberg said of the rifle-armed outfielder known as "The Hawk". "He's the best I've ever seen". "I watched him win an MVP for a last-place team in 1987 [with the Cubs], and it was the most unbelievable thing I've ever seen in baseball," Sandberg said. "He did it the right way, the natural way, and he did it in the field and on the bases and in every way, and I hope he will stand up here someday."
See also
References
- Bill, James (1988). The Bill James Baseball Abstract. Ballantine Books / Random House.
- Bill, James (2001). The new Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. The Free Press / Simon & Shuster.
- ↑ Note that Bill James considers Dawson's best years to be from 1979-1983, with his higher Chicago numbers being due to Wrigley Field's advantageous environment for hitters (James 2001).
External links
- Baseball Hall of Fame website; results of 2006 BBWAA vote
- Baseball Hall of Fame website; annual voting results for André Dawson
- ESPN website; Phil Rogers, December 30, 2005
- Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
- The Baseball Page
- Baseball Library
- MLB website; Dawson's skills were rare combination - Credentials, teammates speak favorably toward Hall induction
- Dawson's entry on Wikipedia
| Preceded by Butch Metzger Pat Zachry |
National League Rookie of the Year 1977 |
Succeeded by Bob Horner |
| Preceded by Darrell Evans |
National League Player of the Month June 1983 |
Succeeded by Dusty Baker |
| Preceded by Bo Diaz |
National League Player of the Month August 1987 |
Succeeded by Darryl Strawberry |
| Preceded by Mike Schmidt |
National League Home Run Champion 1987 |
Succeeded by Darryl Strawberry |
| Preceded by Mike Schmidt |
National League RBI Champion 1987 |
Succeeded by Will Clark |
| Preceded by Mike Schmidt |
National League Most Valuable Player 1987 |
Succeeded by Kirk Gibson |
| Preceded by Wally Joyner Darryl Strawberry |
Home Run Derby Champion 1987 |
Succeeded by Eric Davis |
| Preceded by Bobby Bonilla |
National League Player of the Month May 1990 |
Succeeded by Ryne Sandberg |
| 1989 National League East Champion Chicago Cubs Starting Lineup: 1. Jerome Walton CF | 2. Ryne Sandberg 2B | 3. Andre Dawson RF | 4. Mark Grace 1B | 5. Dwight Smith/Lloyd McClendon LF | 6. Luis Salazar/Vance Law 3B | 7. Shawon Dunston SS | 8. Joe Girardi/Damon Berryhill/Rick Wrona C Starting Pitchers: Greg Maddux | Mike Bielecki | Rick Sutcliffe | Scott Sanderson | Paul Kilgus |
Categories: Major league right fielders | Boston Red Sox players | Chicago Cubs players | Florida Marlins players | Montreal Expos players | National League All-Stars | National League home run champions | National League RBI champions | Gold Glove Award winners | Baseball Rookies of the Year | Baseball players who have hit for the cycle | Major league players from Florida | African American baseball players | Florida A&M University alumni | 1954 births | Living people
