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- This article is about Tony Gwynn, who played for the San Diego Padres. For his son, who plays for the Milwaukee Brewers, see Tony Gwynn, Jr.
Tony Gwynn
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[[Image:|200px|Tony Gwynn]]
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| Personal Info |
| Birth |
May 9, 1960, Los Angeles, California |
| Professional Career |
| Debut |
July 19, 1982, San Diego Padres vs. Philadelphia Phillies, Jack Murphy Stadium |
| Team(s) |
As Player
San Diego Padres (1982-2001)
|
| Career Highlights |
*All-Star: 1984-87, 1989-1999
- Gold Glove 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991
- Batting title (NL): 1984 (.351), 1987 (.370), 1988 (.313), 1989 (.336), 1994 (.394), 1995 (.368), 1996 (.353), and 1997 (.372)
- Led the league in basehits: 1984 (213), 1986 (211), 1987 (218), 1989 (203), 1994 (165), 1995 (197), and 1997 (220)
- Led the league in runs scored: 1986 (107)
- Career batting average: .338
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Anthony Keith "Tony" Gwynn (born May 9, 1960 in Los Angeles, California) is a former Major League Baseball player often considered one of the best hitters in baseball history. He played his entire career as an outfielder, where he won five Gold Glove Awards. In fact, he never played any position other than outfield until interleague play when he made appearances at designated hitter. It appears certain that he will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible in 2007.
Gwynn was one of the more unique players of his era. Despite the fact that he played much of his career during a time when home runs were at an all-time high and playing a "power position," he was not a home run threat. He never hit more than 17 in any season in his major league career. Instead, Gwynn made a name for himself by being one of the most consistent hitters for contact to ever play. He struck out only 434 times in 9,288 career at-bats, and never hit below .309 in any full season.
He was selected by the Padres in the third round of the 1981 MLB draft (the 58th player chosen overall) and played for the San Diego Padres his entire career (1982-2001). He threw and batted left-handed. His uniform number was #19, which the Padres retired in 2004.
In honor of Tony Gwynn's long service to the San Diego Padres and the community, the address of the Padres' ballpark, PETCO Park, is 19 Tony Gwynn Way.
Tony Gwynn is currently the head coach for his alma mater, the San Diego State University Aztecs, and until recently was a part-time analyst for ESPN. He has recently been recruited as a Yahoo! Sports expert analyst. He often sits in with Matt Vasgersian and Mark Grant (another former Padre) for play-by-play during Padres games on San Diego's Channel 4.
[edit] Career
A graduate of San Diego State University, Gwynn was also a standout point guard on the Aztecs' basketball team, setting a school record for assists. The same day the Padres drafted him, Tony Gwynn was also selected by the-then San Diego Clippers in the 10th round of the National Basketball Association draft.
Tony Gwynn constantly studied his swing, always looking for some way, no matter how minor, to improve his hitting. Surprisingly, though, his bats were relatively small Louisville Slugger (model #B276C) measuring 33 inches and weighing just 30 1/2-ounces, far smaller than those of his contemporary, 5-time American League batting champion Wade Boggs, who used Louisville Slugger's #B439 model. Gwynn began using the smaller bats while playing his first season of professional ball for San Diego's A-level Walla Walla Padres minor league club in 1981 because he was having trouble adapting to wood bats and wanted something of a similar weight to the aluminum bats he used in college.
Even though Gwynn was batting .360 at the time, he felt that the larger bats were hampering him because he had to choke up so far — and he was breaking a lot of bats. The major league clubs were on strike at the time, and the Padres sent their minor league clubs their bats, and Gwynn picked out the smallest ones he could find. They were actually for a first baseman named Mike Ivie. He used those bats despite still having to choke up what he felt was abnormally high; Gwynn simply liked the feel of the handles. Later, he bought several 33 inch, 30 1/2-ounce Little League bats at a Eugene, Oregon sporting goods store. Using his new lumber, Gwynn hit home runs in each of the next five games.
Gwynn joined the Padres in July, 1982 in center field, appearing in 54 games and batting .289. The 1982 season would be the only season in which he would bat below .300.
Gwynn's breakthrough season was 1984, when he hit .351 and won the first batting title of his illustrious career. That season, the Padres won the first National League pennant in team history, defeating the Chicago Cubs in the National League Championship Series before losing the World Series to the Detroit Tigers.
Gwynn was also a good baserunner (319 career steals) prior to gaining some weight in the last years of his career, and proficient with a glove for most of his career, winning five Gold Glove Awards from 1986 to 1991 despite playing much of his career with knee problems. Over time, his left knee became the more troublesome, and Gwynn has had several operations on both to halt the deterioration of the joints. Today, he uses a combination of hot and cold wraps, topical ointments, and medication called Celadrin to give him relief.
Primarily a right fielder, in 1989 Gwynn split time between right field and center fields.
In 1994 Gwynn batted .394; the highest batting average in the National League since Bill Terry hit .401 in 1930 and the highest in the majors since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. Had the season not been shortened by a strike, Gwynn might have become the first batter to eclipse the magical .400 mark in more than 50 years. In the end, he fell 3 hits short of the .400 mark in the shortened season.
In 1997, Gwynn reached career highs with 17 home runs and 119 runs batted in. In 1998, Gwynn batted .321 and helped the Padres win their second pennant, defeating the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves in the playoffs. The Padres lost the World Series to the New York Yankees in a four-game sweep, despite Gwynn's home run in Game 1 and overall batting average of .500 in the Series.
[edit] Achievements and honors
Gwynn is an eight-time National League batting champion, leading the league in 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997, which ties him with the Pittsburgh Pirates' Honus Wagner for the league record — the all-time Major League batting titles leader is Ty Cobb, who won 11 American League batting titles.
Tony Gwynn collecting hit number 3,000 in his career.
He is also a 15-time All-Star, and was voted as a starter by the fans in 11 of the games.
Although he had 135 career home runs, Gwynn accurately described himself as a contact hitter who could hit to all fields. He rarely struck out (just 434 times, once every 21 at-bats) and his goal was to put the ball in play and move baserunners over. He was also an outstanding bunter.
In 1999, while still active as one of baseball's best hitters, he ranked Number 49 on The Sporting News'' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Despite adding to his career statistics for two more seasons until his retirement, when TSN updated their list for 2005, Gwynn had fallen to Number 57.
Gwynn retired in 2001 with a total of 3,141 hits and a lifetime batting average of .338. His career average is the highest among players whose careers began after World War II.[1] He played his entire career with the Padres, a rarity in the 1980s and 1990s, and is considered by many to be the best player to ever wear a Padres jersey. Gwynn becomes eligible for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007. Baseball-Reference.com rates Gwynn at 277 on their Hall of Fame Monitor (prospective hall-of-famers score at least 100), tying him for 13th all-time among batters and the highest among eligible batters not yet in the Hall of Fame. Only Pete Rose (313, ineligible) and Barry Bonds (345, still active) rate higher. [2] Many baseball writers believe he is a dead lock for induction on his first ballot.
Since his retirement, Gwynn has worked as a color commentator for ESPN and is currently the head baseball coach at his alma mater, San Diego State University. In 1997, Smith Stadium, the school's baseball facility, was extensively renovated. Padre owner John Moores financed the estimated USD 4 million project, and at Moores's request, it was renamed Tony Gwynn Stadium. Gwynn currently splits his time between his homes in San Diego and Indianapolis.
Gwynn's brother, Chris, was an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Royals, and San Diego Padres (1987-96) [3].
Gwynn is the father of R&B artist Anisha Nicole and major league outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr., whose major league debut (with the Milwaukee Brewers) and first major league hit on July 19, 2006 came exactly 24 years to the day of his father's first major league hit — also a double [4].
[edit] Career statistics
Red statistics indicate league leader status
| YEAR |
TEAM |
LG |
G |
AB |
R |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
SB |
CS |
BA |
| 1982 |
SD |
N |
54 |
190 |
33 |
55 |
12 |
2 |
1 |
17 |
14 |
16 |
8 |
3 |
.289 |
| 1983 |
SD |
N |
86 |
304 |
34 |
94 |
12 |
2 |
1 |
37 |
23 |
21 |
7 |
4 |
.309 |
| 1984 |
SD |
N |
158 |
606 |
88 |
213 |
21 |
10 |
5 |
71 |
59 |
23 |
33 |
18 |
.351 |
| 1985 |
SD |
N |
154 |
622 |
90 |
197 |
29 |
5 |
6 |
46 |
45 |
33 |
14 |
11 |
.317 |
| 1986 |
SD |
N |
160 |
642 |
107 |
211 |
33 |
7 |
14 |
59 |
52 |
35 |
37 |
9 |
.329 |
| 1987 |
SD |
N |
157 |
589 |
119 |
218 |
36 |
13 |
7 |
54 |
82 |
35 |
56 |
12 |
.370 |
| 1988 |
SD |
N |
133 |
521 |
64 |
163 |
22 |
5 |
7 |
70 |
51 |
40 |
26 |
11 |
.313 |
| 1989 |
SD |
N |
158 |
604 |
82 |
203 |
27 |
7 |
4 |
62 |
56 |
30 |
40 |
16 |
.336 |
| 1990 |
SD |
N |
141 |
573 |
79 |
177 |
29 |
10 |
4 |
72 |
44 |
23 |
17 |
8 |
.309 |
| 1991 |
SD |
N |
134 |
530 |
69 |
168 |
27 |
11 |
4 |
62 |
34 |
19 |
8 |
8 |
.317 |
| 1992 |
SD |
N |
128 |
520 |
77 |
165 |
27 |
3 |
6 |
41 |
46 |
16 |
3 |
6 |
.317 |
| 1993 |
SD |
N |
122 |
489 |
70 |
175 |
41 |
3 |
7 |
59 |
36 |
19 |
14 |
1 |
.358 |
| 1994 |
SD |
N |
110 |
419 |
79 |
165 |
35 |
1 |
12 |
64 |
48 |
19 |
5 |
0 |
.394 |
| 1995 |
SD |
N |
135 |
535 |
82 |
197 |
33 |
1 |
9 |
90 |
35 |
15 |
17 |
5 |
.368 |
| 1996 |
SD |
N |
116 |
451 |
67 |
159 |
27 |
2 |
3 |
50 |
39 |
17 |
11 |
4 |
.353 |
| 1997 |
SD |
N |
149 |
592 |
97 |
220 |
49 |
2 |
17 |
119 |
43 |
28 |
12 |
5 |
.372 |
| 1998 |
SD |
N |
127 |
461 |
65 |
148 |
35 |
0 |
16 |
69 |
35 |
18 |
3 |
1 |
.321 |
| 1999 |
SD |
N |
111 |
411 |
59 |
139 |
27 |
0 |
10 |
62 |
29 |
14 |
7 |
2 |
.338 |
| 2000 |
SD |
N |
36 |
127 |
17 |
41 |
12 |
0 |
1 |
17 |
9 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
.323 |
| 2001 |
SD |
N |
71 |
102 |
5 |
33 |
9 |
1 |
1 |
17 |
10 |
9 |
1 |
0 |
.324 |
|
G |
AB |
R |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
SB |
CS |
BA |
|
| 20 Seasons |
2440 |
9288 |
1383 |
3141 |
543 |
85 |
135 |
1138 |
790 |
434 |
319 |
125 |
.338 |
[edit] Bibliography
- Tony!, Contemporary Books, 1986. ISBN 080925034. (With Jim Geschke.)
- Tony Gwynn's Total Baseball Player, St. Martin's Press, 1992. ISBN 0-312-07097-7. (With Jim Rosenthal, photos by Russ Gilbert.)
- The Art of Hitting, GT Pub., 1998. ISBN 1-57719-347-4. (With Roger Vaughan, foreword by Ted Williams.)
[edit] Related links
- List of major league players with 2,000 hits
- List of NL Gold Glove Winners at Outfield
- List of NL Silver Slugger Winners at Outfield
- Major League Baseball titles leaders
- Major League Baseball titles streaks
- DHL Hometown Heroes
[edit] External links
Preceded by:
Dale Murphy |
National League Player of the Month
April, 1984 |
Succeeded by:
Leon Durham |
Preceded by:
Bill Madlock |
National League Batting Champion
1984 |
Succeeded by:
Willie McGee |
Preceded by:
Eric Davis |
National League Player of the Month
June, 1987 |
Succeeded by:
Bo Diaz |
Preceded by:
Tim Raines |
National League Batting Champion
1987-1989 |
Succeeded by:
Willie McGee |
Preceded by:
Will Clark |
National League Player of the Month
July, 1988 |
Succeeded by:
Eric Davis |
Preceded by:
Fred McGriff |
National League Player of the Month
August, 1993 |
Succeeded by:
Andrés Galarraga |
Preceded by:
Andres Galarraga |
National League Batting Champion
1994-1997 |
Succeeded by:
Larry Walker |
Preceded by:
Larry Walker |
National League Player of the Month
May, 1997 |
Succeeded by:
Mike Piazza |
Preceded by:
Paul Molitor |
Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
1998 |
Succeeded by:
Mark McGwire |
