Jerome Walton | |
---|---|
Center fielder | |
Born: Newnan, Georgia, U.S. | July 8, 1965|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
April 4, 1989, for the Chicago Cubs | |
Last MLB appearance | |
May 6, 1998, for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .269 |
Home runs | 25 |
Runs batted in | 132 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Jerome O'Terrell Walton (born July 8,1965) is an American former Major League Baseball center fielder who played for the Chicago Cubs,California Angels,Cincinnati Reds,Atlanta Braves,Baltimore Orioles,and Tampa Bay Devil Rays,between 1989 and 1998. [1] He batted and threw right-handed. Walton was born in Newnan,Georgia.
He graduated from Newnan High School in Newnan,and went on to attend Enterprise State Junior College. Walton was drafted in the second round (36th overall) of the 1986 Major League Baseball draft by the Chicago Cubs. Walton made his major league debut on April 4,1989,as a Chicago Cub. He was named the 1989 National League Rookie of the Year (the first Cub to be so honored since Ken Hubbs in 1962),playing in 116 games,batting .293 with 24 stolen bases and a 30-game hitting streak. [2]
Walton received votes for the Most Valuable Player Award to go alongside his Rookie of the Year season,finishing 13th. In the 1989 National League Championship Series,he batted .364 with eight hits as the Cubs lost in five games. He played three further seasons with the Cubs for a combined 254 games,where he batted as high as .263 in 1990 and as low as .127 in 1992. He became a free agent after the year and signed with the California Angels for the 1993 season. However,he played just five games for the Angels,going 0-for-2 with a walk,a stolen base,and two runs before being released. He signed with the Cincinnati Reds for the 1994 season,and he batted .309 in 46 games. He then played in 102 games of the following year and batted .290. In the postseason,he made eleven combined plate appearances and walked once while not collecting a hit. He then moved to the Atlanta Braves for the 1996 season,where he played in 37 games while batting .340. One more postseason run came with the Baltimore Orioles in 1997,although he once again did not collect a hit in four total plate appearances. [3] He closed his career out in 1998 by playing twelve total games with the expansion team Tampa Bay Devil Rays,where he had eleven hits before being cut in May.
In a 10-year major league career,Walton compiled a .269 batting average with 25 home runs,132 runs batted in and 58 stolen bases,mostly in a reserve role. While early in his Cub career,Walton's fans used a "Jerome-O-Meter" to track his batting average. The gimmick was a spin-off of the "Shawon-O-Meter," used during Walton's rookie season of 1989 to track the average of Cubs shortstop Shawon Dunston.
Bobby Lee Bonds Sr. was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball from 1968 to 1981. He played for the San Francisco Giants,New York Yankees,California Angels,Chicago White Sox,Texas Rangers,Cleveland Indians,St. Louis Cardinals,and Chicago Cubs.
Richard Lee Sutcliffe,nicknamed "the Red Baron",is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers,Cleveland Indians,Chicago Cubs,Baltimore Orioles,and St. Louis Cardinals between 1976 and 1994. Sutcliffe is currently a broadcaster for ESPN and Marquee Sports Network.
Fredric Michael Lynn is an American former professional baseball center fielder who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB),mostly with the Boston Red Sox and the California Angels. He was the first player to win MLB's Rookie of the Year Award and Most Valuable Player Award in the same year,which he accomplished in 1975 with the Red Sox.
Don Edward Baylor,nicknamed "Groove," was an American professional baseball player,coach and manager. During his 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB),Baylor was a power hitter known for standing very close to home plate and was a first baseman,left fielder,and designated hitter. He played for six different American League (AL) teams,primarily the Baltimore Orioles and California Angels,but he also played for the Oakland Athletics,New York Yankees,Minnesota Twins,and Boston Red Sox. In 1979,Baylor was an All-Star and won the AL Most Valuable Player Award. He won three Silver Slugger Awards,the Roberto Clemente Award,and was a member of the 1987 World Series champion Minnesota Twins.
Lawrence Robert Bowa is an American former professional baseball shortstop,manager,and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB),who played for the Philadelphia Phillies,Chicago Cubs,and New York Mets. Bowa went on to manage the San Diego Padres and Phillies,and is currently a senior advisor to the general manager of the Phillies.
Gary Joseph Gaetti,is an American former third baseman in Major League Baseball for the Minnesota Twins (1981–1990),California Angels (1991–1993),Kansas City Royals (1993–1995),St. Louis Cardinals (1996–1998),Chicago Cubs (1998–1999) and Boston Red Sox (2000).
Andre Nolan Dawson,nicknamed "the Hawk" and "Awesome Dawson",is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for four different teams as a center and right fielder,spending most of his career with the Montreal Expos and Chicago Cubs.
Shawon Donnell Dunston is an American former professional baseball player. A shortstop,Dunston played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1985 through 2002. On January 13,2023,he was selected as a member of the 2023 class of the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame.
Kenneth Lofton is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. Lofton was a six-time All-Star (1994–1999),four-time Gold Glove Award winner (1993–1996),and at retirement,was ranked 15th among all-time stolen base leaders with 622. During his career,he played for the Houston Astros,Cleveland Indians,Atlanta Braves,Chicago White Sox,San Francisco Giants,Pittsburgh Pirates,Chicago Cubs,New York Yankees,Philadelphia Phillies,Los Angeles Dodgers,and Texas Rangers.
Derrek Leon Lee,nicknamed "D-Lee",is an American former professional baseball first baseman. Lee played with the San Diego Padres,Florida Marlins,Chicago Cubs,Atlanta Braves,Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Donald Alvin Buford is an American former professional baseball player scout,coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 1963 through 1972,most notably as the leadoff hitter for the Baltimore Orioles dynasty that won three consecutive American League pennants from 1969 to 1971 and,won the World Series in 1970. He also played for the Chicago White Sox and played in the Nippon Professional Baseball league from 1973 to 1976. Buford also played as an infielder and was a switch hitter who threw right-handed. In 1993,Buford was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame.
The 1989 National League Championship Series was played between the National League West champion San Francisco Giants and the National League East champion Chicago Cubs. The Giants won the series four games to one,en route to losing to the Oakland Athletics in four games in the 1989 World Series.
John Dwight Smith Sr. was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for four teams from 1989 to 1996,primarily the Chicago Cubs.
The 1986 Chicago Cubs season was the 115th season of the Chicago Cubs franchise,the 111th in the National League and the 71st at Wrigley Field. The Cubs finished fifth in the National League East with a record of 70–90.
The 1991 Chicago Cubs season was the 120th season of the Chicago Cubs franchise,the 116th in the National League and the 76th at Wrigley Field. The Cubs finished fourth in the National League East with a record of 77–83.
Sean John Rodriguez is an American former professional baseball utility player who is currently a player development instructor for the Philadelphia Phillies. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels,Tampa Bay Rays,Pittsburgh Pirates,Atlanta Braves,Philadelphia Phillies and Miami Marlins. Rodriguez was drafted out of high school by the Angels in the third round of the 2003 Major League Baseball draft. He made his major league debut in 2008. While he played more second base than any other position,Rodriguez played at every position in his MLB career except for catcher.
William Dexter Fowler is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies,Houston Astros,Chicago Cubs,St. Louis Cardinals,and Los Angeles Angels. He participated in the 2008 Summer Olympics as a member of the United States national baseball team and won the World Series with the Cubs in 2016. He led all MLB players with 72 triples during the 2010s.
Jonathan Rafael Villar Roque is a Dominican professional baseball second baseman for the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna of the Mexican League. He has previously played in MLB for the Houston Astros,Milwaukee Brewers,Baltimore Orioles,Miami Marlins,Toronto Blue Jays,New York Mets,Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Angels. Prior to 2017,Villar was primarily a shortstop.
Quintin Lonell Berry is an American former professional baseball outfielder who is the third base coach for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers,Boston Red Sox,Baltimore Orioles,Chicago Cubs,and Milwaukee Brewers.
Christopher Rafael Morel is a Dominican professional baseball utility player for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago Cubs. Morel signed with the Cubs as an international free agent in 2015,and made his MLB debut with them in 2022.