John Vander Wal | |
---|---|
Outfielder / First baseman | |
Born: Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. | April 29, 1966|
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
MLB debut | |
September 6, 1991, for the Montreal Expos | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 27, 2004, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .261 |
Home runs | 97 |
Runs batted in | 430 |
Teams | |
John Henry Vander Wal (born April 29,1966) is an American former Major League Baseball left-handed hitter who played outfield and first base for eight different teams over 14 seasons.
Vander Wal grew up in Hudsonville,Michigan and graduated from Hudsonville High School in Hudsonville. He was drafted in the 8th round of the 1984 Major League Baseball Draft by the Houston Astros. He did not sign with Houston,and instead attended Western Michigan University. [1] He was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the third round of the 1987 Major League Baseball Draft. [2]
Vander Wal made his major league debut with the Expos on September 6,1991,and finished his first season with 13 hits in 61 at-bats for a .213 batting average.
Vander Wal played two more seasons in Montreal before moving on to the Colorado Rockies in 1994,where he would spend all of four seasons and part of another,although he never recorded more than 151 at-bats or appeared in 105 games in any of those seasons. On August 31,1998,he was traded to the San Diego Padres for a PTBNL. He went on to appear in the World Series with the Padres,recording two hits in five at-bats.
Vander Wal spent 1999 in San Diego before moving on to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 2000 trade that brought Al Martin to the Padres. While playing for the Pirates,he posted his best season,appearing in 134 games,and batting .299 with 24 home runs and 94 RBI. In 2001,Vander Wal was traded to the San Francisco Giants,who later traded him to the New York Yankees for Jay Witasick. Vander Wal was a part-time performer for the Yankees in 2002,before moving on to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2003,and the Cincinnati Reds in 2004,where he recorded just 6 hits in 51 at-bats for a .118 average.
Vander Wal played 14 seasons in the major leagues. 13 of these seasons were with National League clubs,where the pinch hitter was a much more widely used tactic prior to adoption of the designated hitter.
In 1372 games over 14 seasons,Vander Wal posted a .261 batting average (717-for-2751) with 374 runs,170 doubles,18 triples,97 home runs,430 RBI,38 stolen bases,385 bases on balls,.351 on-base percentage and .441 slugging percentage. He finished his career with a .987 fielding percentage playing at right and left field and first base. In 16 postseason games,he hit .286 (6-for-21) with 2 runs,1 double,1 triple,1 home run and 4 RBI.
On February 10,2009,Vander Wal was named a scout for the San Diego Padres [3] and held that position until 2016. [4]
Vander Wal holds the modern Major League Baseball single-season record for pinch hits,with 28 in 1995 while playing for the Colorado Rockies. [5] In 2017,Ichiro Suzuki almost equaled Vander Wal's record,but finished with 27 pinch-hits. In his career,Vander Wal contributed 129 pinch hits,which is one of the highest totals of the modern era,behind Lenny Harris' 212.
Vander Wal was inducted into the Western Michigan University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003.
Christopher Karlton Gwynn is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is the younger brother of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn and the uncle of former Major League Baseball outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr.
Eric Christian Valent,is an American former professional baseball outfielder,who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies,Cincinnati Reds,and New York Mets. Valent is currently the National Cross Checker in the Miami Marlins organization.
Leon Joseph "Bip" Roberts is an American former Major League Baseball second baseman and outfielder who played from 1986 to 1998 for the San Diego Padres,Cincinnati Reds,Kansas City Royals,Cleveland Indians,Detroit Tigers,and Oakland Athletics.
Brian James Buchanan is an American former professional baseball outfielder and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2000 through 2004 for the Minnesota Twins,San Diego Padres,and the New York Mets,and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in 2007.
Gary Lynn Sutherland,nicknamed "Sudsy",is an American former professional baseball middle infielder. He played college baseball at the University of Southern California and later played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB),from 1966 to 1978.
Chase Jordan Headley is an American former professional baseball third baseman. A switch-hitter,Headley made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the San Diego Padres in 2007,and also played for the New York Yankees.
The Colorado Rockies' 1999 season was the seventh for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located in Denver,Colorado,their seventh in the National League (NL),and fifth at Coors Field. The team competed in the National League West,finishing in fifth and last place with a record of 72–90. Jim Leyland,a longtime manager in MLB,debuted as the Rockies' new manager,and resigned following the season.
The 1954 St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 73rd season in St. Louis,Missouri and its 63rd season in the National League. The Cardinals went 72–82 during the season and finished sixth in the National League.
JoséManuel Morales Hernández is a former designated hitter in Major League Baseball who played for five different teams between 1973 and 1984. Listed at 5' 11",187 lb.,Morales batted and threw right-handed.
Michael Lewis Vail is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder.
The 1993 Montreal Expos season was the 25th season of the franchise. The Expos finished in second place in the National League East,with a record of 94 wins and 68 losses,three games behind the National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies.
The 1999 San Diego Padres season was the 31st season in franchise history. They finished fourth in the National League West. They had lost several key players after their 1998 pennant-winning season,most notably pitching ace Kevin Brown.
The 2000 San Diego Padres season was the 32nd season in franchise history.
The 1982 San Diego Padres season was the 14th in franchise history. The Padres finished with a record of 81 wins and 81 losses (.500),good for fourth place in the National League West,eight games behind the division champion Atlanta Braves.
The 1993 San Diego Padres season was the 25th season in franchise history.
The 1969 San Diego Padres season was the inaugural season in franchise history. They joined the National League along with the Montreal Expos via the 1969 Major League Baseball expansion. In their inaugural season,the Padres went 52–110,finishing last in the newly created National League West,41 games behind the division champion Atlanta Braves. The Padres finished last in the majors as a team in runs scored (468),hits (1,203) and batting average (225).
The 1977 San Diego Padres season was the ninth season in franchise history.
The 1980 San Diego Padres season was the 12th season in franchise history.
Yonder Alonso is a Cuban former professional baseball first baseman and current MLB Network analyst. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds,San Diego Padres,Oakland Athletics,Seattle Mariners,Cleveland Indians,Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies. Prior to entering the major leagues,he played college baseball at the University of Miami.
Greg Joseph Garcia is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres.