Don Baylor, Class of 1967
Don Baylor, the former Major League Baseball power hitter who won a World Series championship in 1987 with the Minnesota Twins and went on to manage the Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs, died Monday, Aug. 7, 2017, of cancer in his native Austin, Texas. He was 68.
Baylor had multiple myeloma, or blood cancer, according to multiple news sources.
Baylor played for the Baltimore Orioles, California Angels, and four other AL clubs: the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, and Boston Red Sox.
When the Rockies were added to the MLB along with the Florida (now Miami) Marlins during the 1993 expansion, Baylor was hired as the manager. He managed the Rockies until 1998. In 2000, he managed the Cubs for three seasons.
Donald Edward Baylor was born June 28, 1949. He played baseball and football in high school. Baseball won out.
The Orioles drafted Baylor as a second-round pick in the 1967 draft. He made his MLB debut Sept. 18, 1970, with the team. After playing for the Orioles until 1975, the outfielder was traded to the Oakland Athletics before the 1976 season.
Baylor entered free agency in 1977, signing with the Angels, where he played until 1982. He went on to play for the Yankees from 1983 to 1985, the Red Sox from 1986-to 1987, the Twins for a season in 1987, and back with the Athletics in 1988 before retiring as a player.
Baylor won a World Series ring in 1987 when he was with the Twins. He hit a home run and had three RBI during the Series.
Baylor was named an All-Star in 1979. The left fielder’s prowess as a plate-crowding power hitter earned him the Silver Slugger Award three times, in 1983, 1985, and 1986.
The Yankees shared the team’s condolences via social media.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of former Yankee Don Baylor,” the team tweeted. “He was a great man & we send our thoughts to his family & friends.” The post was accompanied by a photograph of Baylor from his playing days.
The Cubs also mourned Baylor’s death and sent condolences via Twitter “to his family and friends.”
Former Oriole player Ken Singleton tweeted, “Very sad last few days as baseball loses 2 strong leaders of the past, Darren Daulton & Don Baylor. Two old school tough baseball players.”
Daulton, the former Philadelphia Phillies legend who won the World Series in 1997 with the Marlins, died Sunday. He, too, had cancer.