AL MVP, Yankee slugger Baylor dead at age 68
Don Baylor, the former Yankees slugger, Mets coach and the 1979 American League MVP with the California Angels, died Monday in his hometown of Austin, Texas, from cancer. He was 68.
“Don passed from this earth with the same fierce dignity with which he played the game and lived his life,” his wife, Rebecca, said in a statement.
Baylor played 19 years in the majors from 1970-88, with Baltimore, Oakland, California, the Yankees, Boston and Minnesota, totaling 338 home runs in his one-time All-Star career. In 1979, he was the AL MVP, leading the majors in RBIs (139) and runs (120) in leading the Angels to an AL West crown before they fell to Baltimore in the ALCS.
“Don used power and speed to earn American League MVP honors with the Angels in 1979 and contributed to three straight pennant winners in a great 19-year major league career,” commissioner Rob Manfred said.
Baylor played for the Yankees from 1983-85 and faced the Mets in the 1986 World Series as a member of the Red Sox. He won the World Series with the Twins in 1987, but is perhaps best remembered for how often he was hit by pitches. When he retired, his 267 plunkings was a major league record.
After his playing career, Baylor was the Rockies manager from 1993-98, a span that included the franchise’s first playoff appearance, in 1995.
Baylor was the Cubs skipper from 2000-02, finishing his managerial career with a 627-689 mark.
He was the Mets’ bench coach from 2003-04, when he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. He continued coaching, however, and was the Angels hitting coach as recently as 2015.
After being diagnosed, he partnered with former Yankees pitcher and coach Mel Stottlemyre to increase awareness and research into the disease.