Vada Pinson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vada Edward Pinson, Jr. (August 11, 1936 Memphis, Tennessee - October 21, 1995, Oakland, California) was an American center fielder and coach in Major League Baseball. Pinson played in the major leagues for 18 years, from 1958 through 1975, and his greatest seasons were with the Cincinnati Redlegs and Reds, for whom he played from 1958-68.
Pinson combined power, speed and defensive ability. As a Red, Pinson twice led the National League in hits (1961, 1963), doubles (1959, 1960), and triples (1963, 1967). He batted .343 in 1961, when the Reds won the NL pennant, but mustered only a .091 (2 for 22) average in the 1961 World Series, which Cincinnati lost to the New York Yankees in five games.
Pinson—who batted and threw lefthanded—was primarily a center fielder. He appeared in 2,469 games for the Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians, California Angels, and Kansas City Royals, notching 2,757 hits and finishing with a career batting average of .286, with 256 home runs and 305 stolen bases. Highly respected throughout the game, he was a coach for the Seattle Mariners, Detroit Tigers and Florida Marlins after his playing days ended.
Pinson died of a stroke in 1995. He was a graduate of Oakland's famed McClymonds High School, attended by Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Frank Robinson (a Pinson teammate in the major leagues for nine years) and Basketball Hall of Fame center Bill Russell.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
- Baseball Hall of Fame candidate profile
- Vada Pinson Photographs in the Western Historical Manuscript Collection at the University of Missouri-St. Louis
- Vada Pinson - Article suggesting Pinson should be in the Hall of Fame.
Categories: 1938 births | 1995 deaths | Major league center fielders | Cincinnati Redlegs players | Cincinnati Reds players | St. Louis Cardinals players | Cleveland Indians players | California Angels players | Kansas City Royals players | National League All-Stars | Major league players from Tennessee | Gold Glove Award winners | People from Oakland, California
