Willie Randolph

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Willie Randolph
Second baseman / Manager
Born: July 6, 1954 (1954-07-06) (age 53) Holly Hill, South Carolina
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 29, 1975 for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Final game
October 4, 1992 for the New York Mets
Career statistics
Batting average	.276
Hits	2,210
Stolen bases	271
Teams
As Player Pittsburgh Pirates (1975) New York Yankees (1976-1988) Los Angeles Dodgers (1989-1990) Oakland Athletics (1990) Milwaukee Brewers (1991) New York Mets (1992) As Manager New York Mets (2005-present)
Career highlights and awards
6x All-Star selection (1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1987, 1989) 2x World Series champion (1977, 1978) Silver Slugger Award winner (1980)

Willie Larry Randolph (born July 6, 1954, in Holly Hill, South Carolina) is the manager of the New York Mets in Major League Baseball and former player for the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers, and New York Mets.

[edit] Playing career

Randolph was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 7th round of the 1972 draft. He made his major league debut in 1975, and was at age 20 the 6th youngest player in the NL.

In December 1975 he was traded by the Pirates with Ken Brett and Dock Ellis to the New York Yankees for Doc Medich.

Randolph spent 13 of his 18 seasons as a player with the New York Yankees, and also played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers and finished his career with the New York Mets. He was selected to six All-Star games over his career. He was known as a top lead-off man, a skilled bunter, and a patient hitter who drew more than 80 walks seven times.

Randolph was also an outstanding defensive player, known especially for his ability to turn the double play. However, he never received the Gold Glove, which was perennially awarded to his more acrobatic contemporaries Frank White of the Kansas City Royals and Lou Whitaker of the Detroit Tigers. He was the Yankees' starting second baseman from 1976-88 and was a member of the 1977 and 1978 World Championship teams.

In 1980 Randolph led the league in walks (119) and was 2nd in the AL in on base percentage (.427), 8th in stolen bases (30), 9th in runs (99), and won the Silver Slugger award at second base in the AL. He also batted .332 leading off the inning, and .340 with men in scoring position.

In 1987 he batted .305 and led the league in at bats per strikeout (18.0), and was 4th in the AL in OBP (.411) and 9th in walks (82). He also batted .366 in tie games, and .345 in games that were late and close.

In December 1988 he signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In May 1990 he was traded by the Dodgers to the Oakland Athletics for Stan Javier.

In April 1991 he signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Brewers.

In 1991 Randolph was 2nd in the AL on base percentage (.424) and 3rd in batting average (.327). He batted .373 with runners in scoring position.

In December 1991 he signed as a free agent with the New York Mets. In 1992, at 37 years old he was the 8th oldest player in the NL.

In his last career game with the Mets, lifelong second base player Jeff Kent moved to what has been his only career start at shortstop to allow Randolph to play his final game at second base.

[edit] Coaching and managing career

Randolph was a Yankees base and bench coach for 11 seasons, interviewing intermittently for managing jobs with other teams. In 2004, Randolph was named Mets manager for the 2005 season, despite never having managed before at any level of baseball. He became the eighth person to play for and later manage the Mets, joining Gil Hodges, Yogi Berra, Joe Torre, Bud Harrelson, Roy McMillan, Dallas Green, and Bobby Valentine (as well as interim manager Mike Cubbage) ^[1]. Randolph earned his first win as a manager on April 10, 2005, defeating the Atlanta Braves 6-1. ^[2] The win halted a five-game losing streak to start the 2005 season. He then guided the Mets to five straight victories, giving the Mets their first six-game winning streak since August 2003. Randolph ended his first season as manager of the 2005 Mets with an 83-79 record, the first time the franchise had finished above .500 since 2001, and 15 games better than the prior season. That record got them a tie for third place in the National League East.

In 2006, Randolph managed the Mets to a league-best 97-65 record (which also tied for the majors-best record with the crosstown Yankees) and the NL East Division title (the team's first division championship since 1988). The Mets came within one game of reaching the World Series, losing the seventh game of the NLCS to the eventual world-champion St. Louis Cardinals. Randolph is the first manager in major league history to have his team's record improve by at least 12 games in each of his first two seasons (excluding seasons following strike-shortened seasons). He came in second place in the 2006 NL Manager of the Year voting, losing to Florida Marlins manager Joe Girardi. On January 24 2007, Randolph signed a three year, $5.65 million contract extension with the Mets. He has a club option for 2010 worth an additional $2.5 million.^[3]

In 2007, Randolph was managing the Mets when they had one of the worst collapses in Major League Baseball history. Holding a seven game first place lead in the NL East with only 17 games to play, the Mets finished 5-12 and lost the division to the Philadelphia Phillies, who went 13-4 in the same time span. ^[4]

[edit] Personal

Randolph currently resides in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey with his wife. He has four grown children.

Randolph delivered the Commencement Address to Fordham University's 2007 graduating class, of which his daughter was a member. That same day he managed the second game in a three game series against the New York Yankees.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Managerial record

[edit] See also

• List of major league players with 2,000 hits
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
• List of Major League Baseball managers in 2006
• List of Major League Baseball managers in 2007
• List of Major League Baseball managers in 2008

[edit] References

1. ^ New York Mets Team History & Encyclopedia - Baseball-Reference.com.
2. ^ 2005 New York Mets Schedule, Box Scores and Splits - Baseball-Reference.com.
3. ^ ESPN - Randolph agrees to $5.65 million, three-year deal - MLB.
4. ^ Mets Complete Stunning Collapse –NY Times.

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference(as player)
• Retrosheet
• Profile of Willie Randolph in The New York Observer