David S. Collins(born October 20, 1952) is an American formeroutfielderinMajor League Baseballfrom1975to1990.
| Dave Collins | |
|---|---|
| Outfielder | |
| Born:October 20, 1952 Rapid City, South Dakota,U.S. | |
Batted:Switch Threw:Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 7, 1975, for the California Angels | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 3, 1990, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .272 |
| Home runs | 32 |
| Runs batted in | 373 |
| Stolen bases | 395 |
| StatsatBaseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
As player
As coach | |
Collins is one of three players to have made it to the major leagues who played for the Rapid City Post 22American Legion baseballprogram inRapid City, South Dakota.The other two areKelvin TorveandMark Ellis.All three were graduates ofStevens High Schoolin Rapid City.[1]Collins currently holds the Toronto Blue Jays single season stolen base record with 60 steals in 1984.
Playing career
editMinor leagues
editCollins was drafted by theCalifornia Angelsin the first round of the1972 Major League Baseball Draftout ofMesa Community College.Collins made his professional debut with the AngelsRookie ballteam inIdaho Fallsand moved up through the Angelsfarm system,with stops inSingle-AQuad CityandSalinas,Double-AEl PasoandTriple-ASalt Lake City.[2]Collins was dubbed the "fastest white man in baseball" because he ran the100-yard dashin 9.6 seconds and had highstolen basetotals.[3][4]
California Angels
editCollins made his major league debut for the Angels on June 7, 1975, playingleft fieldand battingleadoff,against theMilwaukee Brewers.[5]Collins recorded his first careerhitthe following day against Brewers pitcherTom Murphy.[6]
Seattle Mariners
editAfter two seasons as autility playerand reserve outfielder with the Angels, Collins was selected by theSeattle Marinerswith the 14th pick in the1976 Major League Baseball expansion draft.[7]Collins was the first batter for the Mariners in their first game, and he scored the franchise's first run two days later.[8]Hehit.239 for the season, leading the Mariners with 25 stolen bases and 10 timescaught stealing.[9]
Cincinnati Reds
editAfter that 1977 season, the Mariners traded Collins to theCincinnati Redsfor pitcherShane Rawley.Collins spent the next four seasons with the Reds. Collins hit.318 in 1979 and.303 in 1980 (8th in National League) and also scored 94 runs (7th in National League) and stole 79 bases (3rd in National League).
New York Yankees
editCollins was signed by theNew York Yankeesas a free agent prior to the 1982 season.
Toronto Blue Jays
editCollins was traded by the Yankees, along withMike Morgan,Fred McGriffand cash to theToronto Blue Jaysin 1983 forTom DoddandDale Murray.Collins hit.271 and.308 in his two seasons in Toronto, and currently holds theBlue Jays single season stolen base recordwith 60 steals in 1984. Collins also led theAmerican Leaguewith 15 triples hit in 1984.
Oakland A's
editCollins was traded in December 1984 by the Blue Jays, along withAlfredo Griffinand cash, to theOakland Athletics,in exchange forBill Caudill.Collins hit.251 in 112 games for Oakland during the 1985 season.
Detroit Tigers
editCollins was then traded to theDetroit TigersforBárbaro Garbeyin November 1985. As a part-time outfielder with Detroit, Collins hit.270 and stole 27 bases.
Montreal Expos
editPicked up by theMontreal Exposas a free agent after the season, Collins was cut during spring training.
Cincinnati Reds
editCollins was signed by theCincinnati Reds,with whom he had previously had the most success. Used as a fourth outfielder/pinch hitter by the Reds, Collins found some success, hitting.294 in 1987, but his average dropped to.236 in 1988. In 1989, he was released.
St. Louis Cardinals
editCollins' last season was in 1990, with theSt. Louis Cardinals,batting.224 in 99 games as a first baseman.[10]
Career statistics
editIn 1701 games over 16 seasons, Collins compiled a.272batting averagewith 667runs,187doubles,52triples,32home runs,373RBI,395 stolen bases, 467base on balls,660strikeouts,and a.338on-base percentageand.351slugging percentage.Defensively, Collins recorded a.986fielding percentageat all three outfield positions and at first base.Tommy Johnthought Collins was a better player onAstroturffields (likeRiverfront Stadium) than natural grass fields (likeYankee Stadium).[11]
Retirement
editCollins played briefly for theFort Myers Sun Soxof theSenior Professional Baseball Association.
He was inducted into the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.[4]
Collins has volunteered at the Lighthouse Correctional Facility, conducting one-hour motivational and life skills sessions to young offenders, with the hope of enhancing and changing their lives.[citation needed]
Coaching career
editAfter playing, Collins was a coach and manager for several teams. He was the Cardinals'first base coachin 1991 and 1992. He was the Reds' first base coach in 1999 and 2000. He had the same job with theMilwaukee Brewersin 2002, then theColorado Rockiesfrom 2003 to 2006.[12]Collins was the first base coach for theMiami Marlinsfor part of the 2010 season, resigning aftermanagerFredi Gonzalezwas fired.[13]InMinor League Baseball(MiLB), Collins managed the Salem Avalanche in 2001 and theInland Empire 66ersin 2007.[14][15]
At the amateur level, Collins was the head coach forAnna High SchoolinAnna, Ohio,from 1992 to 1994. Collins was the head baseball and basketball coach forLake Orion High SchoolinLake Orion, Michigan,from 1996 to 1998. In 2009, he was assistant coach for the Ontario Blue Jays 18U team.[citation needed]In 2018, Collins was an assistant coach atMiami University Hamilton,with a focus on outfield and base running. In 2020, he became the bench coach atIndiana University Southeastand coached his grandson Connor Kelly.[16][17]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"Stevens HS (Rapid City, SD) Baseball Players".Baseball-Reference.RetrievedAugust 27,2024.
- ^"Dave Collins Minor League Statistics".Baseball-Reference.
- ^McCarron, Anthony (June 12, 2010)."Switch-hitting OF Dave Collins' time with New York Yankees short but sweet".New York Daily News.RetrievedAugust 27,2024.
- ^ab"Dave Collins - South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame".sdshof.RetrievedAugust 27,2024.
- ^"Milwaukee Brewers vs California Angels Box Score: June 7, 1975".Baseball-Reference.RetrievedAugust 27,2024.
- ^"Dave Collins 1975 Batting Game Logs".Baseball-Reference.RetrievedAugust 27,2024.
- ^"1976 MLB Expansion Drafts".Baseball-Reference.RetrievedAugust 27,2024.
- ^Mariners Firsts,Seattle Mariners.Accessed September 24, 2008.
- ^"1977 Seattle Mariners Statistics".Baseball-Reference.
- ^"Dave Collins - Baseball-Reference".Baseball-Reference.
- ^John, Tommy; Valenti, Dan (1991).TJ: My Twenty-Six Years in Baseball.New York: Bantam. p. 233.ISBN0-553-07184-X.
- ^"Dave Collins Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News".MLB.RetrievedAugust 27,2024.
- ^Spencer, Clark (June 26, 2010)."First Base Coach Dave Collins Resigns out of Loyalty to Fredi Gonzalez".Miami Herald.RetrievedAugust 27,2024.
- ^"2001 Salem Avalanche Statistics".Baseball-Reference.RetrievedAugust 27,2024.
- ^"2007 Inland Empire 66ers Statistics".Baseball-Reference.RetrievedAugust 27,2024.
- ^"Winter Spring 2021 - Staff Spotlight: Dave Collins".indiana-university-southeast.foleon.2021.RetrievedAugust 27,2024.
- ^Miniard, Brandon (February 23, 2020)."Former major leaguer Dave Collins brings over a decade of baseball wisdom to IU Southeast".The Horizon.RetrievedAugust 27,2024.
External links
edit- Career statistics fromMLB,orESPN,orBaseball Reference,orFangraphs,orBaseball Reference (Minors)
