# Don Baylor
**Don Baylor** (Don Edward Baylor, nicknamed "Groove"; June 28, 1949 – August 7, 2017) was an American professional baseball player and manager who spent 19 seasons as a Major League outfielder and designated hitter, won the 1979 American League Most Valuable Player Award with the California Angels, and became the first manager in [Colorado Rockies](https://www.edgepedia.org/colorado-rockies) history.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | 1949, Austin, Texas; August 7, 2017, Austin, Texas, after 14 years with multiple myeloma[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/don-baylor-110719) • [2](https://as.com/us/us/2017/08/07/mlb/1502128300_368305.html) |
| Playing career | 19 seasons (1970–1988) with the Baltimore Orioles, Oakland Athletics, California Angels, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Minnesota Twins[3](https://tshof.org/inductee/don-baylor/) |
| Career statistics | 8,198 at-bats, .260 average, 338 home runs, 1,276 RBI, 285 stolen bases, 2,135 hits, .342 on-base percentage[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/don-baylor-110719) |
| 1979 MVP | American League MVP with the Angels, leading the league with 139 RBI and 120 runs, with 36 home runs and a .296 average while playing all 162 games[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/don-baylor-110719) |
| Hit by pitches | 267 career hit-by-pitches, the modern-era record at his retirement (Hughie Jennings holds the all-time record with 287), leading the AL seven times[4](https://baseballhall.org/discover-more/stories/card-corner/groovin-don-baylor) • [1](https://www.mlb.com/player/don-baylor-110719) • [12](https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/don-baylor/) |
| World Series | Champion with the 1987 Minnesota Twins; reached the World Series three consecutive years, 1986 to 1988[2](https://as.com/us/us/2017/08/07/mlb/1502128300_368305.html) |
| Managing | Rockies 1993–98 (440–469, .484) and Cubs 2000–02; career record 627–689, .476 over nine years; NL Manager of the Year 1995[5](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/COL/managers.shtml) • [6](https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/manager.php?p=baylodo01) • [1](https://www.mlb.com/player/don-baylor-110719) |
## Playing career
Baylor was drafted by the [Baltimore Orioles](https://www.edgepedia.org/baltimore-orioles) in the second round of the 1967 draft, 39th overall, out of Austin High School, and he attended [Blinn College](https://www.edgepedia.org/blinn-college) before his major league debut on September 18, 1970[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/don-baylor-110719). Over 19 seasons he played for the Orioles, Athletics, Angels, Yankees, Red Sox, and Twins[3](https://tshof.org/inductee/don-baylor/).
**The 1979 season.** He led the league in RBI (139) and runs (120), hit 36 home runs, and batted .296[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/don-baylor-110719). He was the only player to win an MVP award while serving as the designated hitter in 65 of the 162 games he took part in[7](https://as.com/us/us/2016/09/24/mlb/1474741883_183344.html).
**Crowding the plate.** Baylor stood close to the plate and was hit by pitches 267 times, the most in the 20th century; he retired after the 1988 [World Series](https://www.edgepedia.org/world-series) as the modern-era record-holder, while Hughie Jennings held the all-time record with 287[4](https://baseballhall.org/discover-more/stories/card-corner/groovin-don-baylor) • [12](https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/don-baylor/). He led the [American League](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-league) in hit-by-pitches seven times, including 35 in 1986 and 24 in 1985[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/don-baylor-110719). The Hall of Fame notes that, other than perhaps Kansas City's Hal McRae, no player took out middle infielders with more ferocity[4](https://baseballhall.org/discover-more/stories/card-corner/groovin-don-baylor).
**Late career and the 1987 title.** He won Silver Slugger awards with the Yankees in 1983 and 1985 and with the Red Sox in 1986, and received the Roberto Clemente Award in 1985[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/don-baylor-110719). Baylor reached the World Series three consecutive years from 1986 to 1988 and won the championship with the [Minnesota Twins](https://www.edgepedia.org/minnesota-twins) in 1987[2](https://as.com/us/us/2017/08/07/mlb/1502128300_368305.html).
## Managerial career
In 1993 Baylor accepted the job as the first manager in Colorado Rockies history, holding the position for six seasons, 1993 to 1998[8](https://www.coloradosports.org/hall-of-fame/athletes/2013-inductees/don-baylor/) • [5](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/COL/managers.shtml). His Rockies record was 440 wins against 469 losses, a .484 winning percentage[5](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/COL/managers.shtml). In 1995 the club earned its first postseason appearance, and Baylor was named National League Manager of the Year[2](https://as.com/us/us/2017/08/07/mlb/1502128300_368305.html) • [1](https://www.mlb.com/player/don-baylor-110719). The Texas Sports Hall of Fame credits him with leading the Rockies to more wins than any other [National League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-league) expansion team in history[3](https://tshof.org/inductee/don-baylor/).
Baylor shaped the franchise's early identity. Before the inaugural season he made sure the club acquired outfielder [Dante Bichette](https://www.edgepedia.org/dante-bichette), installed him in the No. 3 spot in the batting order, and watched him become a four-time All-Star[9](https://www.mlb.com/rockies/news/don-baylor-touched-hearts-as-manager-teammate-c247018730). The 1996 club was the first in MLB history to exceed 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases in the same season, a style Baylor described as "We're coming at you, guns a-blazin'"[9](https://www.mlb.com/rockies/news/don-baylor-touched-hearts-as-manager-teammate-c247018730). He was replaced after the 1998 season by [Jim Leyland](https://www.edgepedia.org/jim-leyland)[10](https://archives.nd.edu/Observer/1998-10-07_v32_033.pdf).
He then managed the [Chicago Cubs](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-cubs) from 2000 to 2002[2](https://as.com/us/us/2017/08/07/mlb/1502128300_368305.html). Across nine years as a manager he won 627 games and lost 689, a .476 winning percentage[6](https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/manager.php?p=baylodo01). In all, Baylor wore the uniforms of 14 Major League teams as a player, coach, or manager[11](https://www.mlb.com/news/don-baylor-dies-at-68-c246983370).
## Death and recognition
Baylor died on August 7, 2017, at age 68 in an Austin hospital after a 14-year struggle with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that affects plasma cells; his wife Rebecca said he "passed from this earth with the same fierce dignity with which he played the game and lived his life"[2](https://as.com/us/us/2017/08/07/mlb/1502128300_368305.html) • [11](https://www.mlb.com/news/don-baylor-dies-at-68-c246983370). The Angels honored him with a special patch later that month[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/don-baylor-110719). He was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame[8](https://www.coloradosports.org/hall-of-fame/athletes/2013-inductees/don-baylor/) • [3](https://tshof.org/inductee/don-baylor/), and MLB.com lists him as the 2025 recipient of the MLB Players Choice Curt Flood Award[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/don-baylor-110719).
## References
1. [Don Baylor Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News, MLB.com](https://www.mlb.com/player/don-baylor-110719)
2. [Fallece el exjugador de béisbol Don Baylor, MVP en 1979, AS USA](https://as.com/us/us/2017/08/07/mlb/1502128300_368305.html)
3. [Baylor, Don, Texas Sports Hall of Fame](https://tshof.org/inductee/don-baylor/)
4. [#CardCorner: 1985 Topps Don Baylor, National Baseball Hall of Fame](https://baseballhall.org/discover-more/stories/card-corner/groovin-don-baylor)
5. [Colorado Rockies Managers, Baseball-Reference.com](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/COL/managers.shtml)
6. [Don Baylor MLB Manager Stats, Baseball Almanac](https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/manager.php?p=baylodo01)
7. [Jugador más valioso frente al mejor jugador, AS USA](https://as.com/us/us/2016/09/24/mlb/1474741883_183344.html)
8. [Don Baylor, Colorado Sports Hall of Fame](https://www.coloradosports.org/hall-of-fame/athletes/2013-inductees/don-baylor/)
9. [Don Baylor touched hearts as manager, teammate, MLB.com](https://www.mlb.com/rockies/news/don-baylor-touched-hearts-as-manager-teammate-c247018730)
10. [The Observer, University of Notre Dame, October 7, 1998](https://archives.nd.edu/Observer/1998-10-07_v32_033.pdf)
11. [Don Baylor dies at 68, MLB.com](https://www.mlb.com/news/don-baylor-dies-at-68-c246983370)
12. [sabr.org](https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/don-baylor/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Baseball and related bat sports › Professional baseball in the Americas › MLB players and personnel biographies › Designated hitters and utility players*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license