Brian Traxler
Brian Lee Traxler was a first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers during their 1990 season. Listed at and, Traxler batted and threw left-handed. Throughout his career, he was one of the most popular players on his baseball teams.
Born in Waukegan, Illinois, Traxler began playing baseball while just a toddler. After an All-State career at Waukegan East High School, he attended the University of New Orleans, where he set a school record with 49 home runs in a three-year career. Drafted by the Dodgers in the 16th round of the 1988 MLB draft, he was called up to join the team in 1990. Playing in nine games for Los Angeles, he had one hit, a double against Dennis Martínez.
Most of Traxler's time in the Dodger system was spent with the Triple-A Albuquerque Dukes, with whom Traxler played from 1989 through 1993. He batted over.300 with the team in 1992 and ranked among the Pacific Coast League leaders in several categories in 1993, but he was not called up to the major leagues, as fellow first base prospect Eric Karros had won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1992. Blocked by Karros, Traxler headed to Japan in 1994, playing one season for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks, where he was the only foreign All-Star for the season. He returned to Albuquerque for one final season in 1995.
From 1996 through 2000, Traxler played independent baseball for several teams, as well as a half season with the Ho-Hsin Whales of the Chinese Professional Baseball League in 1998. Retiring after the 2000 season, he served as a hitting instructor from 2001 through 2004 for minor league teams in the Dodgers' system, though his contract was not renewed after the 2004 season. Traxler expected to look for another coaching job at the upcoming Winter Meetings, but he died of alcohol-related liver disease on November 19 at the age of 37.
Early life
Brian Lee Traxler was born in Waukegan, Illinois, on September 26, 1967 to parents Floyd and Ruth. His father was employed for over 20 years as the chief operator of the North Shore Sanitary District. Brian was the oldest of three siblings, with sisters Kelly and Stacey born two and four years later, respectively.Both Traxler's parents were athletic, and they purchased Brian his first baseball glove when he was eight months old. His father started playing baseball with him while he was a toddler, and by the age of four, he was demonstrating "keen hand-eye coordination," according to Traxler biographer Rory Costello. He started playing tee-ball at the age of five, usually demonstrating the ability of someone a year or more older. When he turned 10, he started playing sandlot ball from eight o'clock in the morning to six o'clock in the evening in the summer months, a practice he continued for six years.
Traxler was an all-state outfielder for Waukegan East High School. He also played basketball and golf for the high school, but not football, because his parents were worried about him getting hurt. Additionally, Traxler played American Legion Baseball for Homer Dahringer Post 281. A left-hander, he was mainly used as a first baseman, though he also was used as a pitcher and left fielder. Though one Major League Baseball team offered Traxler a contract when he graduated from Waukegan East in 1985, his parents wanted him to attend college, in order for him to have a backup plan in case an injury derailed his baseball career. Northwestern University offered him a scholarship, but he attended the University of New Orleans, wanting to play baseball in a warmer area.
College
At UNO, Traxler exhibited a deep understanding of the game of baseball. Tom Schwaner, the head baseball coach for the Privateers, used Traxler as his unofficial hitting coach. Though first base remained his position, he played every position except second base and shortstop with the Privateers. "He didn’t have the stuff ," Schwaner recalled, "but he had the moxie." In one game, he threw a shutout against Wichita State University, a highly-ranked team at the time.Traxler had a stellar career with the Privateers. He was hit in the head by a pitch in a 1986 game, resulting in a concussion, but he still hit 15 home runs that year. Next season, he hit 20 as the Privateers reached the National Collegiate Athletic Association South Division II Regional Tournament. He was a candidate to play in the 1987 Pan American Games for Team USA, but shin splints kept him from participating. He finished his junior season in 1988 with 14 home runs as the Privateers advanced to the NCAA Central Regional, where they were eliminated by the University of Michigan Wolverines. In his three seasons with the Privateers, Traxler set school records for total bases, home runs, and runs batted in .
Early minor league career (1988-1990)
Traxler was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 16th round of the 1988 MLB draft. The 400th overall pick, he was a long shot to reach the major leagues, but his chances were aided when fellow first base prospect Eric Karros negotiated for a higher-paying contract. Because of the delay, Traxler was sent to the Single-A Vero Beach Dodgers of the Florida State League to begin his career while Karros was sent to the Rookie-level Great Falls Dodgers of the Pioneer League, even though Karros had been drafted 10 rounds higher. In 72 games with Vero Beach, Traxler batted.292 with 30 runs scored, 76 hits, two home runs, and 34 RBI.In 1989, Traxler began the year with the Double-A San Antonio Missions of the Texas League. He batted.346 with 37 runs scored, 79 hits, nine home runs, and 44 RBI in 63 games. Midway through the season, he was promoted to the Triple-A Albuquerque Dukes of the Pacific Coast League. In 64 games with the Dukes, he batted.301 with 33 runs scored, 72 hits, three home runs, and 30 RBI. Following the minor league season, Traxler played winter baseball with the Leones del Caracas of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. Nicknamed "El Gordito" by the fans, a reference to his heavy build, he batted.301 with four home runs and 39 RBI in 57 games.
Entering the 1990 season, baseball analyst Bill James described Traxler as an "absolutely square prospect…can hit, and could have a big year at Albuquerque this year. I don’t know how good he’ll be at the major league level, but he’s fun to watch." The Dodgers were worried about the fact that he weighed over 200 pounds, and manager Tommy Lasorda advised him to get in better shape. Traxler responded by losing 20 pounds. He began the season with Albuquerque, as his first seven appearances were in a Dukes uniform.
Los Angeles Dodgers (1990)
On April 22, 1990, Jeff Hamilton of the Dodgers was placed on the disabled list with a torn rotator cuff. With Kal Daniels temporarily unavailable due to a twisted side, the Dodgers desired another left-handed bat on the roster. They purchased Traxler's contract from Albuquerque and promoted him to the major leagues. He made his MLB debut on April 24, 1990, replacing Eddie Murray at first base after the veteran was ejected from the game by umpire Harry Wendelstedt. In his lone at bat of the contest, he struck out against Bob Tewksbury, but the Dodgers defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 3–0. Traxler got his first and only start in the major leagues at first base on May 8 against the Montreal Expos. He had no hits in two at bats before being pinch-hit for in the seventh inning by John Shelby as the Dodgers lost 9–1. Still batting.000 after his first six games, Traxler got his first career hit on May 10 with a pinch-hit double against Dennis Martínez in an 8–2 loss to the Expos. He would have had another double on May 13 against David Cone of the New York Mets, but the game was rained out, and the statistics from the game did not count. In his ninth game for the Dodgers, on May 21, he played first base for only the third time when he replaced Mickey Hatcher for the final two innings of a 12–3 loss to the Mets. Traxler's family hoped to see him play when the Dodgers travelled to Chicago to take on the Cubs at Wrigley Field on May 23, but the Dodgers sent Traxler back to Albuquerque the day before so that they could activate Pat Perry from the disabled list. In nine games with the Dodgers, he batted.091 with one hit and four strikeouts in 11 at bats.Albuquerque Dukes (1990-1993)
Traxler would remain at Albuquerque for the rest of the 1990 season. Bone spurs in his elbow limited him to 98 games with the Triple-A club. He batted.277 with 43 runs scored, 88 hits, seven home runs, and 53 RBI. Traxler had the bone spurs removed in 1991, but the Dodgers sent him back to San Antonio to recover. He spent most of the season with the Double-A team, batting.256 with 50 runs scored, 97 hits, seven home runs, and 61 RBI in 103 games. Traxler also played 18 games for Albuquerque, batting.357 with three runs scored, 10 hits, one home run, and eight RBI. During the 1990-91 offseason, Traxler had skipped playing winter ball because his first child was born. However, he followed up the 1991 season by playing for the Tigres del Licey of the Dominican Winter League. In 47 games, he batted.266 with three home runs and 16 RBI as the Tigres reached the playoffs.During the 1992 season, Traxler played 127 games for Albuquerque. He batted.303 with 58 runs scored, 119 hits, 11 home runs, and 58 RBI. However, in the major leagues, Karros had taken over from Murray as the everyday first baseman and won the National League Rookie of the Year Award, diminishing Traxler's chances of returning to the major leagues with the Dodgers. After the season, Traxler returned to the Leones del Caracas, but he batted just.217 this time while only playing 27 games.
Traxler had continued to pitch occasionally, making one appearance on the mound in 1990 and 1992 for Albuquerque. In 1993, he pitched two games for the Dukes, winning one of them, though his earned run average was 11.57. Traxler again played 127 games for Albuquerque in 1993, ranking among the PCL leaders in several categories. His.333 batting average was fourth in the league, his 81 runs scored were ninth, his 147 hits were fifth, his 36 doubles were tied with Kurt Abbott and Luis López for third, his 16 home runs were tied with four other players for eighth, and his 83 RBI were ninth in the league. Despite his strong season, he was not called up by Los Angeles in September. This time, he went to Puerto Rico for winter ball, playing with the Indios de Mayagüez. In 27 games, he batted.256 with three home runs and 16 RBI.