Darrell Evans
Darrell Wayne Evans is an American former baseball player, coach and manager. He played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball, beginning his career as a third baseman with the Atlanta Braves, alternating between first and third base with the San Francisco Giants, and playing much of his later career as a first baseman and then a designated hitter for the Detroit Tigers. He won a World Series championship with the Tigers in 1984. Evans had most of his success in the early and late stages of his career. He was a two-time All-Star, first with the Braves in 1973 and then with the Giants in 1983. He led MLB in home runs in 1985 with the Tigers, and walks in 1973 and 1974 with the Braves.
Born in Pasadena, California, Evans was the son of a professional fast pitch softball player. He attended Pasadena City College and helped lead the baseball and basketball teams to California junior college championships. In the majors, Evans had a breakout season in 1973, finishing third in MLB with 41 home runs and leading the league in runs created and walks. He was traded to the San Francisco Giants in the middle of his lackluster 1976 season. His best season with the Giants was his 1983 All-Star season when he hit 30 home runs and compiled a.378 on-base percentage in his last year with the team. Evans signed as a free agent with the Detroit Tigers prior to the 1984 season, winning the World Series in his first year with the team. He led MLB in home runs with 40 in 1985 at age 38, becoming the oldest player in history to accomplish the feat. By hitting his home runs in the American League, he also became the first in MLB history to have a 40-homer season in both the American and the National Leagues. Evans concluded his playing career with a return to the Braves in 1989.
Baseball historian Bill James rated Evans as "the most underrated player in baseball history." He was the 22nd player in MLB history to hit 400 home runs and the second to hit at least 100 home runs with three different teams. His 1,605 walks ranked eighth in MLB history at the time of his retirement, and he drew 90 or more walks in eight separate seasons. His skill in drawing walks contributed to a.361 career on-base percentage despite a.248 career batting average. After retiring as a player, Evans served as a manager and coach in Minor League Baseball and independent leagues from 1990 to 2010. His career as a manager included stints with the Wilmington Blue Rocks and the Huntsville Stars in the minors.
Early years
Evans was born in 1947 in Pasadena, California, to Eleanor and Richard Evans, both of whom came from baseball families. His mother and her sister Margaret played professional fast pitch softball together for a national championship team in Southern California, and his aunt in particular was selected as an All-American outfielder. Evans attended his mother's softball games as an infant and later served as the team's bat boy. His father was a sheet metal mechanic who had played college baseball. Both of Evans' parents had relatives in professional baseball. His maternal grandfather Dave Salazar was a pitcher in the Chicago White Sox organization and played for the San Francisco Seals in the Pacific Coast League. His uncle Bob Evans had also played minor league ball in the St. Louis Cardinals' organization. Evans attended John Muir High School in Pasadena. He played baseball at Muir as a right-handed throwing pitcher and third baseman who batted left handed. In March 1965, he threw a no-hitter for Muir.In the fall of 1965, Evans enrolled at Pasadena City College. As a freshman during the 1965–66 academic year, he was the leading scorer for PCC's basketball team and led the baseball team with a.423 batting average. In December 1965, he scored 12 points in a losing effort against a UCLA team featuring Lew Alcindor. During the 1966–67 academic year, he hit.451 for the PCC baseball team and led both the baseball and basketball teams to California junior college championships. His basketball coach during the 1966–67 season was Jerry Tarkanian. Evans received the school's athlete of the year award in 1967, and he was later inducted into the PCC Hall of Fame as "the ultimate in Pasadena City College legends."
Professional baseball player
Minor leagues
Evans was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1965, the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers in 1966, and the Philadelphia Phillies and Kansas City Athletics in 1967. He originally didn't sign with the Cubs out of high school because he was planning to play baseball on full scholarship at the University of Southern California, but that did not materialize. In June 1967, he finally signed a pro contract with the Athletics, receiving a $15,000 signing bonus.Evans played for three different minor league clubs during the 1967 season: Leesburg in the Florida State League, Peninsula in the Carolina League, and Bradenton of the Gulf Coast League. He compiled a.326 batting average with a.402 on-base percentage in 61 minor league games during the 1967 season. In his time at Bradenton, he hit.489. He was named 1967 player of the year in the Gulf Coast League.
He spent the 1968 season with Birmingham in the Southern League. Evans's playing time was limited in 1967 and 1968 by his service in the United States Marine Corps. Evans later recalled that his arm was "sore and gone" after his discharge from the Marines, resulting in a poor performance in 1968. Evans compiled a.248 batting average and.299 on-base percentage in 56 games for Birmingham. Alf Van Hoose, sports editor of The Birmingham News recalled Evans as "a terrible infielder" with a "smooth swing."
Atlanta Braves
1969 to 1972 seasons
In December 1968, after the A's chose not to include Evans on their list of protected minor league players, Evans was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the Rule 5 draft for $25,000. Evans began the 1969 season with the Braves but was limited to pinch-hitting. In late April 1969, he was sent down to the Shreveport Braves in Double-A ball. He was then promoted to the Richmond Braves of the Triple-A International League where he hit.360 with a.433 on-base percentage in 59 games. He was recalled to Atlanta in late August 1969, but hit only.231 in 26 at bats.Evans spent most of the 1970 season at Richmond where he hit.300 with 47 extra base hits and 83 RBIs in 120 games. He hit.318 in 44 at bats for Atlanta in 1970, but Atlanta manager Lum Harris continued to relegate Evans to the minors due to his "mediocre fielding". Evans received the nickname "Clank" due to his fielding difficulties. He also acquired the nickname "Howdy Doody" due to his resemblance to the popular television puppet of the same name.
Evans began the 1971 season with Richmond where he was moved to the outfield and batted.307 with a.437 on-base percentage. In late May, Evans received an opportunity to become the Braves' starting third baseman when the team released Clete Boyer following Boyer's open criticism of the team's general manager. Evans appeared in 72 games at the third base for the 1971 Braves; he hit.242 in 260 at bats in his rookie season. Atlanta hitting coach Eddie Mathews worked with Evans on his fielding. Evans later recalled: "Eddie was not only my manager, he was my friend. He used to talk to me, pump into me that I had to do it."
In 1972, Evans was the Braves' regular third baseman, appearing in 125 games. He demonstrated his control of the strike zone, drawing 90 walks and compiling a.384 on-base percentage. Although his 25 errors ranked second among National League third basemen, he improved defensively, leading the league's third basemen with a range factor of 3.24 per game and ranking high among the league's third basemen with 126 putouts, 273 assists, and 20 double plays.
1973 breakout season
Evans had a breakout season in 1973. He was selected as the reserve third baseman on the 1973 National League All-Star team, ultimately finishing the year with 41 home runs and an on-base plus slugging percentage of.959. Evans also led the major leagues in walks with 125 and runs created with 143. With his high walk rate, he reached base 294 times, second only to Pete Rose, and had a.403 on-base percentage. Additionally, he was third in extra-base hits with 74, and also finished fourth in runs scored with 114 and fifth in RBIs with 105. This was the only season of Evans's career where he had over 100 runs or 100 RBIs. He also ranked among the best defensive third basemen in the National League with a 3.08 range factor per game, 124 putouts, and 325 assists. Evans told reporters in July 1973 that his defensive improvement "has meant more to me than the home runs."Evans' 1973 accomplishments were overshadowed by teammate Hank Aaron's pursuit of Babe Ruth's career home run record. Evans responded to the lack of attention to his accomplishments, telling reporters in August 1973: "I can't say it bothers me. Hell, I enjoy reading about Hank, just like everyone else." Evans hit before Aaron in the Braves' batting order, and in April the following season, he was on first base when Aaron hit his historic 715th home run. The 1973 Braves were the first team in major league history to have three players – Evans, Aaron, and Davey Johnson – hit at least 40 home runs. Despite the surge in power, the 1973 Braves finished fifth in the National League West with a 76–85 record due to a pitching staff that allowed the most runs in the National League.
1974 to 1976 seasons
Prior to the 1974 season, Evans pursued salary arbitration, where he was awarded a $52,500 salary. Evans appeared in 160 games at third base for the Braves. For the second consecutive year, he led the majors in walks, tallying a career-high 126 bases on balls. In a remarkable turn-around, the player formerly known as "Clank" had a 3.45 range factor and led all National League third basemen with a 2.7 Defensive Wins Above Replacement rating. He also ranked among the National League's leaders with 269 times on base, 25 home runs, 99 runs scored, and a 7.2 overall Wins Above Replacement rating. His 1974 performance was nevertheless considered disappointing in light of a 41-point drop in his batting average and expectations created by his 1973 season. Evans attributed his less impressive performance in part to "personal problems, some private things that were bothering me."The 1975 season was Evans' final full season with the Braves. Following the trade of Hank Aaron, Evans took over Aaron's third spot in the batting over. After a strong start in April, Evans' output slowed. He ended up batting.243 in 156 games. His power output also declined, as he totaled just 22 home runs and 73 RBIs to go along with a.406 slugging percentage. Evans' output declined further at the start of the 1976 season. With Jerry Royster taking over at third base, Evans was moved to first base. After 44 games, Evans' batting average stood at.173 with only one home run. He sought to remedy the slump by switching from contact lenses to glasses. Evans later recalled: "It was the one time in my career when I really doubted myself. I couldn't seem to do anything right. I couldn't see the ball very well and I wasn't being patient at the plate. Then I'd take a pitch and it would be right down the middle."