Tim Raines

Template:Mlbretired Timothy Raines (born September 16 1959 in Sanford, Florida), nicknamed "Rock", is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball known for his speed and ability to get on base. The Montreal Expos selected him in the 5th round of the 1977 amateur draft. He started as a second baseman for the Expos in 1979 and rapidly became a fan favorite due to his aggressiveness on the basepaths. He eventually switched to playing the outfield, and by the end of his career Raines entered the very select 800-steal club, becoming the fourth member behind Rickey Henderson, Lou Brock and Ty Cobb. Brock and Cobb are both members of the Baseball Hall of Fame, and Henderson is widely expected to become one when he becomes eligible. Currently, Raines serves as the hitting coach for the Harrisburg Senators.

During his career, Raines stole more than 70 bases in a season six years in a row (1981-1986), including a career high 90 in 1983. His stolen base percentage (84.7%) is the highest in baseball history for players with 300 or more attempts.

"The Rock" was named a National League All-Star in 7 consecutive seasons (1981-1987), and in 1987 he was the Most Valuable Player of the All-Star game. Raines finished in the top 10 in voting for the National League MVP Award three times (1983, 1986, 1987). He won the NL batting title in 1986 with a .334 average and hit over .300 in five full seasons. He also topped the .320 mark in three straight years (1985-1987).

Raines won a Silver Slugger Award as an outfielder in 1986 when he led the NL in both batting average and on base percentage. He led the NL in runs scored in 1983 and 1987, in doubles in 1984 and in stolen bases in 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1984. Raines set single-season career highs with a .334 batting average and 194 hits in 1986, 18 home runs in 1987, and 71 runs batted in, 133 runs scored and 90 steals in 1983.

In his 23-year career, Raines hit .294 with 170 HR, 980 RBI, 1571 runs, 2605 hits, 808 stolen bases, 430 doubles, 113 triples and an on base percentage of .385. Those numbers make him a reasonable Hall of Fame candidate when he becomes eligible in 2008. Likely to hurt his induction chances, at least initially, is his involvement in the cocaine scandal of the 1980s. During the Pittsburgh drug trials of 1985, Raines admitted that he would use the drug to get high during games and that he would famously slide headfirst into bases so as not to break the vials he kept in his back pocket [1].

His son, Tim Raines, Jr., also became a major league player. In 2001, Raines, at the age of 41, and his son became the second major league father-and-son combination to play in the same game, both playing for the Baltimore Orioles (the first were Ken Griffey, Sr. and Ken Griffey, Jr.).

In his career, Raines played for the Montreal Expos (1979-1990, 2001), Chicago White Sox (1991-1995), New York Yankees (1996-1998), Oakland Athletics (1999), Baltimore Orioles (2001) and Florida Marlins (2002).

Raines began his coaching career in 2003 as manager of the high class A Brevard County Manatees affiliate of the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals.

Raines was a coach for the Chicago White Sox from November 2004 until October 13, 2006. During the 2005 World Series Championship season, Raines served as first base coach. During the 2006 season, he served as bench coach.

In 1995, Raines had a home built in, and became a resident of, Heathrow, Florida.

Accomplishments

• 4th all-time for stolen bases in a career (808)
• Youngest player in the National League (1979, 19)
• Seven-time All-Star (1981-87)
• Led the major leagues in stolen bases (1981, 1984)
• Led the National League in stolen bases (1982-83)
• Led the major leagues in runs scored (1983, 1987)
• Led the National League for times on base (1983-84, 1986)
• Led the National League in doubles (1984, with 38)
• Silver Slugger for National League outfielder (1986)
• Led the National League in batting average (1986, with .334)
• All-Star Game MVP (1987)
• Has an 84.7% career success rate stealing bases, the highest of all players with over 300 stolen bases.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference