Juan Samuel

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Juan Samuel
Samuel with the Phillies in 2016
Second baseman / Center fielder / Manager
Born: (1960-12-09) December 9, 1960 (age 63)
San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
August 24, 1983, for the Philadelphia Phillies
Last MLB appearance
September 26, 1998, for the Toronto Blue Jays
MLB statistics
Batting average.259
Home runs161
Runs batted in703
Stolen bases396
Managerial record17–34
Winning %.333
Teams
As player
As manager
As coach
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's Baseball
Representing  Dominican Republic
World Baseball Classic
Gold medal – first place 2013 San Francisco Team

Juan Milton Samuel (born December 9, 1960) is a Dominican former professional baseball second baseman and outfielder who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). A three-time National League (NL) All-Star, he appeared in the 1983 World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies. Samuel served as interim manager for the Baltimore Orioles during the 2010 MLB season, as well as many years in MLB coaching ranks. Known widely for his unique combination of speed and power, Samuel was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame, in 2010.

Baseball career[edit]

In a 16-season playing career, Samuel was a .259 hitter with 161 home runs and 703 RBI in 1,720 games.[1]

Samuel was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980. A three-time All-Star, Samuel earned National League (NL) Rookie of the Year honors from The Sporting News in 1984, when he tied for the NL lead with 19 triples and placed second with 72 stolen bases, which established a then-MLB rookie single-season record for steals,[a] previously held by Tim Raines with 71 in 1981.[3] He finished second in official NL Rookie of the Year voting behind Dwight Gooden.[4] During his majors career, Samuel collected 1,578 hits, 396 stolen bases, and also reached double figures in home runs nine times. A popular player in Philadelphia, he appeared in the 1983 World Series, going 0-for-1 in three games.

Samuel was sent to the New York Mets during the 1989 midseason in the same transaction that brought Lenny Dykstra and Roger McDowell to Philadelphia.[5] He also played two and a half seasons both for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers, spent a year with the Cincinnati Reds, had two brief stints with the Kansas City Royals, and provided three years of good services for the Toronto Blue Jays, pinch-hitting, serving as DH, and playing at first base, second, third, left field and right. He retired after the 1998 season.

Samuel holds the major league record for most at-bats by a right-handed hitter in one season with 701, set in 1984. That mark was also the most for any National League batter in a single campaign, later surpassed by Jimmy Rollins. He also tied an ML record for consecutive strikeout titles with four (1984–87), shared with Hack Wilson (1927–30) and Vince DiMaggio (1942–45).

Post-playing career[edit]

Coaching career[edit]

Samuel coaching with the Orioles in 2008

Since retiring from play, Samuel has coached at various levels and in various roles. He coached third base for the Detroit Tigers in 2005 after having coached first base for the team since 1999. He managed the Double-A Binghamton Mets for the 2006 season, and was named the third base coach for the Baltimore Orioles on October 31, 2006,[6] where he remained through the first part of 2010.

In August 2008, Samuel was inducted into the Philadelphia Phillies Wall of Fame at Citizens Bank Park.

Samuel joined the Philadelphia Phillies coaching staff for the 2011 season as third base coach, with former third base coach Sam Perlozzo moving to first base coach.[7] In 2013, he moved to first base coach with Ryne Sandberg taking over the duties at third base.[8] Upon Sandberg being named interim manager, Samuel returned to filling the role of third base coach for the Phillies.[9]

On January 6, 2022, Samuel was hired to serve as a minor league hitting instructor for the Cincinnati Reds organization.[10]

Managerial career[edit]

Baltimore Orioles[edit]

Samuel was named interim manager of the Orioles after Dave Trembley's dismissal on June 4, 2010.[11] He took over a ballclub that was in last place in the American League (AL) East with the majors' worst record at 15–39.[12] During his brief tenure, the team had a pair of four-game win streaks.[13] The first one on June 24–27 was highlighted by a three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals at Camden Yards.[14] Its first four-game road sweep since 1995 occurred after the vanquishing of the eventual AL champion Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington two weekends later and immediately prior to the All-Star break.[15] Beyond this, the Orioles showed little tangible improvement as they went 17–34 under Samuel,[16] whose stint ended on August 1 with a 5–4 loss at Kauffman Stadium, the third straight defeat to the Kansas City Royals.[17] Three days earlier on July 29, Buck Showalter was announced as Samuel's successor on a full-time basis beginning on August 3.[18] After declining an offer to return to his old third-base coaching job, Samuel accepted a position elsewhere in the organization as an evaluator for its Dominican Republic academy for the remainder of that season.[19]

Managerial record[edit]

As of games played on April 10, 2019.
Team Year Regular season Postseason
Games Won Lost Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
BAL 2010 51 17 34 .333 (interim)
Total[16] 51 17 34 .333 0 0 .000

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Broken by Vince Coleman with 110 the following season in 1985[2]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Juan Samuel Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  2. ^ Nemec, David; Flatow, Scott (2008). This Day in Baseball: A Day-by-Day Record of the Events That Shaped the Game. Taylor Trade Publishing. p. 167. ISBN 9781589794078. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  3. ^ La Russa, Tony; Purdy, Dennis (2006). The Team-By-Team Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball. Workman Publishing. p. 1142. ISBN 9780761153764. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  4. ^ "1984 Awards Voting – NL Rookie of the Year Voting". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  5. ^ Durso, Joseph (July 19, 1989). "Mets Get Samuel for McDowell, Dykstra". The New York Times. Retrieved July 15, 2009.
  6. ^ Zrebiec, Jeff (October 31, 2006). "Samuel, Mejias join O's coaches". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 1, 2006.
  7. ^ "Samuel returns to Phillies, this time as 3B coach". ESPN. Associated Press. November 11, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  8. ^ Levinson, Mason (October 4, 2012). "Ryne Sandberg Promoted to Third-Base Coach for 2013 Phillies". Bloomberg News. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  9. ^ Shorr-Parks, Eliot (August 16, 2013). "Charlie Manuel fired as Phillies manager, Ryne Sandberg to take over". NJ.com. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  10. ^ Lugardo, Destiny (January 6, 2022). "Phillies Wall of Famer Juan Samuel lands coaching gig with Cincinnati – Phillies Nation". Phillies Nation. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  11. ^ "Orioles name Juan Samuel interim manager". Baltimore Orioles. MLB.com. June 4, 2010. Archived from the original on March 10, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  12. ^ Ghiroli, Brittany (June 4, 2010). "Trembley dismissed; Samuel in as interim". Baltimore Orioles. MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2010. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
  13. ^ "2010 Baltimore Orioles Schedule". Baseball-Reference.com.
  14. ^ Rosenstein, Noah (June 27, 2010). "Tejada caps comeback to secure sweep". Baltimore Orioles. MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 30, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  15. ^ Willis, Todd (July 11, 2010). "O's end first half with sweep of Rangers". Baltimore Orioles. MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 18, 2010. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
  16. ^ a b "Juan Samuel". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  17. ^ Ghiroli, Brittany (August 1, 2010). "Orioles' struggles continue vs. Royals". Baltimore Orioles. MLB.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  18. ^ "Orioles name Buck Showalter Manager". Baltimore Orioles. MLB.com. July 29, 2010. Archived from the original on March 10, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  19. ^ Ghiroli, Brittany (August 2, 2010). "Samuel declines post, will remain with club". Baltimore Orioles. MLB.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2010.

External links[edit]

Sporting positions
Preceded by Baltimore Orioles third base coach
2007–2010
Succeeded by
Preceded by Philadelphia Phillies third base coach
2011–2012
Succeeded by
Preceded by Philadelphia Phillies first base coach
2013–2015
Succeeded by
Preceded by Philadelphia Phillies third base coach
2016–2017
Succeeded by