Danny Tartabull
Danny Tartabull | |
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Right fielder / Designated hitter | |
Born: San Juan, Puerto Rico | October 30, 1962|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
September 7, 1984, for the Seattle Mariners | |
Last MLB appearance | |
April 7, 1997, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .273 |
Home runs | 262 |
Runs batted in | 925 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
Danilo Tartabull Mora (born October 30, 1962) is a Cuban–Puerto Rican former professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners (1984–1986), Kansas City Royals (1987–1991), New York Yankees (1992–1995), Oakland Athletics (1995), Chicago White Sox (1996), and Philadelphia Phillies (1997).
Early life
[edit]Tartabull was born on October 30, 1962, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the son of Cuban parents. His father, José Tartabull, played in Major League Baseball from 1962 to 1970.[1] Tartabull attended Miami Carol City Senior High School in Miami Gardens, Florida where he played baseball and basketball. As a senior, he was an all-state second baseman. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the third round of the 1980 Major League Baseball draft.[2]
Playing career
[edit]Tartabull played for the Seattle Mariners (1984–86), Kansas City Royals (1987–91), New York Yankees (1992–95), Oakland Athletics (1995), Chicago White Sox (1996), and Philadelphia Phillies (1997). Originally a shortstop, Tartabull broke into the majors for good in 1986 with the Mariners, who moved him to right field after briefly experimenting with him at second base. He responded by hitting .270 with 25 home runs and 96 runs batted in, but his rookie season was overshadowed by those of Wally Joyner and José Canseco.[citation needed]
After the 1986 season, the Mariners traded Tartabull to Kansas City for prospects Scott Bankhead, Mike Kingery, and Steve Shields.[3] In 1987, Tartabull improved to .309/34/101. Although sometimes slowed by injuries, Tartabull had five productive seasons with Kansas City, culminating with an All-Star selection in 1991. That same year, Tartabull led the major leagues in slugging percentage (.593). He became a free agent after the 1991 season and signed a deal with the Yankees worth more than $5 million a year (the deal being the first piece of news on ESPN Radio[citation needed]), but he never again matched his production in Kansas City.
In July 1995 the Yankees traded Tartabull to the Athletics for Rubén Sierra and Jason Beverlin.[4] Following his trade out of New York, Tartabull expressed his disdain for Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, saying that getting out of New York was like having been "released from jail".[5] The Athletics traded him to the White Sox the following winter for Andrew Lorraine and minor leaguer Charles Poe.[6] He had 101 RBIs but scored 58 runs, fewer runs than all but one player in history with at least 100 RBIs. Tartabull wound down his 14-year career with the Phillies in 1997, appearing in just three games.
Tartabull retired following the 1997 season with a career batting average of .273, 262 home runs, and 925 runs batted in.
Personal life
[edit]![]() | This section needs to be updated.(April 2017) |
A warrant was issued for Tartabull's arrest on May 12, 2012 after he failed to appear for a 180-day jail sentence, and is on the Most Wanted List for Los Angeles County Child Services Department.[7] He has been named the top deadbeat dad in Los Angeles after allegedly failing to pay more than $275,000 in child support for his two sons.[8] Tartabull was arrested July 24, 2017, on suspicion of unpaid child support after he called police to report his car was broken into.[9]
Other media
[edit]During the 1994–1995 MLB strike, Tartabull and a handful of other striking players appeared as themselves in the November 27, 1994 episode of Married With Children (Season 9, Episode 11.)
Tartabull made a cameo appearance on TV sitcom Seinfeld as himself in the episodes "The Chaperone" and "The Pledge Drive".
See also
[edit]- List of Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico
- List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
- List of second-generation Major League Baseball players
References
[edit]- ^ "Sons of Cubans – Cubanball.com".
- ^ Porter, David L. (2000). Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: Q-Z. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 1515. ISBN 978-0-313-31176-5. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- ^ Archives, L. A. Times (December 11, 1986). "Mariners Trade Tartabull to Royals". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Disgruntled outfielders Danny Tartabull and Ruben Sierra got their... - UPI Archives". UPI.
- ^ Nightengale, Bob (August 7, 1995). "Tartabull loves New York but loathes Steinbrenner". Highbean Business. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
- ^ https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1996/jan/23/white-sox-trade-for-tartabull-in-attempt-to-bulk/ [bare URL]
- ^ http://file.lacounty.gov/cssd/cms1_153347.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "Most Wanted Flyer" (PDF).
- ^ Grossman, Evan (July 26, 2017). "Ex-Yankee Danny Tartabull, who's been evading police for five years, in jail… after calling cops himself".
External links
[edit]- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Retrosheet
- 1962 births
- Living people
- American League All-Stars
- Billings Mustangs players
- Calgary Cannons players
- Chattanooga Lookouts players
- Chicago White Sox players
- Kansas City Royals players
- Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico
- Major League Baseball right fielders
- New York Yankees players
- Oakland Athletics players
- Pacific Coast League MVP award winners
- Philadelphia Phillies players
- Puerto Rican expatriate baseball players in Canada
- Puerto Rican people of Cuban descent
- Salt Lake City Gulls players
- Seattle Mariners players
- Baseball players from Miami
- Tampa Tarpons (1957–1987) players
- Waterbury Reds players
- Miami Carol City Senior High School alumni
- Baseball players from San Juan, Puerto Rico