Athletes - Steve Balboni

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	Athletes - Steve Balboni

Steve Balboni (born January 16, 1957) was a professional baseball player with tremendous home run power and a tendency to strike out frequently. He was nicknamed "Bye Bye" because of his home run power.

College career

Stephen Charles Balboni was born in Brockton, Massachusetts. He attended Memorial High School in Manchester, New Hampshire and Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in the fourth round of the free agent draft in 1978. They noted that his tremendous power helped to make the decision to draft him. He was named designated hitter on The Sporting News college All-America team in 1978.

Minor League Career

He had a tremendous minor league baseball career. He played in the minors off and on from 1978 to 1993. In a total of 9 seasons in the minors, he hit 239 home runs and drove in 772 runs. He also struck out 930 times. His career minor league batting average was .261. He won the Most Valuable Player award in 1979 with the Fort Lauderdale Yankees of the Florida State League and in 1980 for the Nashville Sounds of the Southern League.

He led the league in home runs six different seasons, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1992 and 1993. He led the league in Runs Batted In in 4 seasons, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1992. He led the league in strikeouts in 2 seasons, 1979 and 1981. He homered every 14.6 at bats and struck out every 3.8 at bats in the Minors.

Major League Career

He made it to the New York Yankees in 1981. He went on to play in the big leagues through 1990 with a small comeback in 1993. He played for the Yankees from 1981 to 1983 and then in 1989 and 1990. He was the starting first baseman for the Kansas City Royals from 1984 to mid-1988, when they traded him to the Seattle Mariners. He only played in Seattle until the end of that season.

In parts of 11 Major League seasons, Steve hit 181 home runs and had 495 RBI's. He also struck out 856 times. His batting average was .229. In 1985, he led the American League with 166 strikeouts. He also set the single season home run mark for the Royals with 36. That record still stands today. He homered every 17.2 At Bats and struck out every 3.6 At Bats in the Majors.

1985 turned out to be his best season for many reasons. He had career highs in games played (160), at bats (600), hits (146), runs (74), doubles (28), triples (2), homers (36), runs batted in (88-tied in 1989) and stolen bases (1). Steve lead American League first basemen with 1686 total chances and 1573 putouts in 1985. He also was the starting first baseman in the World Series. Steve batted .320 with 3 RBI's in that Series that the Royals won over the St. Louis Cardinals, four games to three. He also demonstrated good glove work in the field, something he was not known for during his career.

Profile

Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight: 250 lb (113 kg)
Birthday: January 16, 1957
Hometown: Brockton, Massachusetts
College: Eckerd College

Minor League MVP Seasons

Miscellaneous

The Columbus Clippers, Steve's AAA level team, made a bobble-head doll of him in 2001.

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