Andre Dawson
The 1987 National League Most Valuable Player, stoic Andre Dawson clubbed 49 homers and drove in 137 runs for the last-place Chicago Cubs, becoming the first player on a cellar-dweller to earn the award. He hit 174 homers in a Cubs' uniform, but that was just the second act in his fine career. Earlier, "The Hawk" starred as a five-tool center fielder for the Expos, hitting 225 homers and stealing 253 bases for Montreal in ten full seasons. With Ellis Valentine and Warren Cromartie, and later Tim Raines, he formed one of the most talented outfields of the era. He finished his career with two seasons for his hometown Florida Marlins.
| Career Batting Stats |
| G |
AB |
H |
R |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
SLG |
OBP |
OPS |
OPS+ |
| 2627 |
9927 |
2774 |
1373 |
438 |
1591 |
314 |
.279 |
.482 |
.323 |
.806 |
114.1 |
|
Where does Andre Dawson rank among baseball greats?
Andre Dawson ranks #17 among the Top 50 all-time at RF. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1987
Though Dawson was a more well-rounded player from 1979-1983, he was a monster in '87. I can't agree with his selection as Most Valuable Player, but he had a fabulous season for a very mediocre team. — Dan Holmes
Several sources claim Dawson signed a blank major league contract with the Chicago Cubs in 1987. This is not completely true. Dawson was one of several free agents that off-season who did not receive any offers from teams. Lance Parrish, Tim Raines, Bob Boone, Bob Horner and Rich Gedman were a few of the others. These free agents were later awarded compensation because it was found owners' had agreed to ignore high-price free agents in an effort to drive down the price of players. Dawson eventually signed with the Cubs, his first choice because he had always had success at Wrigley Field. In his years with Montreal he had hit .346 (122-for-353) with 16 homers and a .598 slugging percentage in Wrigley. Dawson originally told the Cubs he would sign a blank contract and allow the team to fill in any salary they saw fit, just so he could get to play 81 games in Chicago. The Cubs refused and settled on a $650,000 contract - still far less than Dawson would have commanded in a "collusion-free" fair market. After his MVP campaign in 1987, the Cubs tore up the contract and re-signed him for $1.8 million./
Factoids
On May 22, 1990, Andre Dawson set a major league record for intentional walks in one game, when he received five in a 16-inning contest.
Where He Played
Right field (1,284 games), center field (1,027), left field (39)
Born
Andre Nolan Dawson was born on July 10, 1954, in Miami, FL.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
College: Florida A&M
Major League Debut
9 11,
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1976
Andre Dawson
Dale Murphy
Willie Wilson
Garry Templeton
Dennis Martinez
Bruce Sutter
Rick Sutcliffe
Joaquin Andujar
Mark Fidrych
Nicknames
Hawk
Uniform Numbers
#10 (1976-1986, 1993-1994), #8 (1987-1992, 1995-1996)
Similar Players
Dave Winfield, Vladimir Guerrero
Related Players
Ellis Valentine, Warren Cromartie, Tim Raines
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 2002 |
BBWAA |
214 |
45.3% |
2003 |
BBWAA |
248 |
50.0% |
2004 |
BBWAA |
253 |
50.0% |
2005 |
BBWAA |
270 |
52.3% |
2006 |
BBWAA |
317 |
61.0% |
2007 |
BBWAA |
309 |
56.7% |
2008 |
BBWAA |
358 |
65.9% |
2009 |
BBWAA |
361 |
67.0% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1981 National League Division Playoffs
1981 National League Championship Series
1989 National League Championship Series
Awards and Honors
1977 NL Rookie of the Year
1980 NL Gold Glove
1981 NL Gold Glove
1982 NL Gold Glove
1983 NL Gold Glove
1984 NL Gold Glove
1985 NL Gold Glove
1987 NL Gold Glove
1987 NL MVP
1988 NL Gold Glove
Feats
On September 24, 1985, Dawson became the second player in major league history to hit two home runs in an inning twice in a career, having previously done it on July 30, 1978.
Milestones
- April 15, 1993: 400th HR...
Batting Feats
Hitting Streaks
19 games (1980)
16 games (1981)
Transactions
June 3, 1975: Drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 11st round of the 1975 amateur draft; November 12, 1986: Granted Free Agency; March 9, 1987: Signed as a Free Agent with the Chicago Cubs; November 4, 1992: Granted Free Agency; December 9, 1992: Signed as a Free Agent with the Boston Red Sox; October 21, 1994: Granted Free Agency; April 10, 1995: Signed as a Free Agent with the Florida Marlins; November 7, 1995: Granted Free Agency; January 5, 1996: Signed as a Free Agent with the Florida Marlins.
All-Star Selections
1981 NL
1982 NL
1983 NL
1987 NL
1988 NL
1989 NL
1990 NL
1991 NL
Replaced
Jerry White, Ellis Valentine, and Pepe Mangual all played in center in 1976, before Dawson got the nod.
Replaced By
Dawson was a DH the last few years of his career, often a part-time DH. His last starting job in the outfield was as the Cubs' right fielder in 1992. After he left for the Red Sox in '93, Sammy Sosa took his spot in right for Chicago.
Best Strength as a Player
Power to all fields, and his throwing arm. Prior to his knee problems, he was also very fast.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Dawson never walked more than 44 times in one season. He was a free-swinger.
Learn More about Andre Dawson
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