Lou Piniella
In the Kansas City Royals first season, Lou Piniella was their best player, winning the Rookie of the Year Award. Later, the hard-hitting outfielder was dealt to the New York Yankees, where he spent 11 seasons, batting over .300 five times and providing fiery leadership. In 1986, he joined the long list of guys who replaced Billy Martin as manager of the Yankees, survived a few seasons, and was replaced in 1988 - by Martin. Later in Cincinnati, Piniella became the first manager to work for two of the game's most demanding owners - George Steinbrenner and Marge Schott. In his first season in Cincinnati, in 1990, his Reds stunned the favored Oakland A's and won the World Series. Within three years he was in Seattle, where he spent a decade guiding the young, talented Mariners. Under his tutelage, the M's made their first post-season appearance in 1995, and in 2001, they set an American League record with 116 victories. Later, Piniella, known for giving young players a chance (something he didn't get from the first few teams who had him under contract) and for his hot temper, returned to his hometown to manage the overmatched Devil Rays, and in 2007, took the high-profile job at the helm of the Chicago Cubs.
| Career Batting Stats |
| G |
AB |
H |
R |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
SLG |
OBP |
OPS |
OPS+ |
| 1747 |
5867 |
1705 |
651 |
102 |
766 |
32 |
.291 |
.409 |
.333 |
.741 |
105.1 |
|
Quotes From Lou Piniella
"I can start to see some of the ways this team lost ballgames. I can see it. We've got to correct it, obviously." — Lou Piniella, on April 13, 2007, after the Cubs blew a five-run lead against the Reds
"I like the number six... it's a good number. If you score that many runs in a game, you should win. I like that number, it's a number that should allow you to win with regularity." — Lou Piniella
Teams Lou Piniella Managed
New York Yankees (1986-1988)
Cincinnati Reds (1990-1992)
Seattle Mariners (1993-2002)
Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2003-2004)
Best Season: 1972
Playing left field for the Royals, Piniella made the All-Star team with a .312 average, 179 hits, 33 doubles, 11 homers, and 72 RBI.
Most Times Ejected, Manager, All-Time
1. John McGraw... 131
2. Leo Durocher... 124
3. Bobby Cox... 117
4. Earl Weaver... 98
5. Frankie Frisch... 86
6. Paul Richards... 80
7. Tony LaRussa... 73
8. Lou Piniella...71
9. Clark Griffith... 67
10. Bill Dahlen... 65
11. Joe Torre... 64
Source: Doug Pappas and SABR
Description
Piniella was tall, big-chested, with twig-like legs, and he was fairly slow afoot. He swiped 32 bases in his 18 seasons, but was thrown out 41 times.
Where He Played
Left field, and DH a little.
Born
Louis Victor Piniella was born on August 28, 1943, in Tampa, FL.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Major League Debut
9 4,
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1964
Tony Perez
Bert Campaneris
Don Kessinger
Paul Blair
Lou Piniella
Phil Niekro
Luis Tiant
Mel Stottlemyre
Mickey Stanley
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1990 |
BBWAA |
2 |
.5% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1976 American League Championship Series
1976 World Series
1977 American League Championship Series
1977 World Series
1978 American League Championship Series
1978 World Series
1980 American League Championship Series
1981 American League Division Playoffs
1981 American League Championship Series
1981 World Series
Awards and Honors
1969 AL Rookie of the Year
2008 NL Manager of the Year
Hitting Streaks
18 games (1971)
All-Star Selections
1972 AL
Best Strength as a Player
Piniella punished left-handed batters for a .313 average and .450 slugging mark. He posted just a .367 slugging average against right-handers and batted .267. The platoon differential was especially evident later in his career.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Piniella had very poor range in the outfield defensively. He was maybe the slowest outfielder in the American League during the 1970s.
Learn More about Lou Piniella
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