Delino DeShields

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This article is about the baseball coach and former player. For his son and active player, see Delino DeShields Jr.
Delino DeShields
Delino DeShields managing Dayton 2011-04-15 (cropped).jpg
DeShields managing the Dayton Dragons in 2011
Cincinnati Reds – No. 90
Second baseman / First Base Coach
Born: (1969-01-15) January 15, 1969 (age 52)
Seaford, Delaware
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 9, 1990, for the Montreal Expos
Last MLB appearance
August 8, 2002, for the Chicago Cubs
MLB statistics
Batting average.268
Home runs80
Runs batted in561
Stolen bases463
Teams
As player

As coach

  • Cincinnati Reds (2019–present)

Delino Lamont DeShields (born January 15, 1969), also nicknamed "Bop", is an American former professional baseball second baseman and current first base coach for the Cincinnati Reds. He played for thirteen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles, and Chicago Cubs between 1990 and 2002. He managed the Louisville Bats in the Cincinnati Reds organization from 2012-2017.[1] His son Delino DeShields Jr. plays for the Cincinnati Reds and his daughter Diamond DeShields plays for the Chicago Sky.

Early life[]

DeShields was born in Seaford, Delaware where he was raised by his mother and grandmother. He was an All-American in baseball and basketball at Seaford High School. DeShields signed a letter of intent to play college basketball at Villanova University. However, after being selected as the 12th overall pick in the 1987 MLB draft, he chose a career in baseball; he signed for $130,000 with the Montreal Expos.[2]

Career[]

DeShields made his Major League debut on Opening Day of the 1990 season for the Expos. He recorded four hits in his debut, the most for a debutant in the National League since Mack Jones 29 seasons earlier.[3] He became the regular second baseman for the Expos in 1990,[4] finishing in second place for the NL Rookie of the Year award.[5] He suffered from a sophomore slump in 1991, but went on to post his two best years in 1992 and 1993, hitting .294 and averaging 45 stolen bases.

On November 19, 1993, DeShields was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for then-prospect Pedro Martínez. In retrospect, this is considered one of the worst trades in Dodgers history.[6] DeShields hit .241 during his three years in Los Angeles, while Martinez went on to win three Cy Young Awards and established himself among the greatest pitchers of all time.

In 1996, DeShields signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Cardinals, and later played with the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs. In 2001, he was the last out in Hideo Nomo's no-hitter against the Baltimore Orioles.

After playing career[]

DeShields is the co-founder of the Urban Baseball League. He also travels with Oil Can Boyd to promote baseball in African American communities.

DeShields was the manager for the Dayton Dragons, a single-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds organization for the 2011 and 2012 seasons.[7] On December 12, 2012, it was announced that DeShields would become the manager for the Cincinnati Reds AA minor league team, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos[8] for the 2013 season. On December 1, 2014 DeShields became manager of the Louisville Bats, replacing Jim Riggleman.[9]

Personal[]

DeShields is married to Michelle Elliott DeShields, an educator and television host for the PBS series Georgia Traveler airing on Georgia Public Broadcasting. He has five children; four from his first marriage, Delino Jr., Diamond, D'Angelo and Denim; and one from his current marriage, Delaney. His children from his earlier marriage both followed in his footsteps and became professional athletes. Delino Jr. is an outfielder who plays for the Round Rock Express, a Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB) [10] and Diamond is a basketball player for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).[11][12]

DeShields tips his cap after every managerial win in tribute to Little League coach Peter Kilroy, who was the original baseball role model in his life.[citation needed]

Highlights[]

  • Named State Baseball Player of the Year in 1986.
  • Placed second in Rookie of the Year Award voting in 1990
  • Led National League in triples (14, 1997)
  • 9-time top 10 finisher among NL base stealers (1990–98)
  • His career 463 stolen bases ranks him 44th on the all-time list
  • Wore his socks just below the knee, to honor the players of the defunct Negro leagues
  • Inducted into the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame in 2006.
  • Inducted into the in 2010.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Reds make big changes to minor league coaching staffs | Redleg Nation". Redleg Nation. 2018-01-18. Retrieved 2018-05-15.
  2. ^ Greenstein, Teddy (July 29, 2001). "Not a stay-at-home fellow". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  3. ^ "Batting Game Finder". Stathead.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  4. ^ "1990 Montreal Expos Lineups and Defense". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  5. ^ "1990 Awards Voting". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  6. ^ Newhan, Ross (22 April 2008). "A Long-Term Trade Deficit". Los Angeles Times. pp. D–7.
  7. ^ [1]
  8. ^ http://www.pnj.com/article/20121212/SPORTS/121212004/Delino-DeShields-manage-Blue-Wahoos-2013
  9. ^ Sheldon, Mark. "DeShields to manage Louisville". Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  10. ^ "Delino DeShields Stats, Fantasy & News".
  11. ^ "diamond-deshields". ESPN.com.
  12. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-10-12. Retrieved 2010-06-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

External links[]

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