Lee Stevens
Encyclopedia
DeWain Lee Stevens is a former first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...

 and designated hitter
Designated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...

 drafted by the California Angels out of Lawrence High School (Kansas)
Lawrence High School (Kansas)
Lawrence High School is a fully accredited public high school located in Lawrence, Kansas, serving students in grades 9-12. The school is one of the two public high schools located in the city. Lawrence High enrolled 1,260 students in the 2007-2008 school year...

 in the first round of the 1986 amateur draft
1986 Major League Baseball Draft
The 1986 Major League Baseball Draft was the 22nd MLB draft that took place in 1986. During this draft, five all-stars were drafted in five different teams.-First round selections:...

 in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 who played from to and from to for the California Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...

, Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...

, Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...

, and Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...

.

A highly regarded prospect, Stevens batted .314 with 19 home runs for the Edmonton Trappers
Edmonton Trappers
The Edmonton Trappers were a minor league baseball team in the Pacific Coast League, ending with the 2004 season. Home games were played at Telus Field in downtown Edmonton, Alberta, Canada....

 in 1991. The Angels considered him heir apparent to popular but light-hitting first baseman Wally Joyner
Wally Joyner
Wallace Keith "Wally" Joyner is a former first baseman and hitting coach in Major League Baseball. He played for four major league teams during a 16-year career, most notably for the California Angels, for whom he was an All-Star...

. However, in parts of three seasons he hit just .225 with little power.

After a three-year absence from the majors, including an American Association
American Association (20th century)
The American Association was a minor league baseball league at the Triple-A level of baseball in the United States from to and to . Together with the International League, it contested the Junior World Series which determined the championship team in minor league baseball, at least for the...

 MVP season in 1996 where he hit 32 home runs, Stevens resurfaced with the Texas Rangers with more success. He batted
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

 .300 for the Rangers, and had five consecutive 20 home run seasons with the Rangers and Expos.

Stevens also played two seasons for the Kintetsu Buffaloes
Kintetsu Buffaloes
The was a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Osaka, Japan, which were in the Pacific League. The team was owned by Kinki Nippon Railway Co. and later sold to the Orix Group, the owner of the Orix BlueWave baseball team, in 2004...

 in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 (-).

To this day, the trees behind the outfield fence at Ice Field at Lawrence High School are called "Lee's Trees".

External links

  • http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Lee_Stevens
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