Steve Stroughter
Encyclopedia
Stephen Lewis Stroughter (Born March 15, 1952 in Visalia, California
) is a former major league baseball designated hitter/left fielder who played for the Seattle Mariners
in . He attended College of the Sequoias
.
Stroughter was originally drafted by the California Angels in the 15th round of the 1970 amateur draft
, but he chose not to sign. He was drafted in the 1971 secondary phase amateur draft by the Chicago Cubs
, but he again did not sign. He was the sixth overall pick in the 1971 secondary phase (active) amateur draft (drafted by the San Francisco Giants
), and he chose to sign. On October 24, 1975, he was purchased by the Angels from the Giants. On April 5, 1979, he was released by the Angels and on June 5, 1979, he was signed by the Mariners. On December 19, 1980, he was traded to the Twins for Mike Bacsik
. On May 28, 1981, he was purchased by the Mariners.
Stroughter spent over a decade in the minors before making his big league debut on April 7, at the age of 30. Pinch-hitting for Jim Essian
, Stroughter grounded out in his first big league at-bat, which was against Doug Corbett
of the Minnesota Twins
.
A solid minor league player who hit for average and some power, Stroughter hit only .170 in 26 big league games (47 at-bats). Perhaps the best game of his career occurred on May 4. He went 2-4 with a home run off of Dennis Martínez
.
He played his final big league game on July 24, 1982. Following his big league career, he returned to the minors and even played baseball in Japan, appearing in 28 games for the Hanshin Tigers
in 1983.
Visalia, California
Visalia is a Central California city situated in the heart of California’s agricultural San Joaquin Valley, approximately southeast of San Francisco and north of Los Angeles...
) is a former major league baseball designated hitter/left fielder who played for the Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
in . He attended College of the Sequoias
College of the Sequoias
College of the Sequoias is a public two-year community college located in Visalia in Tulare County, in California's San Joaquin Valley. The current enrollment of COS is 13,000 students, and the college offers a variety of transfer, vocational, and community-based classes, including the fire/police...
.
Stroughter was originally drafted by the California Angels in the 15th round of the 1970 amateur draft
1970 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1970 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :The regular and secondary phases of the January draft proved more fruitful to major league clubs than the June draft...
, but he chose not to sign. He was drafted in the 1971 secondary phase amateur draft by the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
, but he again did not sign. He was the sixth overall pick in the 1971 secondary phase (active) amateur draft (drafted by the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
), and he chose to sign. On October 24, 1975, he was purchased by the Angels from the Giants. On April 5, 1979, he was released by the Angels and on June 5, 1979, he was signed by the Mariners. On December 19, 1980, he was traded to the Twins for Mike Bacsik
Mike Bacsik (right-handed pitcher)
Michael James Bacsik , was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played most of his career with the Minnesota Twins. Previously, he played with the Texas Rangers, and was invited to spring training with the Seattle Mariners in 1981, but did not make the roster....
. On May 28, 1981, he was purchased by the Mariners.
Stroughter spent over a decade in the minors before making his big league debut on April 7, at the age of 30. Pinch-hitting for Jim Essian
Jim Essian
James Sarkis Essian, Jr. is an American former catcher and occasional infielder for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, and Cleveland Indians. He was signed by the Phillies at age 18, but he only amassed 24 at-bats over three seasons...
, Stroughter grounded out in his first big league at-bat, which was against Doug Corbett
Doug Corbett
Douglas Mitchell Corbett is a former American professional baseball player who was a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball for eight seasons during the 1980s...
of the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
.
A solid minor league player who hit for average and some power, Stroughter hit only .170 in 26 big league games (47 at-bats). Perhaps the best game of his career occurred on May 4. He went 2-4 with a home run off of Dennis Martínez
Dennis Martínez
José Dennis Martínez Emilia , nicknamed "El Presidente" , is a former Major League Baseball pitcher...
.
He played his final big league game on July 24, 1982. Following his big league career, he returned to the minors and even played baseball in Japan, appearing in 28 games for the Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
in 1983.