Tim Cullen
Encyclopedia
This article is about the baseball player. For the article about the Wisconsin state politician, see Timothy Cullen (Wisconsin politician)
. For the article about the former World Bank spokesman see Tim Cullen (International Development)
.
Timothy Leo Cullen (born February 16, 1942 in San Francisco, California
) is a former infielder
in Major League Baseball
who played for the Washington Senators
(1966–67, 1968–71), Chicago White Sox
(1968) and Oakland Athletics
(1972). He batted and threw right-handed.
In a six-season career, Cullen was a .220 hitter
with nine home run
s and 134 RBI
in 700 games
.
A star baseball
and basketball
player at Junípero Serra
High School in San Mateo, California
, Cullen was selected an All-CAL infielder
twice and an All-CAL guard
as a senior. Later, he was a two-sport star at Santa Clara University
and played in the College World Series
.
Originally signed by the Boston Red Sox
as an amateur free agent
in 1964, Cullen debuted with the Senators in 1966. A Topps
Rookie All-Star in his inaugural season, he appeared in the 1972 World Series
with Oakland. Like Gonzalo Márquez
, Cullen was a valuable utility for the World Championship team providing support from the bench during the regular season.
In his career, Cullen was a competent infielder with good instincts and an avid student of the game; but he couldn’t helped himself with the bat. Even when he hit in the low .200s, Cullen's glove was enough to get him a considerable playing time. He was an above-average major league second baseman
and an adequate shortstop
and third baseman
as well. Nevertheless, a rare feat earned him a place in baseball's record book.
In February 1968, Cullen was sent to the White Sox a deal for, among others, shortstop Ron Hansen
. In a curious movement, he was then shipped back mid-season to Washington for Hansen, making them the only two players in MLB history to be traded for one another twice in the same season.
Currently a resident of Fresno, California
, Cullen serves as the vice president of special projects for the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies
, a SF Giants
minor league
affiliate team.
Timothy Cullen (Wisconsin politician)
Timothy Cullen is a Democratic member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 15th District since 2011, and previously from 1975 through 1989.-Early life, education and career:...
. For the article about the former World Bank spokesman see Tim Cullen (International Development)
Tim Cullen (International Development)
Tim Cullen is a former Chief Spokesman and Director of Information and Public Affairs of the World Bank and Executive Director of the Small Countries Financial Management Centre. He is an Associate Fellow of the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford where he directs and teaches on the...
.
Timothy Leo Cullen (born February 16, 1942 in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
) is a former infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
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 for the Washington Senators
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...
(1966–67, 1968–71), Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
(1968) and Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
(1972). He batted and threw right-handed.
In a six-season career, Cullen was a .220 hitter
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 :...
with nine home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 134 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
in 700 games
Games played
Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...
.
A star baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player at Junípero Serra
Junípero Serra
Blessed Junípero Serra, O.F.M., , known as Fra Juníper Serra in Catalan, his mother tongue was a Majorcan Franciscan friar who founded the mission chain in Alta California of the Las Californias Province in New Spain—present day California, United States. Fr...
High School in San Mateo, California
San Mateo, California
San Mateo is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of approximately 100,000 , it is one of the larger suburbs on the San Francisco Peninsula, located between Burlingame to the north, Foster City to the east, Belmont to the south,...
, Cullen was selected an All-CAL infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
twice and an All-CAL guard
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
as a senior. Later, he was a two-sport star at Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...
and played in the College World Series
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
.
Originally signed by the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
as an amateur free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
in 1964, Cullen debuted with the Senators in 1966. A Topps
Topps
The Topps Company, Inc., manufactures chewing gum, candy and collectibles. Based in New York, New York, Topps is best known as a leading producer of baseball cards, football cards, basketball cards, hockey cards and other sports and non-sports themed trading cards.-Company history:Topps itself was...
Rookie All-Star in his inaugural season, he appeared in the 1972 World Series
1972 World Series
The 1972 World Series matched the American League champion Oakland Athletics against the National League champion Cincinnati Reds, with the A's winning in seven games. These two teams would meet again in the fall classic eighteen years later...
with Oakland. Like Gonzalo Márquez
Gonzalo Márquez
Gonzalo Enrique Márquez Moya was a professional baseball first baseman. A left-handed batter, he played parts of three seasons in Major League Baseball for the Oakland Athletics and Chicago Cubs...
, Cullen was a valuable utility for the World Championship team providing support from the bench during the regular season.
In his career, Cullen was a competent infielder with good instincts and an avid student of the game; but he couldn’t helped himself with the bat. Even when he hit in the low .200s, Cullen's glove was enough to get him a considerable playing time. He was an above-average major league second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
and an adequate shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
and third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
as well. Nevertheless, a rare feat earned him a place in baseball's record book.
In February 1968, Cullen was sent to the White Sox a deal for, among others, shortstop Ron Hansen
Ron Hansen (baseball)
Ronald Lavern Hansen is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the Baltimore Orioles , Chicago White Sox , Washington Senators , New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals...
. In a curious movement, he was then shipped back mid-season to Washington for Hansen, making them the only two players in MLB history to be traded for one another twice in the same season.
Currently a resident of Fresno, California
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
, Cullen serves as the vice president of special projects for the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies
Fresno Grizzlies
The Fresno Grizzlies are a minor league baseball team based in Fresno, California. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League , is the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club. The Grizzlies play in Chukchansi Park , located in downtown Fresno and built in 2002...
, a SF 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....
minor league
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
affiliate team.