Leroy Stanton

Leroy Bobby Stanton (April 10, 1946 – March 13, 2019) was a Major League Baseball outfielder. He played all or part of nine seasons in the majors, from 1970 to 1978. He played for the New York Mets, California Angels, and the Seattle Mariners. He also played one season in Japan for the Hanshin Tigers in 1979. He died in a car crash on March 13, 2019.[1]

Leroy Stanton
Stanton in 1978
Right fielder
Born: (1946-04-10)April 10, 1946
Latta, South Carolina
Died: March 13, 2019(2019-03-13) (aged 72)
Florence County, South Carolina
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 10, 1970, for the New York Mets
Last MLB appearance
September 30, 1978, for the Seattle Mariners
MLB statistics
Batting average.244
Home runs77
Runs batted in358
Teams

Professional career

New York Mets

Stanton played two seasons with the Mets. In limited playing time he had five hits in 25 at bats with two RBIs and one double.

On December 10, 1971, Stanton was traded by the Mets with Francisco Estrada, Don Rose, and Nolan Ryan to the California Angels for Jim Fregosi, considered to be one of the worst trades the Mets have ever made.[2]

California Angels

Stanton hit three home runs in a July 10, 1973 game against the Baltimore Orioles to tie an Angels record. He led California with 14 home runs and 82 RBIs in 1975.

Halos Heaven, a Los Angeles Angels blog, ranked Stanton as the 68th best Angel in franchise history saying; "Stanton saw a lot of action as an Angel, never truly excelling into greatness, never swooning into uselessness. That is why he and his 594 games under the Halo stand at number 68."[3]

In five seasons with the Angels Stanton played 594 games with 443 hits, 47 home runs and 242 RBIs. He lost his starting job in right field to Bobby Bonds at the start of the 1976 season after Bonds was acquired from the New York Yankees for Mickey Rivers.

Seattle Mariners

Stanton was selected by the Mariners in the 1976 Major League Baseball expansion draft. In 1977, Stanton hit a career-high 27 home runs for the Mariners.

In two seasons with the M's, Stanton played 226 games, acquiring 180 hits, 30 home runs and 114 RBIs.

References
  1. "Coroner identifies 72-year-old man killed in Florence crash". wmbfnews. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  2. Durso, Joseph (December 10, 1971). "The New York Times: This Day In Sports". archive.nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2020. The Mets' trade of Nolan Ryan for the California Angels' Jim Fregosi was unquestionably the worst in baseball history. Ryan went on to throw seven no-hitters (see May 1) and become the greatest strikeout pitcher of all time. Fregosi, on the downside of his career, batted .232. (2004)
  3. The 100 Greatest Angels - #68, Leroy Stanton halosheaven.com
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