Dave Stapleton (infielder)

David Leslie Stapleton (born January 16, 1954 in Fairhope, Alabama) is a former Major League Baseball player who played for the Boston Red Sox from 1980 to 1986. Stapleton attended University of South Alabama.

Professional career

Stapleton was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the tenth round (231st overall) of the 1975 amateur baseball draft and over the next five years worked his way up the Red Sox minor league system playing for Winter Haven, Bristol and Pawtucket.

He made his first appearance for the Red Sox on May 30, 1980. During his time with the Red Sox, he primarily served as a utility player, covering first base, second base, shortstop and third base as well as playing in the outfield and serving as designated hitter.

In 1982 and 1983 he served as the team's first baseman, losing the job to Bill Buckner in 1984. From 1984 to 1986, Stapleton only played 82 games for the Red Sox.

Stapleton is most remembered in Boston by Red Sox fans in relation to the 1986 World Series. During the year, Stapleton was frequently called in as a late inning defensive replacement for the ailing Buckner. During Game 6 of the World Series, Red Sox manager John McNamara left Buckner in the game, leading to the infamous Mookie Wilson ground ball that went through Buckner's legs, giving the New York Mets a come-from-behind win in the tenth inning. The Mets went on to win the Series four games to three.

After the 1986 season, Stapleton became a free agent and signed with the Seattle Mariners, but was released on March 31, 1987 prior to the start of the regular season.

In his career, Stapleton batted .271 (550-2028), with 41 home runs, 224 RBI, 238 runs, 118 doubles, eight triple, six stolen bases, a .310 on-base percentage, and 807 total bases for a .398 slugging average.^[1] Among major leaguers who played at least seven seasons, Stapleton is the only hitter in history whose batting average dropped in each successive season over his career.

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
• MLB.com Historical records for Dave Stapleton
• Dave Stapleton Baseball Library
• Dave Stapleton The Baseball Page
• Box score from his last game: The Baseball Almanac