Tony Gwynn
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Anthony Keith "Tony " Gwynn (born May 9, 1960 in Los Angeles, California) is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. One of the best hitters of all-time, Gwynn played for the San Diego Padres (1982-2001). He threw and batted left-handed.
A graduate of San Diego State University - where he also played basketball and set a school record for assists, Gwynn broke in with San Diego as a part-time outfielder in 1982, appearing in 54 games and batting .289. It would be the last time he would hit below .300 in the major leagues. Gwynn's breakthrough season was in 1984, when he hit .351, won the first of his eight batting titles (tying him with Honus Wagner for the National League record), and made the first of his 15 All-Star appearances.
Nicknamed "Captain Video" because of the extensive collection of videotapes he kept, Gwynn constantly studied his swing to improve his hitting.
Gwynn was also proficient with a glove for most of his career, winning five consecutive Gold Glove Awards (1986-91). Primarily a right fielder, in 1989 Gwynn split time between right and center field. In 1994 Gwynn batted .394; the highest batting average in the National League since Bill Terry hit .401 in 1930 and the highest in the majors since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. Had the season not been shortened by a strike, Gwynn might have become the first batter to eclipse the .400 mark in more than 50 years.
Gwynn retired in 2001 with a total of 3,141 hits and a lifetime batting average of .338. He played his entire career with the Padres, a rarity in the 1980s and 1990s, and is considered by many to be the best player to ever wear a Padres jersey. Gwynn becomes eligible for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007. His jersey number 19 was retired by San Diego in 2004.
After his retirement, Gwynn worked as a color commentator for the ESPN network and head baseball coach at his alma mater, San Diego State. SDSU's baseball stadium, which was largely funded out of his own pocket, is named after him. Gwynn's brother, Chris, was an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Royals, and San Diego Padres (1987-96) [1] (http://www.baseball-reference.com/g/gwynnch01.shtml).
Gwynn is also the father of R&B artist Anisha Nicole.
Career statistics
YEAR | TEAM | LG | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | CS | BA |
1982 | SD | N | 54 | 190 | 33 | 55 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 8 | 3 | .289 |
1983 | SD | N | 86 | 304 | 34 | 94 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 37 | 23 | 21 | 7 | 4 | .309 |
1984 | SD | N | 158 | 606 | 88 | 213 | 21 | 10 | 5 | 71 | 59 | 23 | 33 | 18 | .351 |
1985 | SD | N | 154 | 622 | 90 | 197 | 29 | 5 | 6 | 46 | 45 | 33 | 14 | 11 | .317 |
1986 | SD | N | 160 | 642 | 107 | 211 | 33 | 7 | 14 | 59 | 52 | 35 | 37 | 9 | .329 |
1987 | SD | N | 157 | 589 | 119 | 218 | 36 | 13 | 7 | 54 | 82 | 35 | 56 | 12 | .370 |
1988 | SD | N | 133 | 521 | 64 | 163 | 22 | 5 | 7 | 70 | 51 | 40 | 26 | 11 | .313 |
1989 | SD | N | 158 | 604 | 82 | 203 | 27 | 7 | 4 | 62 | 56 | 30 | 40 | 16 | .336 |
1990 | SD | N | 141 | 573 | 79 | 177 | 29 | 10 | 4 | 72 | 44 | 23 | 17 | 8 | .309 |
1991 | SD | N | 134 | 530 | 69 | 168 | 27 | 11 | 4 | 62 | 34 | 19 | 8 | 8 | .317 |
1992 | SD | N | 128 | 520 | 77 | 165 | 27 | 3 | 6 | 41 | 46 | 16 | 3 | 6 | .317 |
1993 | SD | N | 122 | 489 | 70 | 175 | 41 | 3 | 7 | 59 | 36 | 19 | 14 | 1 | .358 |
1994 | SD | N | 110 | 419 | 79 | 165 | 35 | 1 | 12 | 64 | 48 | 19 | 5 | 0 | .394 |
1995 | SD | N | 135 | 535 | 82 | 197 | 33 | 1 | 9 | 90 | 35 | 15 | 17 | 5 | .368 |
1996 | SD | N | 116 | 451 | 67 | 159 | 27 | 2 | 3 | 50 | 39 | 17 | 11 | 4 | .353 |
1997 | SD | N | 149 | 592 | 97 | 220 | 49 | 2 | 17 | 119 | 43 | 28 | 12 | 5 | .372 |
1998 | SD | N | 127 | 461 | 65 | 148 | 35 | 0 | 16 | 69 | 35 | 18 | 3 | 1 | .321 |
1999 | SD | N | 111 | 411 | 59 | 139 | 27 | 0 | 10 | 62 | 29 | 14 | 7 | 2 | .338 |
2000 | SD | N | 36 | 127 | 17 | 41 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 1 | .323 |
2001 | SD | N | 71 | 102 | 5 | 33 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | .324 |
G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | CS | BA | |||
20 Seasons | 2440 | 9288 | 1383 | 3141 | 543 | 85 | 135 | 1138 | 790 | 434 | 319 | 125 | .338 |
Categories: Major league right fielders | San Diego Padres players | 1984 National League All-Stars | 1985 National League All-Stars | 1986 National League All-Stars | 1987 National League All-Stars | 1989 National League All-Stars | 1990 National League All-Stars | 1991 National League All-Stars | 1992 National League All-Stars | 1993 National League All-Stars | 1994 National League All-Stars | 1995 National League All-Stars | 1996 National League All-Stars | 1997 National League All-Stars | 1998 National League All-Stars | 1999 National League All-Stars | College baseball coaches | College basketball players | Sports announcers | 1960 births | People from California | African American athletes | San Diego sports