Daniel Jay Graham (born July 19, 1954) is an
American former
professional baseball player who appeared in 143
games
A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such ...
in the
Major Leagues – largely as a
catcher – for the
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...
() and
Baltimore Orioles (–). He threw
right-handed, batted
left-handed, stood tall and weighed .
Graham broke into professional baseball as a
third baseman. He was selected by the Twins in the fifth round of the
1975 Major League Baseball Draft
First round selections
The following are the first round picks in the 1975 Major League Baseball draft. Many baseball draft experts consider the 1975 draft to be the weakest in MLB history.
Other notable selections
''*'' Did not sign
N ...
and three times exceeded 20
home runs
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
during his
minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...
career. After debuting in MLB by going
hitless in two June games for the 1979 Twins, he was acquired by Baltimore that off-season and optioned to the
Triple-A Rochester Red Wings
The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field ...
to begin the campaign. In 16 games, he
batted .346 with four home runs, earning a call-up to the Orioles in May. In his second game, May 10 against the
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...
at
County Stadium, he started at catcher and collected his first MLB hit, and homer, off
Lary Sorensen. In his next two starts, May 13–14 against the
Texas Rangers at
Memorial Stadium, Graham had seven hits in nine
at bats, including his second big-league home run. His success at the plate led
manager Earl Weaver to use him on a semi-regular basis, along with right-handed-hitting
Rick Dempsey. Graham started 65 games at catcher, with Dempsey starting 95.
For the season, Graham hit 15 home runs and drove home 54
runs batted in in 286
plate appearances
In baseball statistics, a player is credited with a plate appearance (denoted by PA) each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the Official Baseball Rules, a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runner ...
, batting .278.
In 1981, Graham spent his only full season in the Majors, but his production plummeted to only 25 hits in 142 at-bats (.176) with two home runs. He finished his pro career with Rochester in 1982.
References
External links
, o
Retrosheet o
Venezuelan Winter League
1954 births
Living people
Baltimore Orioles players
Baseball players from Arizona
La Verne Leopards baseball players
Major League Baseball catchers
Mesa Thunderbirds baseball players
Minnesota Twins players
Orlando Twins players
People from Ray, Arizona
Sportspeople from Pinal County, Arizona
Reno Silver Sox players
Rochester Red Wings players
Tacoma Twins players
Tiburones de La Guaira players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Tigres de Aragua players
Wisconsin Rapids Twins players
Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks players
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