Daniel Edmund Norman (born January 11, 1955) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

right fielder A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...

, who played for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

and

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB). His professional career started in the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

organization but he never played a major league game for the Reds.

Cincinnati Reds

After playing at Barstow College, Norman was drafted by the

in the 15th round of the 1974 amateur draft. He was the 357th overall selection. After signing with the Reds, Norman joined the

Billings Mustangs The Billings Mustangs are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Billings, Montana, and have played their home games at Dehler ...

of the Pioneer League, the Reds' rookie league affiliate. One of his teammates on the Mustangs was the Reds 5th round draft choice, left fielder Steve Henderson, whose career often intersected Norman's. In 68 games for the Mustangs in 1974, Norman put up an impressive

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

of .297 and a

slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player, ...

of .441. In 1975, Norman was promoted to the Reds' class A affiliate, the

Tampa Tarpons The Tampa Tarpons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Tampa, Florida. The Tarpons play their home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field, which is ...

of the

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

. Playing again alongside Henderson, Norman played 129 games with a batting average of .273 and a slugging percentage of .393. In 1976, Norman was promoted to the Reds' class AA affiliate, the Trois-Rivières (Three Rivers) Aigles of the Eastern League. There (once again playing alongside Henderson) Norman played 134 games, repeating his batting average from 1975 of .273, and putting up a slugging percentage of .454. This earned Norman a promotion to the Reds' AAA affiliate, the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which open ...

of the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

for the 1977 season. Through June 15, 1977, Norman, again playing alongside Henderson, played 60 games for the Indians, with a batting average of .249 and a slugging percentage of .411. On June 15, 1977, Norman and Henderson were traded from the Reds to the

, along with

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. ...

Doug Flynn Robert Douglas Flynn, Jr. (born April 18, 1951) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1975 to 1985 as an infielder for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Montreal Expos a ...

and

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

Pat Zachry Patrick Paul Zachry (born April 24, 1952) is a former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched in Major League Baseball from to , and is likely best remembered as one of the players the Cincinnati Reds sent to the New York Mets in the infamous " ...

in exchange for star pitcher

Tom Seaver George Thomas Seaver (November 17, 1944 – August 31, 2020), nicknamed "Tom Terrific" and "the Franchise", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the New York Mets, Cinc ...

. Met fans still refer to events of that night as "The Midnight Massacre", mourning the loss of both

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

pitcher Seaver and home run leader

Dave Kingman David Arthur Kingman (born December 21, 1948), nicknamed "Kong," "King Kong," and "Sky King", is a former Major League Baseball left fielder, first baseman, third baseman, and designated hitter who was a three-time MLB All-Star with 442 career hom ...

in trades that night.

New York Mets

Although Henderson was immediately promoted to the Mets major league team, Norman was sent to the Mets AAA affiliate, the

Tidewater Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...

of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

. In 80 games with the Tides Norman posted a batting average of .264, and on-base percentage of .344 and a slugging percentage of .435. Norman was called up to the Mets late in the season, making his Major League debut with the Mets on September 27, 1977 against the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

. In total he played 7 games for the Mets in 1977, getting 4 hits in 16 at-bats for a .250 batting average. He also drew 4 walks, giving him an on-base percentage of .400. Norman spent the 1978 and 1979 seasons alternating between Tidewater and the Mets. In 1978 he played 19 games for the Mets, getting his first Major League home run, and posting a batting average of .266, an on-base percentage of .284 and a slugging percentage of .484. In 1979 he played 44 games with the Mets, with a batting average of .245, an on-base percentage of .311 and a slugging percentage of .373. 1980 was Norman's only complete season in the Major Leagues. He played in 69 games for the Mets, but his batting average was a poor .185. With just 2 home runs and 6 walks, both his on-base percentage and slugging percentage were under .300. He was demoted back to Tidewater for the 1981 season. Norman played 40 games for Tidewater in 1981, with a batting average of .247. On May 29, 1981 he was traded along with pitcher

Jeff Reardon Jeffrey James Reardon (born October 1, 1955) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1979–1994 with the New York Mets, Montreal Expos, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta B ...

to the

in exchange for right fielder

Ellis Valentine Ellis Clarence Valentine (born July 30, 1954) is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He is remembered for having one of the all-time great throwing arms. "There's a plateau where you can't throw the ball any harder and you can't be any m ...

Montreal Expos

Norman spent the latter part of the 1981 season playing for the Montreal Expos AAA affiliate, the

Denver Bears Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

of the

. He played in 73 games for Denver with 11 home runs, a batting average of .272, an on-base percentage of .348 and a slugging percentage of .490. In 1982 Norman split his time between the Expos Major League team and their new AAA affiliate, the

Wichita Aeros The Wichita Aeros were an American minor league baseball franchise based in Wichita, Kansas, that played in the Triple-A American Association from 1970 through 1984. The Aeros were established as an expansion franchise when the Association grew ...

. He played in 53 games for the Expos, getting 66 at-bats. With a batting average of just .212, that was Norman's last season in the Major Leagues. He continued to bounce around the minor leagues through the 1987 season, ending his professional career at age 32.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
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Venezuelan Winter League
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norman, Dan 1955 births Living people African-American baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Canada Barstow Vikings baseball players Baseball players from Los Angeles Billings Mustangs players Birmingham Barons players Charlotte O's players Denver Bears players Hagerstown Suns players Indianapolis Indians players Major League Baseball outfielders Miami Marlins (FSL) players Midland Cubs players Minor league baseball managers Montreal Expos players New York Mets players Tampa Tarpons (1957–1987) players Tiburones de La Guaira players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Tidewater Tides players Tigres de Aragua players Trois-Rivières Aigles players West Palm Beach Tropics players Wichita Aeros players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople Junior college baseball coaches in the United States African-American baseball coaches