David S. Collins (born October 20, 1952) is a former
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...
in
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), ...
from to .
Collins is one of three players to have made it to the major leagues who played for the Rapid City Post 22
American Legion baseball program in
Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...
. The other two are
Kelvin Torve and
Mark Ellis. All three were graduates of
Stevens High School in Rapid City. Collins currently holds the Toronto Blue Jays single season stolen base record with 60 steals in 1984.
Playing career
Minors
David S. Collins was drafted in the first round of the 1972 draft from
Mesa Community College by the
California Angels. Collins made his professional debut with the Angels Rookie ball team in
Idaho Falls
Idaho Falls ( Shoshoni: Dembimbosaage) is a city in and the county seat of Bonneville County, Idaho, United States. It is the state's largest city outside the Boise metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of Idaho Falls was 6 ...
and moved up through the Angels farm system, with stops in Single-A
Quad City and
Salinas, Double-A
El Paso
El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...
and Triple-A
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...
. Collins was dubbed "fastest white man in baseball" because he ran the
100-yard dash
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length&nb ...
in 9.6 seconds and had high
stolen base totals.
California Angels
Collins made his major league debut for the Angels on June 7, 1975, playing left field and batting leadoff, against the
Milwaukee Brewers. Collins recorded his first career hit the following day against Brewers pitcher
Tom Murphy.
Seattle Mariners
After two seasons as a utility player and reserve outfielder with the Angels, Collins was selected by the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...
with the 14th pick in the
1976 Major League Baseball expansion draft
The 1976 MLB Expansion Draft was held November 5, 1976. This expansion draft was conducted by Major League Baseball to stock the major league rosters of the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners, new major league expansion franchises establis ...
. Collins was the first batter for the Mariners in their first game, and scored the franchise's first run two days later.
Cincinnati Reds
After that 1977 season, the Mariners traded Collins to the
Cincinnati Reds for
Shane Rawley
Shane may refer to:
People
* Shane (actress) (born 1969), American pornographic actress
* Shane (New Zealand singer) (born 1946)
* iamnotshane (born 1995), formerly known as Shane, American singer
* Shane (name), a masculine given name and a su ...
, and Collins spent the subsequent four seasons with the Reds. Collins hit .318 in 1979 and .303 in 1980 (8th in National League) and also scored 94 runs (7th in National League) and stole 79 bases (3rd in National League).
New York Yankees
Collins was signed by the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
as a free agent prior to the 1982 season.
Toronto Blue Jays
Collins was traded by the Yankees, along with
Mike Morgan,
Fred McGriff
Frederick Stanley McGriff (born October 31, 1963) is an American former first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for six teams from 1986 through 2004. He was one of the most consistently productive powers hitters of the 1990s, post ...
and cash to the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
in 1983 for
Tom Dodd and
Dale Murray. Collins hit .271 and .308 in his two seasons in Toronto, and currently holds the
Blue Jays single season stolen base record with 60 steals in 1984. Collins also led the American league with 15 triples hit in 1984.
Oakland A's
Collins was traded in December 1984 by the Blue Jays, along with
Alfredo Griffin
Alfredo Claudino Baptist Read Griffin (born October 6, 1957) is a Dominican former professional baseball player. He played shortstop in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four teams from 1976 to 1993.
Playing career
Griffin began his career as a m ...
and cash, to the
Oakland Athletics, in exchange for
Bill Caudill
William Holland Caudill (born July 13, 1956) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Caudill was one of the top closers in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to .
Early years
Caudill attended Aviation High School in Redondo Beach, C ...
. Collins hit .251 in 112 games for Oakland during the 1985 season.
Detroit Tigers
Collins was then traded to the
Detroit Tigers for
Bárbaro Garbey
Bárbaro Garbey ( ; born December 4, 1956) is a former Major League Baseball utility player and minor league coach. Garbey played in the outfield, at first and third bases, and also served as designated hitter.
Playing Career
Garbey defected fr ...
in November 1985. As a part-time outfielder with Detroit, Collins hit .270 and stole 27 bases.
Montreal Expos
Picked up by the
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 ...
as a free agent after the season, Collins was cut during spring training.
Cincinnati Reds
Collins was signed by the
Cincinnati Reds, with whom he had previously had the most success. Used as a fourth outfielder/pinch hitter by the Reds, Collins found some success, hitting .294 in 1987, but his average dropped to .236 in 1988. In 1989, he was released.
St. Louis Cardinals
Collins' last season was in 1990, with the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
, batting .224 in 99 games as a first baseman.
Career statistics
In 1701 games over 16 seasons, Collins compiled a .272
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 ...
(1335-for-4907) with 667
runs, 187
doubles, 52
triples, 32
home runs, 373
RBI, 395
stolen bases, 467
base on balls, 660
strikeouts
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...
, .338
on-base percentage and .351
slugging percentage. Defensively, Collins recorded a .986
fielding percentage at all three outfield positions and at first base.
Tommy John
Thomas Edward John Jr. (born May 22, 1943), nicknamed "The Bionic Man," is an American retired professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 26 seasons between 1963 and 1989. He played for the Cleveland Indians, ...
thought Collins was a better player on
Astroturf fields (like
Riverfront Stadium
Riverfront Stadium, also known as Cinergy Field from 1996 to 2002, was a multi-purpose stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States that was the home of the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball from 1970 Major League Baseball season, 1970 throug ...
) than natural grass fields (like
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer.
Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the orig ...
).
Retirement
Collins played briefly for the
Fort Myers Sun Sox of the
Senior Professional Baseball Association
The Senior Professional Baseball Association, referred to commonly as the ''Senior League'', was a winter baseball league based in Florida for players age 35 and over, with a minimum age of 32 for catchers. The league began play in 1989 and had ei ...
.
Collins has volunteered at the Lighthouse
Correctional Facility, conducting one-hour motivational and life skills sessions to young offenders, with the hope of enhancing and changing their lives.
Coaching career
Collins coached for various MLB organization, and also coached the Inland Empire 66ers in 2007. In addition to coaching at the Major and Minor League levels, Collins was also the head coach for
Anna High School in
Anna, Ohio
Anna is a village in Shelby County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,567 at the 2010 census.
History
Pre-historical period
The prehistoric Teays River ran through modern-day Anna about 2 million years ago. The Teays river deposited ...
, from 1992 to 1994. Collins was the head baseball and basketball coach for
Lake Orion High School
Lake Orion High School is a public secondary school located in Orion Township, Michigan, United States. It is a part of Lake Orion Community Schools.
"Once a dragon, always a dragon." - Jeff Heath
Athletics
State Championships
* 1925 - Boys' B ...
in
Lake Orion, Michigan
Lake Orion ( ) is a village in the northern outskirts of Metro Detroit in Oakland County, Michigan, United States. The population was 2,973 at the 2010 census. "Lake Orion" can refer to either the village or the much larger Orion Township, of wh ...
, from 1996 to 1998. In 2009, he was assistant coach for the Ontario Blue Jays 18U team. In 2018, Collins was an assistant coach at Miami University Hamilton, with focus on outfield and base running. As of 2019, Collins is an assistant coach at Indiana University Southeast.
See also
*
List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
In baseball statistics, a stolen base is credited to a baserunner when he successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is throwing the ball to home plate. Under Rule 7.01 of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Official Rules, a runner acqu ...
*
List of St. Louis Cardinals coaches
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Dave
1952 births
Living people
American baseball players of Japanese descent
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
Baseball coaches from South Dakota
Baseball players from South Dakota
California Angels players
Cincinnati Reds coaches
Cincinnati Reds players
Colorado Rockies (baseball) coaches
El Paso Diablos players
Detroit Tigers players
Florida Marlins coaches
Fort Myers Sun Sox players
Idaho Falls Angels players
Major League Baseball first base coaches
Major League Baseball left fielders
Mesa Thunderbirds baseball players
Milwaukee Brewers coaches
Minor league baseball managers
Nashville Sounds players
New York Yankees players
Oakland Athletics players
Quad Cities Angels players
Salinas Packers players
Salt Lake City Gulls players
Seattle Mariners players
Sportspeople from Rapid City, South Dakota
St. Louis Cardinals coaches
St. Louis Cardinals players
Toronto Blue Jays players