Edward James Milner Jr. (May 21, 1955 – November 2, 2015) was an American

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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

player. He played all or parts of nine seasons 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), ...

for the Cincinnati Reds (1980–86, 1988) and

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

(1987), primarily as a center fielder. Milner batted and threw left-handed.

Baseball career

Milner was drafted out of Central State University in

Wilberforce, Ohio Wilberforce is a census-designated place (CDP) in Greene County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,271 at the 2010 census, up from 1,579 at the 2000 census. History After Wilberforce College was established in 1856, the community was ...

by the Reds in 1976. He was a part of the disappointing transition of the championship Cincinnati Reds teams of the 1970s. The Reds transitioned from players including

Ken Griffey Sr. George Kenneth Griffey (born April 10, 1950) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from through , most notably as a member of the Cincinnati Reds dynasty that won ...

, George Foster, and

Ray Knight Charles Ray Knight (born December 28, 1952) is an American former Major League Baseball infielder best remembered for his time with the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets. Originally drafted by the Reds in the tenth round of the 1970 Major League ...

, taking their chances with players including Milner, Gary Redus, and

Clint Hurdle Clinton Merrick Hurdle (born July 30, 1957) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and manager. Hurdle played for the Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, and St. Louis Cardinals, and managed the Colorado Rock ...

. A highlight of Milner's career was a 20-game

hitting streak In baseball, a hitting streak is the number of consecutive official games in which a player appears and gets at least one base hit. According to the Official Baseball Rules, such a streak is not necessarily ended when a player has at least 1 pla ...

1986 in which he belted 15

home run 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 ...

s. Milner suffered from

cocaine addiction Cocaine dependence is a neurological disorder that is characterized by withdrawal symptoms upon cessation from cocaine use. It also often coincides with cocaine addiction which is a biopsychosocial disorder characterized by persistent use of coc ...

during his baseball career. Commissioner

Peter Ueberroth Peter Victor Ueberroth (; born September 2, 1937) is an American sports and business executive known for his involvement in the Olympics and in Major League Baseball. A Los Angeles-based businessman, he was the chairman of the Los Angeles Olymp ...

suspended him for the entire 1988 season after he relapsed, but he was reinstated before the All-Star break after completing a drug rehabilitation program. The Reds released him on July 31, ending his major league career.

Career statistics

In a nine-year major league career, Milner played in 804 games, accumulating 607 hits in 2,395

at bats In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

for a .253 career

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 ...

along with 42

s, 195

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

and an on-base percentage of .333. Defensively, he finished his career with a .987 fielding percentage playing at all three outfield positions. Along with

César Tovar César Leonardo Tovar (July 3, 1940 – July 14, 1994), nicknamed "Pepito" and "Mr. Versatility", was a Venezuelan professional baseball player, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins (–), Philadelphia Phillies (), ...

, Milner is regarded as the all-time major league leader in breaking up no-hit attempts with five. On August 2, 1986, Milner collected his team's only hit in a game for fifth time, tying Tovar's major league record (1975).

Personal life

Milner's cousin,

John Milner John David Milner (December 28, 1949 – January 4, 2000) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman and left fielder from to for the New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates and the Montreal E ...

, was also a major league player. Milner died on November 2, 2015, in Cincinnati. The cause of death was not revealed.

References

External links

, o
SABR Biography Project
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o
Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Milner, Eddie 1955 births 2015 deaths African-American baseball players Baseball players from Columbus, Ohio Billings Mustangs players Central State Marauders baseball players Chattanooga Lookouts players Cincinnati Reds players Fort Myers Sun Sox players Indianapolis Indians players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Major League Baseball center fielders Major League Baseball players suspended for drug offenses Nashville Sounds players Phoenix Firebirds players San Francisco Giants players Shelby Reds players Tampa Tarpons (1957–1987) players Tigres de Aragua players 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people