Garry Lewis Templeton (born March 24, 1956) is an American former professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
player and minor league
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
. He played as a
shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...
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
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 ...
,
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...
, and
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 ...
from 1976 to 1991.
Playing career
Born in
Lockney, Texas, Templeton was hailed by many as one of the best players in baseball early in his career, which featured
All-Star Game
An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or div ...
selections in and . In the latter year, Templeton made history as the first
switch-hitter
In baseball, a switch hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed, usually right-handed against left-handed pitchers and left-handed against right-handed pitchers.
Characteristics
Right-handed batters generally hit better aga ...
to collect 100
hits from each side of the plate, a feat achieved only once more by
Willie Wilson in 1980. His total of 211 hits led the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
, and with 19
triple
Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble":
Sports
* Triple (baseball), a three-base hit
* A basketball three-point field goal
* A figure skating jump with three rotations
* In bowling terms, three strikes in a row
* ...
s, he led the league for a third consecutive season. He led the Cardinals in hits in 1977, 1978, and 1979. He caused some controversy in 1979 when, despite having better numbers than either
Dave Concepción
David Ismael Concepción Benitez (born June 17, 1948) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball as a shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds dynasty that won four National Lea ...
or
Larry Bowa
Lawrence Robert Bowa (born December 6, 1945) is an American former professional baseball shortstop, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB), who played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and New York Mets. Bowa went on to ma ...
, two of the National League's premier shortstops at the time, he wasn't selected to start at shortstop for the National League All-Star team. He was named to the team as a reserve, but refused to go.
The quote, "If I ain't startin', I ain't departin'" regarding the 1979 MLB All-Star Game is often mistakenly attributed to Templeton over his refusal to play. In reality,
Jack Buck
John Francis "Jack" Buck (August 21, 1924 – June 18, 2002) was an American sportscaster, best known for his work announcing Major League Baseball games of the St. Louis Cardinals. His play-by-play work earned him recognition from numerous hal ...
, Cardinals sportscaster at the time made the statement.
He continued to hit well in and ; however, he was not popular with Cardinals fans, who felt he had an uninterested style of play in his body language. He had desired a trade in 1979 upon asked to take a pay cut before relenting; he desired to bat lead off, which only furthered the ire of fans.
After the end of the season the Cardinals traded him to the Padres for
Ozzie Smith
Osborne Earl Smith (born December 26, 1954) is an American former professional baseball player. Nicknamed "the Wizard of Oz", Smith played shortstop for the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals in Major League Baseball, winning the National ...
. The trade was welcomed by everyone involved: Smith was (then) a light-hitting defensive wizard going to a team which needed to improve its defense (and he was also embroiled in a contract dispute with Padres' management), while Templeton was a better hitter going to a team which needed to improve its offense.
In his ten years with the Padres, he played in 1,286 games, while having 1,135 hits, 43 home runs, 427 RBIs, and a .252 batting average, with one Silver Slugger Award win and one All-Star Game appearance in
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
. He was named team captain of the Padres by manager Larry Bowa in 1987, serving as captain for four years. 1991 was his final season in the majors. He played in 32 games for the Padres before being traded to 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 ...
on May 31 for
Tim Teufel
Timothy Shawn Teufel (born July 7, 1958) is an American former professional baseball second baseman and current coach. He played Major League Baseball from to , most notably as a member of the New York Mets with whom he won a world championship ...
Templeton played in 80 more games for the Mets for a total of 112 that year. He hit for .221 with three home runs and 26 RBIs in the season.
Templeton was inducted into the
San Diego Padres Hall of Fame
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team in Major League Baseball (MLB) based in San Diego, California. The club was founded in 1969 as part of the 1969 Major League Baseball expansion, league's expansion. The team's hall of ...
on August 8, 2015.
Managing career
After his retirement as an active player in 1991, Templeton remained in the game as a coach and
minor league manager. From 1998 through 2001, he managed in the
Anaheim Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...
organization for four teams, posting a 294-272 record. From 2003 to 2004, he managed the
Gary Railcats of the
Northern League, moving on to manage the
Golden Baseball League
The Golden Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in San Ramon, California, with teams located in the western United States, western Canada and northwest Mexico.
The GBL was not affiliated with Major League Baseball or the orga ...
's
Fullerton Flyers in 2005. After three years with the Flyers, he would move on to manage the
Arizona Winter League
The Arizona Winter League was an independent instructional winter baseball league. Arizona Winter League games were all played at Desert Sun Stadium in Yuma, Arizona. The league was founded in 2007. It disbanded in 2013 due to parent league, th ...
's
Palm Springs Chill
The Palm Springs Chill are an independent baseball team based in Palm Springs, California. They are co-owned by the Palm Springs Power and play their home games at Palm Springs Stadium. Andrew Starke is the team president and Darrell Evans is ...
in 2008, then would return to the GBL to manage the
Long Beach Armada
The Long Beach Armada were an independent professional baseball team based in Long Beach, California, in the United States. The Armada was a member of the North Division of the now-defunct Golden Baseball League (GBL), which was not affiliated wi ...
in 2009. He managed the
Chico Outlaws
The Chico Outlaws were a professional baseball team based in Chico, California, in the United States. The Outlaws were a member of the Northern Division of the independent North American League, which is not affiliated with either Major League Ba ...
to the GBL Championship in 2010.
On January 8, 2013, Templeton was named manager of the
Newark Bears
The Newark Bears were an American minor league professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They were a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and, later, the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball. T ...
of the independent
Can-Am League
The Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, commonly known as the Can-Am League, was a professional, independent baseball league with teams in the Northeast United States and Eastern Canada, founded in 2005 as a reorganization ...
.
Year-by-year managerial record
Personal life
His son, Garry Templeton II, played minor league baseball from 1999–2007. He managed the
Hawaii Stars
The Hawaii Stars were an independent professional baseball team based out of Hilo, Hawaii. They were charter members of the Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs. They played their home games at Wong Stadium in Hilo and competed alo ...
in 2012
and the
Vallejo Admirals
The Vallejo Admirals were an independent professional baseball team based in Vallejo, California. They were members of the Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs, which was not associated with Major League Baseball. In 2017, the Admira ...
from 2014–15, winning the
Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs
The Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs was an independent baseball league based in Northern California. The league was founded in 2013 by four former North American League teams.
History
During the initial season, two Hawaii- ...
Manager of the Year Award in 2014. He is now a scout for the
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...
organization.
See also
*
List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders
Below is the list of the 286 Major League Baseball players who have reached the 2,000 hit milestone during their career in MLB. Pete Rose holds the Major League record for most career hits, with 4,256. Rose and Ty Cobb, second most, are the only ...
*
List of Major League Baseball career triples leaders
In baseball, a triple is a hit in which the batter advances to third base in one play, with neither the benefit of a fielding error nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice. Triples were more common in baseball's dead-ball era, whe ...
*
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 Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
References
External links
:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Templeton, Garry
1956 births
Living people
African-American baseball players
Arkansas Travelers players
Baseball players from Texas
Gary SouthShore RailCats managers
Gulf Coast Cardinals players
Major League Baseball shortstops
Minor league baseball managers
National League All-Stars
New York Mets players
People from Lockney, Texas
St. Louis Cardinals players
St. Petersburg Cardinals players
San Diego Padres players
Silver Slugger Award winners
Sonoma County Crushers players
Sports in Chico, California
Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American sportspeople