Larry James Sutton (born May 14, 1970) 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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professional ...
first baseman
A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
. He played 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), ...
(MLB) for the
Kansas City Royals,
Oakland Athletics,
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 ...
, and
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park.
The fran ...
. He also played in the
KBO League
The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...
for the
Hyundai Unicorns
The Hyundai Unicorns () were a South Korean professional baseball team based in Suwon. They were a member of the KBO League. The Unicorns won the KBO championship four times (1998, 2000, 2003 and 2004).
The Unicorns were dissolved after the 20 ...
and
Kia Tigers
Kia Tigers ( ko, KIA 타이거즈) are a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 1982 and based in the southwestern city of Gwangju. Until 2001, they were known as the Haitai Tigers. The Tigers are a members of the KBO League and are ...
.
Career
Sutton attended Mater Dei High School and the
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...
. He was a 21st round draft pick by the Kansas City Royals in . In , Sutton was the
MVP
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
of the Class-A
Carolina League
The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...
, and his team, the
Wilmington Blue Rocks
The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Wilmington, Delaware, and play their home games at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium.
...
won the Carolina League championship. The team featured future major leaguers
Johnny Damon
Johnny David Damon (born November 5, 1973) is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1995 to 2012. During his MLB career, Damon played for the Kansas City Royals (1995–2000), Oakland A ...
and
Sal Fasano. In 2000, he hit two home runs in the
Triple-A World Series
The Triple-A World Series was an interleague postseason championship series between the league champions of the affiliated Triple-A leagues of Minor League Baseball to determine an overall champion of the classification held in 1983 and from 199 ...
for Memphis against Indianapolis.
In 572 career Major League at-bats, Sutton compiled a .236
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 ...
.
Sutton played professional baseball in Korea for three seasons, from 2005 to 2007. His best year was 2005, when he hit .292 with 35 home runs and 102 RBI for the
Hyundai Unicorns
The Hyundai Unicorns () were a South Korean professional baseball team based in Suwon. They were a member of the KBO League. The Unicorns won the KBO championship four times (1998, 2000, 2003 and 2004).
The Unicorns were dissolved after the 20 ...
. His home run and RBI totals, as well as his OPS (1.003), led all hitters in the
KBO League
The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...
that year, and he earned a
KBO League Golden Glove Award
The KBO League Golden Glove Award is an award given out annually by the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) to the best overall player at each position in the KBO League. It is also commonly known as the KBO Golden Gloves. The award was established ...
for 2005.
In 2012, Sutton managed the
DSL Pirates2.
In October 2019, South Korean baseball club Lotte Giants hired Sutton as their new minor league manager.
References
External links
, o
RetrosheetKorea Baseball OrganizationPelota Binaria (Venezuelan Winter League)
1970 births
Living people
Águilas Cibaeñas players
American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic
Albuquerque Isotopes players
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
American expatriate baseball players in South Korea
Baseball players from California
Edmonton Trappers players
Eugene Emeralds players
Florida Marlins players
Gulf Coast Royals players
Hyundai Unicorns players
Illinois Fighting Illini baseball players
Kansas City Royals players
KBO League first basemen
KBO League left fielders
Kia Tigers players
Major League Baseball first basemen
Major League Baseball outfielders
Memphis Redbirds players
Minor league baseball managers
Navegantes del Magallanes players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Oakland Athletics players
Omaha Golden Spikes players
Omaha Royals players
Sportspeople from West Covina, California
Rockford Royals players
Sacramento River Cats players
St. Louis Cardinals players
Venados de Mazatlán players
American expatriate baseball players in Mexico
Wichita Wranglers players
Wilmington Blue Rocks players
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