Alan Bannister (born September 3, 1951) is a retired 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 t ...

player who played in the major leagues for the Philadelphia Phillies

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

(1976–80),

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

Houston Astros (1984) and Texas Rangers Originally 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 wh ...

, he was a utility player during his major league career.

Biography

Bannister attended John F. Kennedy High School in La Palma, CA and then played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

at Arizona State University. He represented the United States at the

1971 Pan American Games * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

, where he won a silver medal. Highly touted in college, Bannister was the Phillies' first-round pick in the 1973 draft (January). Although versatile (he played every position but pitcher and catcher) he never lived up to his college billing and was rarely a regular. He opened the 1975 season as the Phillies' starting center fielder until the arrival of

Garry Maddox Garry Lee Maddox (born September 1, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player and business entrepreneur. He played in Major League Baseball as a center fielder from to . Maddox began his career with the San Francisco Giants but, ...

from the

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 ...

on May 4. He was traded with Dick Ruthven and Roy Thomas to the

for

Jim Kaat James Lee Kaat (; born November 7, 1938) is an American former professional baseball player and television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a left-handed pitcher for the Washington Senators / Minnesota Twins (–), ...

and

Mike Buskey Michael Thomas Buskey (born January 13, 1949) is an American former professional baseball infielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies in . Buskey batted and threw right-handed. During his playing days, he sto ...

on December 10, 1975. Only once, as the 1977 White Sox' shortstop (after the trade of Bucky Dent in April), did he play in over 100 games at a position, and then he led all AL shortstops in errors (40). He led the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

in sacrifice flies (11) in 1977. In 12 major league seasons he played in 972 games and recorded 3,007 at bats, 430 runs, 811 hits, 143 doubles, 28 triples, 19 home runs, 288 RBI, 108 stolen bases, 292 walks, with a .270 batting average, .334 on-base percentage and a .355 slugging percentage. After his playing career, he managed two years in 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 ...

minor league system and three years for the

AZL Giants The Arizona Complex League Giants are a professional baseball team competing as a Rookie-level affiliate of the San Francisco Giants in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Scottsdale Stadium in S ...

of the

Arizona League The Arizona Complex League (ACL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona, since 1988. Prior to 2021, it was known as the Arizona League (AZL). Along with the Florida Complex League (FCL), it ...

. He was inducted to the

College Baseball Hall of Fame The National College Baseball Hall of Fame is an institution operated by the College Baseball Foundation serving as the central point for the study of the history of college baseball in the United States. In partnership with the Southwest Collect ...

in 2010. As an amateur, Bannister was involved in a play which resulted in a fatality. In July 1972, he was a participant in a Baseball Federation tour of Japan. While attempting to complete a double play during a game against a Japanese team, he made a throw to first base which struck the head of Akira Tohmon, who was advancing from first base to second base. Tohmon was knocked unconscious, and later died at a hospital as a result of

cerebral contusion Cerebral contusion, Latin ''contusio cerebri'', a form of traumatic brain injury, is a bruise of the brain tissue. Like bruises in other tissues, cerebral contusion can be associated with multiple microhemorrhages, small blood vessel leaks into ...

.Bannister Prize In Free Agent Draft Today
, United Press International, January 10, 1978.
, United Press International, July 15, 1972.

References

External links

Alan Bannister
at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
Alan Bannister
at Baseball Almanac
Alan Bannister
- Baseballbiography.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Bannister, Alan 1951 births Living people Arizona State Sun Devils baseball players Baseball players at the 1971 Pan American Games Baseball players from California Chicago White Sox players Cleveland Indians players National College Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Eugene Emeralds players Houston Astros players Iowa Oaks players Major League Baseball infielders Major League Baseball outfielders Minor league baseball managers Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Philadelphia Phillies players Sportspeople from Montebello, California St. Petersburg Pelicans players Texas Rangers players Toledo Mud Hens players Pan American Games medalists in baseball All-American college baseball players Medalists at the 1971 Pan American Games