Keith Alan Drumright (October 21, 1954 – August 7, 2010) was an American

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

second baseman In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the Infielder, infield, between Baseball field#Second base, second and Baseball field#First base, first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and f ...

. He played parts of two seasons in the major leagues. He played for the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

in 1978 and the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

in 1981. Drumright attended Hillcrest High School in Springfield, Missouri, where he was part of a state championship team. He went on to attend the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

, where he was an All-American second baseman.

Career

On June 6, 1972, Drumright was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 18th round of the 1972 amateur draft, but did not sign with the team. On June 8, 1976, he was drafted by the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

in the 4th round of the 1976 amateur draft, and signed a contract with the team. On October 13, 1977, he was traded by the Chicago Cubs to the Houston Astros for

Al Javier Ignacio Alfredo Wilkes Javier (born February 4, 1954) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played in eight games for the Houston Astros in , going 5-for-24. Baseball career Javier was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Houston ...

. He was called to the Houston Astros in September 1978, after spending the earlier part of the season in the minors. He had five hits in his first 10 at-bats, then went hitless in 33

at bat 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 upon completion of his turn at bat, ...

s before recovering somewhat by going 4 for 12 to end the season. He finished the season with a .163

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 ...

. On October 26, 1979, he was sent by the Houston Astros to the

Omaha Royals Omaha ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 41st-most-populous city, Omaha had a popu ...

to complete an earlier deal made on April 27, 1979. On December 11, 1980, he was traded by the Chicago Cubs, along with Cliff Johnson, to the Oakland Athletics for Michael King. In 1981, he was hitting well, and finished the season with a .290 batting average.

Death

Drumright died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on August 7, 2010.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drumright, Keith Major League Baseball second basemen Houston Astros players Oakland Athletics players Charleston Charlies players Midland Cubs players Omaha Royals players Tacoma Tigers players Wichita Aeros players Oklahoma Sooners baseball players Baseball players from Springfield, Missouri 1954 births 2010 deaths Suicides by firearm in Missouri 2010 suicides Anchorage Glacier Pilots players