Robert Donald Wilfong (born September 1, 1953) is 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 professiona ...
scout
Scout may refer to:
Youth movement
* Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement
**Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom
** Scouts BSA, sect ...
and a former
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) ...
second baseman for the
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area ...
(1977–1982),
California 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 ha ...
(1982–1986), 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). He batted
left-handed
In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subject ...
, threw
right-handed
In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...
, stood tall, and weighed .
After graduating from
Northview High School (Covina, California)
Northview High School is one of three comprehensive high schools within the Covina-Valley Unified School District, California, United States. Established in 1959, the school is located on of land that is landscaped with trees, shrubs, and grass. ...
, Wilfong started his pro career in 1973 with the Twins organization. He made his big-league debut in 1977 and was with the Twins until a trade sent him to the Angels in 1982, reuniting Wilfong with his first Major 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 ...
,
Gene Mauch
Gene William Mauch (November 18, 1925 – August 8, 2005) was an American professional baseball player and manager, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a second baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers (, ), Pittsburgh Pirates (), Chicago Cubs ...
. Wilfong helped the Angels win the
American League West Division
The American League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The division has five teams as of the 2013 season, but had four teams from 1994 to 2012, and had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams curr ...
in 1982 and 1986. Wilfong was the ALCS game 7 starter at 2nd base, but had to come out of the game due to injury. He was replaced by Rick Burleson. The Angels would lose the game and the series to the Red Sox. He finished his career in 1987, playing two games for the Giants. After his playing career, Wilfong became an area scout in
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...
for the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
. In , he was listed as a scout by the Angels, based in
San Dimas, California
San Dimas ( Spanish for " Saint Dismas")
is a city in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, its population was 34,924. It historically took its name from San Dimas Canyon in the San Gabri ...
.
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 Hit
In baseball, a sacrifice bunt (also called a sacrifice hit) is a batter's act of deliberately bunting the ball, before there are two outs, in a manner that allows a baserunner to advance to another base. The batter is almost always put out, and ...
s (25) in 1979.
In 11 seasons, he played in 959 Games and had 2,690 At Bats, 318 Runs, 668 Hits, 97 Doubles, 23 Triples, 39 Home Runs, 261 RBI, 54 Stolen Bases, 205 Walks, .248 Batting Average, .303 On-base percentage, .345 Slugging Percentage, 928 Total Bases, 86 Sacrifice Hits, 19 Sacrifice Flies, and 13 Intentional Walks.
Sources
1953 births
Living people
Baseball players from California
California Angels players
Charlotte Twins players
Detroit Tigers scouts
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim scouts
Lynchburg Twins players
Major League Baseball second basemen
Minnesota Twins players
Orlando Twins players
Phoenix Firebirds players
San Francisco Giants players
Tacoma Twins players
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