Tommy Harper (born October 14, 1940) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the Baseball scorekeep ...

and

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 in

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 ...

(MLB) for seven different franchises from 1962 to 1976, including six seasons with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

and three seasons each with the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

and the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

. He was selected to one

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that showcases 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 division, bu ...

and led the league in stolen bases twice.

High School and college

Harper played at

Encinal High School Encinal High School is a co-educational public high school serving grades 6–12. It is located in Alameda, California, United States, and is part of the Alameda Unified School District. Most students come from the Academy of Alameda (formerly ...

Alameda, California Alameda ( ; ; Spanish for "Avenue (landscape), tree-lined path") is a city in Alameda County, California, United States, located in the East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), East Bay region of the Bay Area. The city is built on an informal archipe ...

, where his teammates included future Baseball Hall-of-Famer

Willie Stargell Wilver Dornell Stargell (March 6, 1940 – April 9, 2001), nicknamed "Pops" later in his career, was an American professional baseball left fielder and first baseman who spent all of his 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) (1962– 1982 ...

and

MLB 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 ...

player Curt Motton. He starred collegiately for

San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It was established in 1899 as the San Francisco State Normal School and is ...

Cincinnati Reds

Harper signed as an amateur free agent with the Reds before the 1960 season (as

had yet to institute a draft) and was assigned to the Class-B

Topeka Reds Topeka ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeastern Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2020 cens ...

, where he had modest success, batting .254 with five home runs and 36 RBI in 79 games. After hitting .324 with 15 home runs and 65 RBI in 124 games for Topeka the following season, he was promoted all the way up to the Triple-A

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

, where he hit .333 with 26 home runs and 84 RBI in 144 games. Harper's performance earned him a call-up to the major league club, and he appeared in six total games in 1962, batting .174 (4-for-23) with one RBI. In the 1963–64 seasons, Harper was a platoon player for the Reds, working mostly as an outfielder. 1965 was his breakout season, as he became the Reds' starting left fielder and leadoff hitter. He finished the season batting .257 with 18 home runs, 64 RBI, 35 stolen bases, and a

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

-leading 126 runs scored in 159 games. He occupied the leadoff role for the next three seasons for the Reds, starting at all three outfield positions and serving as backup infielder until being traded.

Cleveland Indians

On November 21, 1967, Harper was traded to the

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) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

in exchange for

George Culver George Raymond Culver (born July 8, 1943), is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Ph ...

, Bob Raudman and Fred Whitfield. Harper played only one season with the Indians, starting mostly in left and right field and seeing playing time at center field and second base as well. In 117 games, he hit .217 with six home runs and 26 RBI. Despite his struggles, Harper was drafted by the

Seattle Pilots The Seattle Pilots were an American professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington, during the 1969 Major League Baseball season. During their single-season existence, the Pilots played their home games at Sick's Stadium and were a me ...

as the third pick in the 1968 expansion draft.

Seattle Pilots/Milwaukee Brewers

Harper was the first player to come to bat in

history when he led off the top of the 1st against right-hander

Jim McGlothlin James Milton McGlothlin (October 6, 1943 – December 23, 1975), nicknamed "Red", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. During a nine-year MLB career, he pitched for the California Angels (1965–1969), Cincinnati Reds (1970–73) and ...

of the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

. In that inaugural at bat, he was also the first Pilots player to record a hit, doubling to left field, and then scoring the Pilots first run on a

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

Mike Hegan James Michael Hegan (July 21, 1942 – December 25, 2013) was an American professional baseball player, who later worked as a sports commentator. In Major League Baseball (MLB) he was a first baseman and outfielder, and played for three different ...

. Harper led the American League with a career-high 73 stolen bases—the most by an American Leaguer since

Ty Cobb Tyrus Raymond Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "the Georgia Peach", was an American professional baseball center fielder. A native of rural Narrows, Georgia, Cobb played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent ...

's 96 in 1915 and a mark that still stands today as a Pilots/Brewers record. He also showed his versatility in the field, making over 50 starts at both second and third base, 21 starts in center field, and also seeing playing time at both corner outfield positions. When the Pilots moved to Milwaukee and changed names the following season, Harper was also the first player to come to bat in

history. On April 7, 1970, he led off the bottom of the first against

right-hander

Andy Messersmith John Alexander "Andy" Messersmith (born August 6, 1945) is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. During a 12-year baseball career, he pitched for the California Angels (1968–72), Los Angeles Dodgers (1973–75 and 1979) ...

. He hit a ground ball to

Aurelio Rodríguez Aurelio Rodríguez Ituarte, Jr. (December 28, 1947 – September 23, 2000), sometimes known by the nickname "Chi Chi", was a Mexican professional baseball player, who spent the bulk of his Major League career with the Detroit Tigers. Know ...

, who threw to

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 ...

Jim Spencer James Lloyd Spencer (July 30, 1947 – February 10, 2002) was an American Major League Baseball first baseman. Born in Hanover, Pennsylvania, the left-handed Spencer was recognized for his excellent fielding ability, but also served in later y ...

for the out. The 1970 season was probably the best statistically in Harper's career. He recorded career highs in hits (179), doubles (35), home runs (31), and RBI (82) on his way to the lone All-Star game appearance of his career. He also became the first Brewer, and just the fifth major leaguer at that point, to join the

30–30 club In Major League Baseball (MLB), the 30–30 club is the group of 47 Batter (baseball), batters who have collected 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a single season. ''Baseball Digest'' called the 30–30 club "the most celebrated feat that can ...

by hitting 31 home runs and stealing 38 bases and came in sixth in the AL MVP voting. A second Brewer did not join him in the 30–30 club until

Ryan Braun Ryan Joseph Braun (born November 17, 1983) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Braun also played right fielder, right ...

accomplished the feat in 2011.

Boston Red Sox

Harper was part of a ten-player blockbuster that sent him,

Marty Pattin Martin William Pattin (April 6, 1943 – October 3, 2018) was an American professional baseball player who appeared in 475 games in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher. He pitched for the California Angels (1968), Seattle Pilots / M ...

, Lew Krausse and minor-league outfielder Pat Skrable to the

for George Scott,

Jim Lonborg James Reynold Lonborg (born April 16, 1942) is an American former professional baseball right-handed starting pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, and Philadelphia Phillies. Though nicknam ...

Ken Brett Kenneth Alven Brett (September 18, 1948 – November 18, 2003) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yank ...

Billy Conigliaro William Michael Conigliaro (August 15, 1947 – February 10, 2021) was an American baseball outfielder who played five seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, and Oakland Athletics from 1969 t ...

Joe Lahoud Joseph Michael Lahoud (born April 14, 1947) is an American former professional baseball player. He played all or part of eleven seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily as an outfielder and designated hitter, for the Boston Red Sox (1968–71) ...

and

Don Pavletich Donald Stephen Pavletich (July 13, 1938 – March 5, 2020) was an American professional baseball player. He was a catcher and first baseman for the Cincinnati Redlegs / Reds (1957, 1959 and 1962–68), Chicago White Sox (1969) and Boston Red Sox ...

on October 10, 1971. Harper became the Sox' starting center fielder and leadoff hitter from 1972–74, playing well enough to earn him votes in the AL MVP balloting in '72 and '73. 1973 was his best season with the club, as he led the league in stolen bases for the second time in his career, setting an all-time Red Sox mark with 54, until

Jacoby Ellsbury Jacoby McCabe Ellsbury ( ; born September 11, 1983) is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox from 2007 through 2013 and then played for the New York Yankees from 2 ...

broke the record on August 25, 2009. In 1974, Harper hit .237 with five home runs, 24 RBI and 28 stolen bases in 118 games, playing primarily as a

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. Unlike other players in a team's lineup, they generally only play as an offensive player and usually do not play defense as ...

. Harper's trade to the

for

Bob Heise Robert Lowell Heise (born May 12, 1947) is an American former professional baseball infielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for seven teams, from 1967 to 1977. Early years Heise was a "military brat" born in San Antonio, Texas, but ...

at the

Winter Meetings Representatives of all 30 Major League Baseball teams and their 120 Minor League Baseball affiliates convene for four days each December in the Winter Meetings to discuss league business and conduct off-season trades and transactions. Attendees in ...

on December 2, 1974 was driven by the Red Sox using its outfielder surplus to address its lack of infielder depth.

California Angels

Harper played only part of the 1975 season for California, batting .239 with three home runs and 31 RBI in 89 games. The Angels, well on their way to a last-place division finish, sold him for cash to the contending

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 ...

on August 13, 1975.

Oakland Athletics

Revitalized by the trade to a contender, Harper hit .319 in August and September for the A's and became their starting first baseman, also seeing spot duty in the outfield and at third base. Harper was also a perfect 7 of 7 in stolen base attempts. Harper was a key in Oakland's AL West championship drive not only because of his help with the bat, but also because his versatile fielding allowed the As to use the aging

Billy Williams Billy Leo Williams (born June 15, 1938) is an American former left fielder and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played from 1959 to 1976, almost entirely for the Chicago Cubs. A six-time All-Star, Williams was named the 1961 National L ...

at DH where his still powerful bat was useful and where his play in the field was not a liability. Harper finally saw his first playoff action at age 34 after 14 major league seasons, but was limited to one plate appearance, a walk, as the A's were swept by his old team, the Red Sox. Harper was released by the A's after the season.

Baltimore Orioles

Harper signed with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

on April 9, 1976. He played sparingly at DH and also saw some time as a pinch hitter, batting .234 with a home run and 7 RBI in 46 games. He was released by the Orioles following the season.

Career statistics

In 1810 games over 15 seasons, Harper compiled a .257

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 ...

(1,609-for-6,269) with 972 runs, 256 doubles, 36

triples TripleS (; ; stylized as tripleS) is a South Korean 24-member multinational girl group formed by Modhaus. They aim to be the world's first decentralized idol group, where the members will rotate between the full group, sub-units, and solo activi ...

, 146

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run ...

, 567 RBI, 408

stolen bases In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out a ...

, 753

base on balls A base on balls (BB), better known as a walk, occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches during a plate appearance that the umpire calls '' balls'', and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The bas ...

, 1,080

strikeouts In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

, .338

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batting (baseball), batter reaches base (baseball), base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA ...

and .379

slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at-bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at-bats for a given player, an ...

. Defensively, he recorded a .973

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a baseball positions, defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putout ...

. He played first base, second base, third base and all three outfield positions in his major league career.

Coaching career

Harper served as a

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

for the Red Sox (1980–84; 2000–02) and the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...

(1990–99). As of the start of the season, he remained with Boston as a player development consultant. Harper had returned to the Red Sox in 2000, 15 years after he was compelled to sue the club for allegedly illegally firing him as a coach in retaliation for speaking out in 1985 about the club welcoming the local segregated

Elks Club The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE), commonly known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks, is an American fraternal order and charitable organization founded in 1868 in New York City. Originally established as a social club for m ...

into its

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

stadium Chain of Lakes Park, to invite only the team's white personnel to its establishment. On July 1, 1986, the

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a federal agency that was established via the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to administer and enforce civil rights laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination ...

vindicated Harper and cited the Red Sox for illegal actions. Harper was elected to the

Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame The Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame was instituted in 1995 to recognize the careers of selected former Boston Red Sox players, coaches and managers, and non-uniformed personnel. A 15-member selection committee of Red Sox broadcasters and executives, ...

in 2010.

Highlights

*24-consecutive-game hitting streak (July 17 – August 8, 1966) *16 games with four hits *Four

vs. the

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) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

(June 18, 1969) *Three games with three

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

(1970) *Led

in runs (126, 1965) *Twice led

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out ...

s (73, 1969; 54, 1973) *Became the fifth

member (31

s and 38

, 1970) *Boston Red Sox

MVP MVP most commonly refers to: * Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition * Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering MVP may also refer to: ...

(1973) *Top 10

American League MVP The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. The award has been presented by the Baseball Writers' ...

(1970) *His career 408

ranks him 69th on all-time list *Single-season stolen base records for the Brewers

References

External links

"Tommy Harper charges discrimination"
from the WGBH series
Ten O'clock NewsCareer Leaders & Records for Stolen Bases
: {{DEFAULTSORT:Harper, Tommy 1940 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen 30–30 club African-American baseball coaches African-American baseball players American League All-Stars American League stolen base champions Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from Louisiana Baseball players from Norfolk County, Massachusetts Boston Red Sox coaches Boston Red Sox players California Angels players Cincinnati Reds players Cleveland Indians players Major League Baseball first base coaches Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball third basemen Milwaukee Brewers players Montreal Expos coaches New York Yankees scouts Oakland Athletics players People from Oak Grove, Louisiana People from Sharon, Massachusetts San Diego Padres (minor league) players San Francisco State Gators baseball players Santa Rosa Bear Cubs baseball players Seattle Pilots players Topeka Reds players