Baseball Career
In a 16-season playing career, Samuel was a .259 hitter with 161 home runs and 703 RBI in 1720 games
Samuel was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980. A three-time All-Star, Samuel earned National League Rookie of the Year honors from The Sporting News in 1984, when he tied for the NL lead with 19 triples and placed second with 72 stolen bases setting a MLB rookie record (broken by Vince Coleman the following season).
In 1987, Samuel became the first player in major league history to reach double figures in doubles, triples, home runs and stolen bases in each of his first four major league seasons. A year later, he fell short by one triple to repeat this feat for a fifth consecutive year.
During his majors career, Samuel collected 1,578 hits, 396 stolen bases, and also reached double figures in home runs nine times. A popular player in Philadelphia, he appeared in the 1983 World Series, going 0-for-1 in three games. Samuel, an aggressive hitter who infrequently drew bases on balls was once quoted as saying, "You don't walk off the Island (meaning his home country). You Hit."
Samuel was sent to the New York Mets during the 1989 midseason in the same transaction that brought Lenny Dykstra and Roger McDowell to Philadelphia. He also played two and a half seasons both for the Dodgers and Tigers, spent a year in Cincinnati, had two brief stints with the Royals, and provided three years of good services for Toronto, pinch-hitting, serving as DH, and playing at first base, second, third, left field and right. He retired after the 1998 season.
Samuel holds the major league record for most at-bats by a right-handed hitter in one season with 701, set in 1984. That mark was also the most for any National League batter in a single campaign, later surpassed by Jimmy Rollins. He also tied an ML record for consecutive strikeout titles with four (1984–87), shared with Hack Wilson (1927–30) and Vince DiMaggio (1942–45). Samuel is tied for 146th place in career triples.
Read more about this topic: Juan Samuel
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