Minor League Career
Lofton struggled early in his professional baseball career in the Astros farm system. He hit .214 in 48 games as an outfielder for the Auburn Doubledays in the New YorkâPenn League but recorded 26 stolen bases in 30 attempts. Lofton returned to Auburn in 1989 and hit .263 with 26 steals in 34 games. He then hit .329 with 14 steals in 22 games for the Asheville Tourists in the South Atlantic League. As his college basketball career came to an end, Lofton was able to concentrate on baseball and he improved rapidly, finishing second in the league in hitting at .331 while adding 62 steals for the Osceola Astros in the Florida State League. He also drew 61 walks and improved defensively (.974 fielding percentage) and played in 123 games with Osceola.
After spring training in 1991, he went directly to the Triple-A Tucson Toros of the Pacific Coast League (PCL). His 168 hits led the league. He hit .308 with 30 steals and 52 walks for Tucson with 19 doubles and a team-high 17 triples. The Toros won the PCL championship and Lofton made the league's All-Star team. On September 14, 1991, the Astros promoted Lofton to the majors.
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