Andre Dawson

From SoSH

"The Hawk" Andre Dawson came to Boston after his productive years were at an end. Dawson made his mark with the Expos, and later with the Cubs. He had a short stint with the expansion Marlins before retiring.

Contents 1 Overall Career 2 Awards 3 Achievements 4 Moments in the Sun 5 Trivia 6 Transactions 7 External Links

Overall Career

Dawson came up through the Expos farm system, and made an immediate impact when he joined the club for his rookie season in 1977. He batted .282 with 19 homeruns and 65 RBI, good enough for Rookie of the year honors. After ten years in the dismal baseball town, Dawson wanted out, citing--in part--the desire to play on grass.

Dawson did the unthinkable in 1987. He presented the Cubs with a blank contract, which the Cubs filled in the base salary of $500,000, and $250,000 in All-Star and MVP incentives. Dawson fulfilled these incentives, having perhaps his finest year, batting .287 with 49 homeruns and 137 RBI. Dawson would stay with the Cubs for six seasons, but the Cubs would only qualify for the postseason once, in 1989. Dawson had a horrible NLCS, and in his three career postseason series, batted .186.

Dawson finished his 21-season major league career with 438 homeruns, 1,591 RBIs, and a career line of .279/.323/.482.

Dawson is considered a marginal Hall of Fame candidate, similar to the likes of former Red Sox player Jim Rice, though Dawson had a much better glove. Dawson received 61% of the ballots, with 75% needed.

Awards

• 1977 National League Rookie of the Year
• 1977 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
• 1987 National League Most Valuable Player Award
• 1995 Hutch Award Winner
• 8-Time National League All-Star (1981-83, 1987-91)
• 8-Time National League Gold Glove (1980-85, 1987-88)
• 4-Time National League Silver Slugger (1980, 1981, 1983, 1987)

Achievements

• 1983 National League Leader in Hits
• 1987 National League Leader in Home Runs
• 1987 National League Leader in RBI's
• 2-Time National League Leader in Total Bases (1983, 1987)
• 2-Time National League Leader in Extra Base Hits (1982, 1983)
• 20-Home Run Seasons: 13 (1978, 1979, 1981-1983 & 1985-1992)
• 30-Home Run Seasons: 3 (1983, 1987, 1991)
• 40-Home Run Seasons: 1 (1987)
• 100 RBI Seasons: 4 (1983, 1987, 1990, 1991)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 2 (1982 & 1983)

Moments in the Sun

• September 24, 1985: Expos OF Andre Dawson slugs three home runs, including a pair of 3-run shots in a 12-run 5th inning, to lead Montreal to a wild 17–15 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
• August 1, 1987: Andre Dawson hits three home runs, his 29th, 30th and 31st, and drives in all five Chicago runs as the Cubs beat the Phillies 5–3.
• November 18, 1987: Cubs OF Andre Dawson becomes the first player from a last-place club ever to win an MVP Award,

Trivia

• Dawson hit for the cycle on April 29, 1987
• Dawson is one of only two Major Leaguers to hit two homeruns in the same inning twice in a career (Willie McCovey is the other)
• Dawson was a victim of collusion after the 1986 season. After he refused to re-sign with the Expos at a lowered salary, he went to the Cubs in mid-March with a signed contract and an empty dollar amount. Cubs GM Dallas Green filled in $500,000, less than half of his 1986 salary with the Expos, and "The Hawk" responded with 49 HR and 137 RBI en route to the NL MVP award.
• Actually said "I want all the kids to do what I do, to look up to me. I want all the kids to copulate me."

Transactions

• June 3, 1975: Drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 11th round of the 1975 amateur draft.
• November 12, 1986: Granted Free Agency.
• March 9, 1987: Signed as a Free Agent with the Chicago Cubs.
• November 4, 1992: Granted Free Agency.
• December 9, 1992: Signed as a Free Agent with the Boston Red Sox.
• October 21, 1994: Granted Free Agency.
• April 10, 1995: Signed as a Free Agent with the Florida Marlins.
• November 7, 1995: Granted Free Agency.
• January 5, 1996: Signed as a Free Agent with the Florida Marlins.

External Links

• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis