Delino DeShields

Delino DeShields
Delino DeShields
	DeShields managing the Dayton Dragons in 2011
	Second baseman
	Born: January 15, 1969 (age 55); Seaford, Delaware, U.S.
	Batted: Left Threw: Right
MLB debut
	April 9, 1990, for the Montreal Expos
Last MLB appearance
	August 8, 2002, for the Chicago Cubs
MLB statistics
Batting average	.268
Home runs	80
Runs batted in	561
Stolen bases	463
Teams
	Montreal Expos (1990–1993); Los Angeles Dodgers (1994–1996); St. Louis Cardinals (1997–1998); Baltimore Orioles (1999–2001); Chicago Cubs (2001–2002); As coach Cincinnati Reds (2022);

Delino Lamont DeShields (born January 15, 1969), also nicknamed "Bop", is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played for 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles, and Chicago Cubs between 1990 and 2002. He is currently the manager of the minor league Harrisburg Senators, the AA team for the Washington Nationals.

His son Delino DeShields Jr. plays for the Charleston Dirty Birds and his daughter Diamond DeShields plays for the Chicago Sky.

Early life

DeShields was born in Seaford, Delaware where he was raised by his mother and grandmother. He was an All-American in baseball and basketball at Seaford High School. DeShields signed a letter of intent to play college basketball at Villanova University. However, after being selected as the 12th overall pick in the 1987 MLB draft, he chose a career in baseball; he signed for $130,000 with the Montreal Expos.^[1]

Career

DeShields made his Major League debut on Opening Day of the 1990 season for the Expos. He recorded four hits in his debut, the most for a debutant in the National League since Mack Jones 29 seasons earlier.^[2] He became the regular second baseman for the Expos in 1990,^[3] finishing in second place for the NL Rookie of the Year award.^[4] He suffered from a sophomore slump in 1991, but went on to post his two best years in 1992 and 1993, hitting .294 and averaging 45 stolen bases.

On November 19, 1993, DeShields was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for then-prospect Pedro Martínez. In retrospect, this is considered one of the worst trades in Dodgers history.^[5] DeShields hit .241 during his three years in Los Angeles, while Martinez went on to win three Cy Young Awards and established himself among the greatest pitchers of all time.

In 1996, DeShields signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Cardinals, and later played with the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs. In 2001, he was the last out in Hideo Nomo's no-hitter against the Baltimore Orioles.

Post-playing career

DeShields is the co-founder of the Urban Baseball League. He also travels with Oil Can Boyd to promote baseball in African American communities.

Cincinnati Reds organization

DeShields was the manager for the Dayton Dragons, a single-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds organization for the 2011 and 2012 seasons.^[6] On December 12, 2012, it was announced that DeShields would become the manager for the Cincinnati Reds Double–A minor league team, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos^[7] for the 2013 season. On December 1, 2014, DeShields became manager of the Louisville Bats, replacing Jim Riggleman.^[8]

After spending the 2022 season as the Cincinnati Reds' first base and baserunning coach, DeShields was fired on October 6, 2022, following a season that saw Cincinnati lose 100 games.^[9]

Washington Nationals organization

In 2023, he became the manager of the Harrisburg Senators, the AA team of the Washington Nationals.[1]

Personal

DeShields is married to Michelle Elliott DeShields, an educator and television host for the PBS series Georgia Traveler airing on Georgia Public Broadcasting. He has five children; two from his first marriage, Delino Jr. and Diamond, along with three from his current marriage, D'Angelo, Denim and Delaney. Two children from his earlier marriage followed in his footsteps and became professional athletes. Delino Jr. was an outfielder who played for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB) ^[10] and Diamond is a basketball player for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).^[11]^[12]

Highlights

Named State Baseball Player of the Year in 1986.
Placed second in Rookie of the Year Award voting in 1990
Led National League in triples (14, 1997)
Nine-time top 10 finisher among NL base stealers (1990–98)
His career 463 stolen bases ranks him 44th on the all-time list
Wore his socks just below the knee, to honor the players of the defunct Negro leagues
Inducted into the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame in 2006.^[13]
Inducted into the Eastern Shore Baseball Foundation Hall of Fame and Museum in 2010.

References

^ Greenstein, Teddy (July 29, 2001). "Not a stay-at-home fellow". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
^ "Batting Game Finder". Stathead.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
^ "1990 Montreal Expos Lineups and Defense". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
^ "1990 Awards Voting". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
^ Newhan, Ross (April 22, 2008). "A Long-Term Trade Deficit". Los Angeles Times. pp. D–7.
^ McClelland, Sean (December 7, 2010). "New manager hired by Dayton Dragons". Dayton Daily News. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012.
^ http://www.pnj.com/article/20121212/SPORTS/121212004/Delino-DeShields-manage-Blue-Wahoos-2013
^ Sheldon, Mark. "DeShields to manage Louisville". Retrieved December 1, 2014.
^ "Reds part ways with 5 members of coaching staff". mlb.com. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
^ "Delino DeShields Stats, Fantasy & News".
^ "WNBA diamond deshields player info".
^ "DeShields helps lead Team USA to the GOLD medal | Prep Zone: High School Sports". Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
^ "Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame in Wilmington, Delaware - 2006". www.desports.org.

External links

Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
Delino DeShields Baseball Biography

[1] Greenstein, Teddy (July 29, 2001). "Not a stay-at-home fellow". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 21, 2018.

[2] "Batting Game Finder". Stathead.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 4, 2021.

[3] "1990 Montreal Expos Lineups and Defense". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 4, 2021.

[4] "1990 Awards Voting". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 4, 2021.

[5] Newhan, Ross (April 22, 2008). "A Long-Term Trade Deficit". Los Angeles Times. pp. D–7.

[6] McClelland, Sean (December 7, 2010). "New manager hired by Dayton Dragons". Dayton Daily News. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012.

[7] ttp://www.pnj.com/article/20121212/SPORTS/121212004/Delino-DeShields-manage-Blue-Wahoos-2013

[8] Sheldon, Mark. "DeShields to manage Louisville". Retrieved December 1, 2014.

[9] "Reds part ways with 5 members of coaching staff". mlb.com. Retrieved June 28, 2023.

[10] "Delino DeShields Stats, Fantasy & News".

[11] "WNBA diamond deshields player info".

[12] "DeShields helps lead Team USA to the GOLD medal | Prep Zone: High School Sports". Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2010.

[13] "Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame in Wilmington, Delaware - 2006". www.desports.org.

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