Darrell Whitmore facts for kids

Darrell Lamont Whitmore, born on November 18, 1968, is an American who used to play professional baseball. He played for the Florida Marlins in Major League Baseball (MLB). Before that, he was a talented athlete in both football and baseball at West Virginia University.

Darrell Whitmore: A Two-Sport Star

Playing College Sports

Darrell Whitmore was a fantastic athlete at West Virginia University. He played both football and baseball there. In 1988, as a freshman, he started his football career as a free safety. He played a big part in the Mountaineers' perfect season that year.

However, he broke his leg in the last regular season game. This injury was one reason West Virginia lost to the University of Notre Dame in the 1989 Fiesta Bowl. In his first year, Whitmore made 61 tackles and caught four interceptions. He even ran one interception back 34 yards for a touchdown!

He continued to play football for three more years. As a sophomore in 1989, he had 68 tackles and three interceptions. In 1990, his junior year, he recorded 64 tackles and four interceptions. By the end of his college football career, Whitmore had a total of 216 tackles and 14 interceptions.

Besides football, Whitmore was also an amazing baseball player. He played right field and was known as one of the best hitters in his school's history.

Playing Professional Baseball

Darrell Whitmore was chosen by the Cleveland Indians in the second round of the 1990 Major League Baseball Draft. This was the 46th pick overall! He officially signed with them on June 13, 1990.

Later, the Florida Marlins picked Whitmore as their 16th choice in the November 1992 Major League Baseball expansion draft. He made his big league debut with the Marlins on June 25, 1993. Whitmore played in Major League Baseball for three years, from 1993 to 1995. After that, from 1996 to 2001, he played for different teams in the minor leagues.

In his Major League career, Whitmore played 112 games. He hit 5 home runs, had 67 hits, and brought in 21 runs for his team (called RBIs). He also played briefly in Japan for the Nippon Professional Baseball team, Chiba Lotte Marines, in 1996. There, he hit 12 home runs and had a batting average of .266 in 57 games.