Daryl Boston facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Daryl Boston |
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Boston with the Chicago White Sox in 2013
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| Outfielder / Coach | |||
| Born: January 4, 1963 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| May 13, 1984, for the Chicago White Sox | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| August 11, 1994, for the New York Yankees | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .249 | ||
| Home runs | 83 | ||
| Runs batted in | 278 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As coach
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Daryl Lamont Boston (born January 4, 1963) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder. He also worked as the first base coach for the Chicago White Sox.
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Becoming a Baseball Pro
Daryl Boston was picked by the Chicago White Sox in the first round of the 1981 Major League Baseball Draft. He was the seventh player chosen overall! Before playing in the big leagues, he played three seasons in the White Sox's farm system. He had a good batting average of .265, hit 36 home runs, and brought in 164 runs batted in.
In early 1984, Boston was called up to the major leagues. In his very first MLB game on May 13, he started strong. He got 3 hits in 5 tries, including a triple. He also stole a base and scored two runs. After this exciting start, he spent some time playing in the minor leagues to gain more experience. He returned to the White Sox later that year.
Playing for the Chicago White Sox
In 1985, Boston tried to win the starting center field job for the White Sox. He continued to work hard on his hitting. He spent some time with the Buffalo Bisons, where he batted .274 with ten home runs. When he returned to the White Sox, he batted .261.
In 1986, Boston became the starting center fielder for the White Sox. This happened after left fielder Bobby Bonilla was traded. Boston had been batting .303 in the minor leagues before being called back up. He finished the season batting .266 with 22 runs batted in and five home runs. One of his home runs was hit off Bert Blyleven. This was the 50th home run Blyleven allowed that year, which was a record at the time!
His best season with the White Sox was in 1987. He batted .258, hit ten home runs, and had 29 runs batted in. He often played as the team's fourth outfielder, ready to step in when needed. In April 1990, the New York Mets picked him up.
Time with the New York Mets
When Boston joined the New York Mets, he quickly became their main center fielder. He started a bit slowly but soon found his rhythm. On May 7, he hit his first home run for the Mets, helping them win 7-1 against the Houston Astros.
Even though he joined the Mets in May, his first season with them was his best career year. He had a career-high 45 runs batted in and stole 18 bases. He also batted .273. He was a strong player in center field, with a .985 fielding percentage. This means he made very few errors!
In 1991, the Mets signed Vince Coleman to play center field. Boston was expected to be a backup. However, Coleman was injured often, so Boston played a lot of games in center field.
For the 1992 season, Boston continued to play when other players were injured. He batted .249 and hit eleven home runs, which was the third-highest on the team.
Playing for Other Teams
In 1993, Boston signed with the Colorado Rockies. This was an expansion team, meaning they were a brand new team joining MLB! He batted .261, hit fourteen home runs, and had forty runs batted in. He played all three outfield positions for the Rockies.
He then joined the New York Yankees for the 1994 season. He played in a limited number of games. The Yankees were doing very well that year, leading their division. However, a player strike ended the season early. This meant Boston missed his chance to play in the postseason for the first time.
Career Statistics and Coaching
Daryl Boston played in 1058 games during his MLB career. Here are some of his career stats:
| Games | PA | AB | Runs | Hits | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | Avg. | OBP | Slg. | OPS | Fld% |
| 1058 | 2901 | 2629 | 378 | 655 | 131 | 22 | 83 | 278 | 98 | 237 | 469 | .249 | .312 | .410 | .722 | .977 |
After his MLB playing career, Boston continued to play minor league baseball for a couple more years. He even spent a season as a player/manager for the Regina Cyclones in 1996 before retiring as a player.
In 2001, Boston returned to the White Sox organization. He became a coach who traveled around to help minor league outfielders. In 2013, he was named the first base coach for the Chicago White Sox's main team. He held this important coaching role until 2023.
A Baseball Family
Daryl Boston comes from a family of baseball players!
- His father, Henry, played in the Negro league baseball for a team called the Cincinnati Tigers.
- His twin brother, David, was also an outfielder. He played in the Cincinnati Reds organization.
- His younger brother, D.J., played minor league baseball for sixteen years. He is now a hitting coach for the Milwaukee Milkmen.
