Jerome Walton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jerome Walton |
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Walton in 1988
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| Center fielder | |||
| Born: July 8, 1965 Newnan, Georgia, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 4, 1989, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| May 6, 1998, for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .269 | ||
| Home runs | 25 | ||
| Runs batted in | 132 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Jerome O'Terrell Walton, born on July 8, 1965, is a former American professional baseball player. He played as a center fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) for several teams. These teams included the Chicago Cubs, California Angels, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. His career in the big leagues lasted from 1989 to 1998. Jerome batted and threw with his right hand. He was born in Newnan, Georgia.
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Early Life and Draft
Jerome Walton grew up in Newnan, Georgia, where he graduated from Newnan High School. After high school, he attended Enterprise State Junior College. His talent for baseball was noticed, and in 1986, the Chicago Cubs picked him in the second round of the Major League Baseball draft. He was the 36th player chosen overall that year.
Major League Debut and Rookie Success
Jerome Walton made his first appearance in Major League Baseball on April 4, 1989, playing for the Chicago Cubs. His rookie year was truly amazing! He was named the 1989 National League Rookie of the Year. He was the first Cubs player to win this award since Ken Hubbs in 1962.
During that great rookie season, Jerome played in 116 games. He had a strong batting average of .293 and stole 24 bases. He also had an impressive 30-game hitting streak, meaning he got at least one hit in 30 games in a row! His fantastic performance even earned him some votes for the Most Valuable Player Award, where he finished 13th.
Playing for Different Teams
After his rookie year, Jerome played three more seasons with the Cubs. He played in 254 games during this time. In 1990, his batting average was .263, but it dropped to .127 in 1992. After the 1992 season, he became a free agent, which meant he could sign with any team.
He then joined the California Angels for the 1993 season. However, he only played in five games for them before being released. In 1994, he signed with the Cincinnati Reds. He played well there, batting .309 in 46 games. The next year, 1995, he played in 102 games and batted .290. He also played in the postseason with the Reds, but didn't get any hits.
In 1996, Jerome moved to the Atlanta Braves, where he played in 37 games and had a high batting average of .340. He had one more chance to play in the postseason in 1997 with the Baltimore Orioles, but again, he didn't get any hits. Jerome finished his career in 1998 with the new team, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He played in twelve games and had eleven hits before his time with the team ended in May.
Career Highlights and "Jerome-O-Meter"
Over his 10-year career in Major League Baseball, Jerome Walton had a total batting average of .269. He hit 25 home runs and had 132 runs batted in (RBIs). He also stole 58 bases. Most of his career was spent playing as a reserve player, meaning he often came into games from the bench.
Early in his career with the Cubs, fans created a fun way to track his batting average called the "Jerome-O-Meter." This was inspired by a similar "Shawon-O-Meter" that tracked the batting average of Cubs shortstop Shawon Dunston during Jerome's rookie season.
