Randy Winn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Randy Winn |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
Winn with the Giants in 2006
|
|||
| Outfielder | |||
| Born: June 9, 1974 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
|||
|
|||
| debut | |||
| May 11, 1998, for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 3, 2010, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .284 | ||
| Home runs | 110 | ||
| Runs batted in | 662 | ||
| Teams | |||
|
|||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
|
|||
Dwight Randolph "Randy" Winn (born June 9, 1974) is a former American professional baseball player. He played for 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), mostly as an outfielder. Randy Winn was a switch hitter, meaning he could bat from both sides of the plate. He threw the ball with his right hand.
Winn started his major league career in 1998 with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He also played for the Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, and St. Louis Cardinals. In 2002, he was chosen to play in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. After he stopped playing, Winn worked as a baseball analyst for TV broadcasts. Since 2024, he has been the vice president of player development for the San Francisco Giants.
Contents
Early Life and College Sports
Randy Winn was born in Los Angeles, California. He went to San Ramon Valley High School. Later, he attended Santa Clara University. There, he played both baseball and basketball. In basketball, he played as a guard alongside Steve Nash, who later became a famous NBA player. They were even roommates!
Professional Baseball Career
Randy Winn was first chosen by the Florida Marlins in the 1995 MLB draft. He was the 65th player picked overall.
Playing for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1998–2002)
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays picked Winn in the 1997 MLB expansion draft. He made his first MLB appearance on May 11, 1998, as a pinch runner for the Devil Rays. On October 3, 1999, he hit a special kind of grand slam called an inside-the-park home run against the New York Yankees. Winn was selected to represent Tampa Bay in the 2002 All-Star Game, which was a big honor.
Time with the Seattle Mariners (2003–2005)
On October 29, 2002, Randy Winn was traded to the Seattle Mariners. This trade happened as a way to compensate for Lou Piniella becoming the manager of the Devil Rays. During his two and a half years with the Mariners, Winn had 462 hits. He also hit 40 home runs and stole 56 bases. His batting average during this time was .299.
Joining the San Francisco Giants (2005–2009)
Before the trade deadline on July 31, 2005, Seattle traded Winn to the Giants. In return, the Giants sent catcher Yorvit Torrealba and a minor league pitcher. Even though the Giants tried hard, they finished third in their division that year.
Winn played very well after joining the Giants. In 231 at bats, he had a .359 batting average. He also hit 14 home runs and had 26 RBI. This was a big improvement from his stats earlier that year with the Mariners. In just two months with the Giants, Winn matched his best number of home runs for a single season.
For his great performance in September, Winn was named the National League Player of the Month. He had 51 hits that month and a batting average of .447. His 51 hits were the most by a Giants player in over 30 years for one month. Winn also had a career-high hitting streak of 20 games. After this successful period, he signed a new three-year contract with the Giants.
In 2009, Winn played in 149 games. He hit only two home runs that year. However, he reached two important milestones: his 200th stolen base and his 500th walk. After the 2009 season, Winn became a free agent, meaning he could sign with any team.
Playing for the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals (2010)
On February 8, 2010, Winn signed a one-year contract with the New York Yankees. He was later released by the Yankees on May 28, 2010. A few days later, on June 5, he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. He finished the 2010 season playing for the Cardinals.
Retirement from Playing (2011)
Winn signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles on February 3, 2011. However, he announced his retirement as an active player on April 1, 2011.
Career Statistics Overview
Over his 13 seasons and 1,717 games, Randy Winn had a career batting average of .284. He collected 1,759 hits, scored 863 runs, and hit 110 home runs. He also stole 215 stolen bases. Winn was a strong fielder too, with a .992 fielding percentage while playing in all three outfield positions.
Life After Playing Baseball
After retiring as a player, Randy Winn started working in baseball broadcasting. From 2013, he became a part-time color analyst for San Francisco Giants games on TV. At the same time, from 2013 to 2016, Winn also worked as an instructor. He helped outfielders and baserunners improve their skills.
Later, Winn became a special assistant to the Giants' general manager. In 2019, he moved into professional scouting. Before the 2025 season began, Randy Winn was named the vice president of player development for the San Francisco Giants.
Personal Life
In 2002, Randy Winn married his college sweetheart, Blessings Robertson. This happened just five days after he was traded to the Seattle Mariners.
See Also
- List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
