Randy Winn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Randy Winn |
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Winn with the Giants in 2006
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| Outfielder | |||
| Born: June 9, 1974 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| 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 | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Dwight Randolph Winn (born June 9, 1974) is a former American professional baseball player. He played for 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Randy Winn was mostly an outfielder. He could hit from both sides of the plate (a switch hitter) and threw 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. Today, he works as a baseball analyst for Giants games on TV.
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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 alongside Steve Nash, who later became a famous NBA player. They were even roommates!
Randy Winn's Baseball Journey
Randy Winn was picked by the Florida Marlins in the third round of the 1995 MLB draft. This was a big step toward his professional career.
Playing for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1998–2002)
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays chose Randy Winn in the 1997 MLB expansion draft. He made his first MLB appearance on May 11, 1998. He came into the game as a pinch runner.
On October 3, 1999, Randy Winn hit a very exciting inside-the-park grand slam against the New York Yankees. This means he hit the ball and ran all the way around the bases for a home run without the ball leaving the field. In 2002, he was picked to represent the Devil Rays in the All-Star Game, which is a great honor for a player.
Time with the Seattle Mariners (2003–2005)
After his time with Tampa Bay, Randy Winn was traded to the Seattle Mariners in 2002. This trade happened because the Devil Rays hired Lou Piniella as their new manager.
During his two and a half years with the Mariners, Winn played very well. He got 462 hits, hit 40 home runs, and stole 56 bases. He also had a good batting average of .299.
Joining the San Francisco Giants (2005–2009)
In July 2005, Randy Winn was traded again, this time to the San Francisco Giants. He joined the Giants just before the trade deadline. Even though the Giants didn't have a great season that year, Winn played exceptionally well after joining them.
In his first few months with the Giants, Winn had a fantastic batting average of .359. He also hit 14 home runs and had 26 RBI (runs batted in). This was a big improvement from his stats earlier that year with the Mariners. He even tied his career best for home runs in a single season.
For his amazing performance in September, Randy Winn was named the National League Player of the Month. He got 51 hits that month and had a batting average of .447. This was the most hits by a Giants player in one month in over 30 years! He also had a career-high hitting streak of 20 games. After this great season, he signed a new contract to stay with the Giants for three more years.
Winn continued to play for the Giants, showing good performance in 2007 and 2008 with batting averages around .300. In 2009, he reached two important milestones: his 200th stolen base and his 500th base on balls (walk).
Playing for the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals (2010)
In 2010, Randy Winn signed a one-year deal to play for the New York Yankees. However, he only played a short time with them. He was later released by the Yankees in May.
Soon after, he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in June 2010. He finished the season playing for the Cardinals. After the season ended, he became a free agent, meaning he could sign with any team.
Retirement from Baseball
In 2011, Randy Winn signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles. However, he decided to retire from playing baseball on April 1, 2011.
In 2016, Randy Winn was on the ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Players need a certain number of votes to be inducted, and he did not receive any votes that year.
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 had 662 RBI and stole 215 stolen bases. His fielding percentage was very high at .992, showing he was a great outfielder.
After Playing Baseball
After retiring as a player, Randy Winn stayed involved in baseball. Starting in 2013, he began working as a part-time TV analyst for San Francisco Giants games. This means he helps explain the game to viewers.
From 2013 to 2016, he also worked as an instructor for the Giants. He helped teach outfielders and baserunners. Later, he became a special assistant to the general manager and then moved into professional scouting. In 2025, he was named vice president of player development for the 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
- List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle
