Ron LeFlore facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ron LeFlore |
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LeFlore with the Detroit Tigers in 1975
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| Center fielder | |||
| Born: June 16, 1948 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| August 1, 1974, for the Detroit Tigers | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 3, 1982, for the Chicago White Sox | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .288 | ||
| Home runs | 59 | ||
| Run batted in | 353 | ||
| Stolen bases | 455 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Ronald "Ron" LeFlore (born June 16, 1948) is a former American Major League Baseball player. He was a talented center fielder known for his incredible speed. Ron played for six seasons with the Detroit Tigers. Later, he joined the Montreal Expos and finished his career with the Chicago White Sox in 1982.
Ron stole an amazing 455 bases during his career. He was also chosen as an American League All-Star in 1976, which means he was one of the best players in his league that year. Ron LeFlore's amazing journey to the big leagues was so inspiring that a movie and a book were made about him! The TV movie, One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story, starred LeVar Burton and showed how Ron overcame challenges to become a baseball star. Ron is also the cousin of former MLB outfielder Todd Steverson.
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Ron's Early Life
Ron LeFlore was born in Detroit, Michigan. His father did not have a job, and his mother worked very hard as a nurse's aide. She was the one who kept their family strong and healthy. Ron often said that his mother's kindness helped him get through tough times when he was young. He went to Eastern High School in Detroit.
After leaving school, Ron did not play any organized sports. He also didn't follow the Detroit Tigers baseball team much. Even though he had been to Tiger Stadium once with his father, baseball wasn't a big part of his life then.
How Ron Was Discovered
Ron LeFlore began playing organized baseball for the first time while he was in a special program. A fellow participant, Jimmy Karalla, knew a bar owner named Jimmy Butsicaris. This bar owner was friends with Billy Martin, who was the manager of the Detroit Tigers at the time. Karalla convinced Butsicaris to talk to Billy Martin about Ron.
On May 23, 1973, Billy Martin visited Ron. Martin then helped Ron get permission to try out for the Tigers at Tiger Stadium that June. In July 1973, the Tigers signed Ron LeFlore to a contract. This helped him meet the requirements to join the team. He received a $5,000 bonus and $500 each month for the rest of the 1973 season.
Ron was sent to play for the Clinton Pilots in the Class A Midwest League. There, he was managed by Jim Leyland. Ron played well, hitting for a .277 batting average. The next year, he played for the Lakeland Tigers in the Class A Florida State League. He hit .331 and stole 45 bases in 102 games. Because he was doing so well, he was moved up to the Evansville Triplets in the Class AAA American Association. He played nine games there before the season ended. The very next season, Ron made it to the major league team right out of spring training!
Ron's Baseball Career
When Ron LeFlore first joined the Tigers in 1974, he shared playing time in center field with veteran player Mickey Stanley. By 1975, Ron became the full-time starter. He was mostly known for his amazing speed and for stealing bases. But in his best years, he also hit for a good batting average and even hit some home runs.
Ron, along with pitcher Mark Fidrych, helped the Tigers attract many more fans in 1976. Both players were chosen for the 1976 American League All-Star team. However, the Tigers never finished higher than fourth place in their division while Ron was on the team. In 1977, Ron hit 16 home runs and had a .325 batting average, which were both his best numbers ever.
His best year might have been 1978. That season, he led the league in singles (153), runs scored (126), and stolen bases (68). He also finished second in total hits (198). He played more games and had more at-bats, RBIs, and walks than ever before.
After the 1979 season, where he hit .300 and stole 78 bases, Ron was traded to the Montreal Expos. This happened on December 7, and the Tigers received Dan Schatzeder in return. In 1980, Ron came very close to playing in the playoffs. He stole a career-high 97 bases, helping the Expos finish just one game behind the Philadelphia Phillies, who went on to win the World Series. His 97 stolen bases made him the first player to lead both the American and National Leagues in steals. He was also only the fourth National League player since 1900 to steal 95 or more bases in a season.
In 1981, Ron signed with the Chicago White Sox as a free agent. However, he played in only 173 games over his two years with them. After not making the White Sox team in the spring of 1983, he was released on April 2 and announced his retirement.
As of the end of the 2011 season, Ron LeFlore's stolen base totals from 1976, 1978, and 1979 were among the top 10 single-season records for the Tigers. His 294 career steals rank fourth all-time for the Tigers. His 97 stolen bases for the Expos in 1980 are still a record for the Expos/Washington Nationals team. Ron also finished in the top ten in his league for triples several times, getting as high as third place in 1980 with 11 triples.
Even though he was very fast and a good hitter, Ron was not always the best in the outfield. He often made more errors than other outfielders. His most memorable mistake in the field happened on August 1, 1982. In a game against the Boston Red Sox, Ron was in center field. A soft hit ball came his way, but it hit him on the forehead and bounced far away. By the time someone got to the ball, the batter had scored a run. Ron also struck out a lot, finishing in the top ten for strikeouts five times in his career.
Career Statistics
In 1099 games over nine seasons, Ron LeFlore had a .288 batting average. He collected 1283 hits, scored 731 runs, hit 172 doubles, 57 triples, and 59 home runs. He also had 353 RBIs and stole 455 stolen bases. His on-base percentage was .342, and his slugging percentage was .392. He finished his career with a .968 fielding percentage playing in center and left field.
After Baseball
In 1988, Ron LeFlore was working for an airline. He saw an advertisement for an umpire school run by MLB umpire Joe Brinkman. Ron attended the five-week course, hoping to become an umpire in the major leagues. He almost made it, but just missed the opportunity.
In 1989, Ron played for the St. Petersburg Pelicans and Bradenton Explorers in the Senior Professional Baseball Association. He hit .328 in 44 games. In 1990, he played for the Florida Tropics in the same league. He played 18 games, hit two home runs, and drove in nine runs. He had the second-highest batting average in the league at .403 when the league stopped playing.
In 1995, Ron managed the Newburgh Night Hawks team in the Northeast League. In 2000, he was hired as the manager for the Cook County Cheetahs in the Frontier League. He also worked as a manager and coach in other minor leagues. In 2003, he became the manager for the Saskatoon Legends in the new Canadian Baseball League, but that league also stopped playing partway through its first season.
In the summer of 2011, Ron LeFlore had to have his right leg amputated below the knee. This was due to health problems caused by arterial vascular disease, which was a result of smoking cigarettes since he was a teenager. He lost 100 pounds after three surgeries. Today, he uses a prosthetic leg and lives in St. Petersburg, Florida.
See Also
- List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual stolen base leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
Images for kids
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Ron LeFlore with the Detroit Tigers in 1975
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LeFlore playing in the outfield of Tiger Stadium, 1977
