Tommy Harper Stats & Facts

Player
 

Tommy Harper

Positions: Outfielder, Third Baseman and Second Baseman
Bats: Right  •  Throws: Right
5-9, 165lb (175cm, 74kg)
Born: October 14, 1940  in Oak Grove, LA us
High School: Encinal HS (Alameda, CA)
Schools: Santa Rosa Junior College (Santa Rosa, CA), San Francisco State University (San Francisco, CA)
Debut: April 9, 1962 (11,923rd in major league history)
vs. PHI 4 AB, 1 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Last Game: September 29, 1976
vs. MIL 5 AB, 3 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB
Rookie Status: Exceeded rookie limits during 1963 season
Full Name: Tommy Harper
View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen
View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject

Nine Players Who Debuted in 1962

Willie Stargell
Bob Bailey
Ed Kranepool
Cookie Rojas
Tony Oliva
Gaylord Perry
Bob Veale
Dick Radatz
Tommy Harper

 

All-Time Teammate Team

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Notable Events and Chronology 

Biography

Blending speed and power, Harper became only the fifth member of the “30-30 Club,” hitting 31 HR and stealing 38 bases for the 1970 Brewers. As a young, highly touted outfielder with the Reds in 1965, he hit 18 homers and led the NL with 126 runs scored. After a disappointing 1967 season (.217), he was traded to Cleveland, where he continued to slump in a platoon role. Rescued by the Seattle Pilots in the 1968 expansion draft, he led the ML with 73 stolen bases in 1969, the highest AL total since Ty Cobb’s 96 in 1915.
Although he preferred the outfield, Harper played mostly at third base (and 82 games at second base) for the Pilots and Brewers. Traded to Boston before the 1972 season, he returned to the outfield. In 1973 he was the Red Sox’ MVP, hitting 17 HR, scoring 71 runs, and stealing an AL-high 54 bases setting an all-time Red Sox mark, until Jacoby Ellsbury broke the record on August 25, 2009. He hit 17 home runs and stole 28 bases primarily as a designated hitter in 1974. His trade to the California Angels for Bob Heise at the Winter Meetings on December 2, 1974.

Harper played parts of the next three years with California, Oakland and Baltimore, In 1810 games over 15 seasons, Harper compiled a .257 batting average (1609-for-6269) with 972 runs, 256 doubles, 36 triples, 146 home runs, 567 RBI, 408 stolen bases, 753 base on balls, 1080 strikeouts, .338 on-base percentage and .379 slugging percentage. Defensively, he recorded a .973 fielding percentage. He has played first base, second base, third base and all three outfield positions in his major league career.

Harper served as a coach for the Red Sox (1980–84; 2000–02) and the Montreal Expos (1990–99). Harper was elected to the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2010.@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90YWdzIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiTGVhcm4gTW9yZSBhYm91dCB0aGUgdGVhbXMsIHBsYXllcnMsIGJhbGwgcGFya3MgYW5kIGV2ZW50cyB0aGF0IGhhcHBlbmVkIG9uIHRoaXMgZGF0ZSBpbiBoaXN0b3J5IC0gLSAtIC0gLSAtIC0gIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJsaW5rX3RvX3Rlcm1fcGFnZSI6Im9uIiwic2VwYXJhdG9yIjoiIHwgIiwiY2F0ZWdvcnlfdHlwZSI6InBvc3RfdGFnIn19@

 

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