Tommy Harper - WikiHQ

Tommy Harper (born October 14, 1940) is an American former professional baseball outfielder, third baseman and second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for seven different franchises from 1962 to 1976, including six seasons with the Cincinnati Reds and three seasons each with the Milwaukee Brewers and the Boston Red Sox. He was selected to one All-Star Game and led the league in stolen bases twice.

High School and college

Harper played at Encinal High School in Alameda, California, where his teammates included future Baseball Hall-of-Famer Willie Stargell and MLB player Curt Motton. He starred collegiately for San Francisco State University.

Cincinnati Reds

thumb|left|140px|Harper in 1963

Harper signed as an amateur free agent with the Reds before the 1960 season (as Major League Baseball had yet to institute a draft) and was assigned to the Class B Topeka Reds, where he had modest success, posting a .254 batting average with five home runs and 36 runs batted in (RBI) in 79 games. After hitting .324 with 15 home runs and 65 RBI in 124 games for Topeka the following season, he was promoted all the way up to the Triple-A San Diego Padres, where he hit .333 with 26 home runs and 84 RBI in 144 games. In the 1963 and 1964 seasons, Harper was a platoon player for the Reds, working mostly as an outfielder. His breakout season was 1965, as he became the Reds' starting left fielder and leadoff hitter. He finished the season batting .257 with 18 home runs, 64 RBI, 35 stolen bases, and a National League-leading 126 runs scored in 159 games.

Seattle Pilots/Milwaukee Brewers

Harper was the first player to come to bat in Seattle Pilots history when he led off the top of the 1st against right-hander Jim McGlothlin of the California Angels. In that inaugural at bat, he was also the first Pilots player to record a hit, doubling to left field, and then scoring the Pilots first run on a home run by Mike Hegan. Harper led the American League with a career-high 73 stolen bases—the most by an American Leaguer since Ty Cobb's 96 in 1915 and a mark that still stands today as a Pilots/Brewers record. He also showed his versatility in the field, making over 50 starts at both second and third base, 21 starts in center field, and also seeing playing time at both corner outfield positions. The 1970 season was probably the best statistically in Harper's career. He recorded career highs in hits (179), doubles (35), home runs (31), and RBI (82) on his way to the lone All-Star game appearance of his career.

Boston Red Sox

Harper was part of a ten-player blockbuster that sent him, Marty Pattin, Lew Krausse and minor-league outfielder Pat Skrable to the Boston Red Sox for George Scott, Jim Lonborg, Ken Brett, Billy Conigliaro, Joe Lahoud and Don Pavletich on October 10, 1971. Harper became the Sox' starting center fielder and leadoff hitter from 1972–74, playing well enough to earn him votes in the AL MVP balloting in '72 and '73. In 1974, Harper hit .237 with five home runs, 24 RBI and 28 stolen bases in 118 games, playing primarily as a designated hitter.

California Angels

Harper played only part of the 1975 season for California, batting .239 with three home runs and 31 RBI in 89 games. During the 1985 season, he held a non-uniformed role with the team; he was dismissed from the team in December. His dismissal was allegedly in retaliation for speaking out in the spring about the club's "long-term association with an all-white Elks Club in Winter Haven", where the team held spring training. On July 1, 1986, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled that Harper's dismissal "was held to be without merit". In December 1986, Harper and the Red Sox reached a settlement, the terms of which were not disclosed.

Harper next worked as a coach from 1990 through 1999 with the Montreal Expos, spending three seasons as the first base coach and then seven seasons as the hitting coach.

Highlights

24-consecutive-game hitting streak (July 17 – August 8, 1966)
16 games with four hits
Four stolen bases vs. the Chicago White Sox (June 18, 1969)
Three games with three stolen bases
All-Star (1970)
Led National League in runs (126, 1965)
Twice led American League in stolen bases (73, 1969; 54, 1973)
Became the fifth 30–30 club member (31 home runs and 38 stolen bases, 1970)
Boston Red Sox MVP (1973)
Top 10 American League MVP (1970)
His career 408 stolen bases ranks him tied for 68th on the all-time list (entering the 2026 season)
Single-season stolen base records for the Brewers

References

External links

"Tommy Harper charges discrimination" from the WGBH series, Ten O'clock News
Career Leaders & Records for Stolen Bases