Darren Daulton

From BR Bullpen

Darren Arthur Daulton (Dutch)

Bats Left, Throws Right
Height 6' 2", Weight 190 lb.

Debut September 25, 1983
Final Game September 28, 1997
Born January 3, 1962 in Arkansas City, KS USA

[edit] Biographical Information

Darren Daulton is a former catcher who spent nearly his entire career with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Daulton was selected by Philadelphia in the 25th round of the 1980 amateur draft. He made his major league debut in 1983 playing in two games. He was considered the catcher of the future for the Phillies in 1984 before a knee injury ended his season. From 1985 to 1988, Daulton was hampered by knee problems and a low batting average.

Finally, in 1990, Daulton broke out. He hit .268 with 12 home runs. He also played in 143 games, a career high. After being injured in a 1991 car accident, Daulton had a career year in 1992 when he was named to the All Star team and led the league with 109 RBI. He was only the fourth catcher in NL history to lead the league in RBI (the others were Gary Carter, Johnny Bench and Roy Campanella; the feat has not been accomplished in either league since Daulton did it).

Along with Lenny Dykstra and John Kruk, Daulton was one of the catalysts on the 1993 Phillies NL pennant winners. Although the Phillies lost the World Series, Daulton was again an All-Star and drove in more than 100 runs for a second consecutive season.

Unfortunately, knee injuries again caught up with Daulton. He missed most of the 1994, 1995, and 1996 seasons. In 1997, after 17 years with the organization, the Phillies traded Daulton to the Florida Marlins to give him a chance to win the World Series. After the Marlins won the crown, Daulton announced his retirement.

In 14 seasons, Daulton played 1161 games and had 137 home runs and 588 RBI. His career batting average was .245.

After his playing days, Daulton was bullpen coach of the 2001 Tampa Bay Devil Rays.