Wally Joyner

From BR Bullpen

Wallace Keith Joyner (Wally World)

Bats Left, Throws Left
Height 6' 2", Weight 203 lb.
School Brigham Young University
Debut April 8, 1986
Final Game June 14, 2001
Born June 16, 1962 in Atlanta, GA USA

[edit] Biographical Information

Wally Joyner was signed as a 3rd round pick in the 1983 amateur draft by the California Angels and scout Joe Maddon.

Joyner was a four year letterman in baseball and basketball while at high school. He lettered for three years at Brigham Young University and was named an All-American.

In his first two seasons in the Majors, playing for the California Angels, he collected over 100 RBI. He played in the All-Star Game as a rookie in 1986. After those two years, he never drove in more than 96 runs. He collected his 300th career RBI on a game winning, two run single against the Texas Rangers in 1988.

Joyner played 16 seasons in the majors from 1986 to 2001, exclusively as a first baseman (with a few games as designated hitter), hitting .289 in over 2000 games. He showed limited power after his first two seasons, but his combination of a decent batting average and on-base percentage kept him as a starter in the major leagues until 1999. He played in one World Series, going hitless in 8 at-bats for the San Diego Padres when they were swept by the New York Yankees in 1998.

After his playing career, he became a hitting instructor in the Padres farm system and was promoted to the position of Major League hitting coach on July 31, 2007, replacing the fired Merv Rettenmund.