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Timothy John Foli (born December 8, 1950), nicknamed Crazy Horse,〔 〕 is an American former professional baseball player, coach and minor league manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop for the New York Mets, Montreal Expos, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, California Angels and New York Yankees from to . At age 17, Foli was the first pick in the Major League Baseball Draft in and went on to be a member of the 1979 World Series champion Pirates. Foli was known as a fiery player who was a reliable fielder but only an average hitter. Foli was a free swinger, especially in when he walked only 14 times, the lowest total ever for 150 or more games played (Ozzie Guillén broke Foli's notorious record three years later). His free swinging did not aim for the fences, however, as he averaged less than two home runs per season. His lack of power, combined with a lack of running speed (averaging approximately a stolen base every 20 games) resulted in Foli typically batting either second in the lineup or near the bottom. Although he accumulated few walks, Foli was also one of the most difficult to strike out, posting the league's best strikeout percentage three times and finishing in the top ten five times. Foli compiled a .333 batting average in the 1979 postseason, contributing to Pittsburgh's last World Championship. He was an accomplished bunter, finishing in the league top ten in sacrifice hits eight times including an American League-leading 26 in 1982. Defensively, Foli led league shortstops in fielding percentage in and 1982. He led the National League in double plays twice, in total chances twice, and in putouts once. Foli's defensive low occurred on September 9, 1972 when he committed three errors in one inning, leading to three runs in Montreal's 8–3 loss.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Pittsburgh Pirates 8, Montreal Expos 3 )〕 ==Early life and career== Foli was born in Culver City, California and attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California. He was a high school star in both baseball and football and was offered a football scholarship by the University of Southern California. When the New York Mets made Foli the first overall draft pick in the 1968 Major League Baseball Draft, he decided to forgo football for the major leagues.〔 At age seventeen, Foli started out poorly with the Marion Mets of the Appalachian League. The following year, while the Mets were on their way to winning the 1969 World Series, Foli hit over .300 for their high single A minor league team, the Visalia Mets of the California League. In , Foli posted decent numbers for the AAA Tidewater Tides and the Mets called the 19-year-old up to the majors on September 11. At the time, he was the fourth youngest player in the majors, behind César Cedeño, Balor Moore and Don Gullett. In his second game, Foli started at third base, picked up two hits and drove in a late run as the Mets defeated the St. Louis Cardinals. The defending champions faded the rest of the way and missed the playoffs. Foli spent all of with the Mets, fighting for playing time at second base and third base. On May 9, he had an RBI triple and a three-run double in the first two innings for his first four-RBI game. It would prove to be his last four-RBI game until . In 97 games, his batting average was .226, with both his on-base percentage and slugging average below .300. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tim Foli」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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