Timothy Charles Wallach (born September 14, 1957), nicknamed "Eli" in reference to actor Eli Wallach,[1] is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who played from 1980 to 1996 for the Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Dodgers, and California Angels.
| Tim Wallach | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Los Angeles Dodgers – No. 29 | |
| Third baseman | |
| Born: September 14, 1957 Huntington Park, California | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| debut | |
| September 6, 1980, for the Montreal Expos | |
| Last appearance | |
| September 29, 1996, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .257 |
| Home runs | 260 |
| Runs batted in | 1,125 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | ||
Representing the  Vereinigte Staaten
| ||
| Amateur World Series | ||
 |
1978 Italy | Team |
Early life
Wallach grew up in Tustin, California and attended high school at University High School in neighboring Irvine, California.[2] The young student did not attend his hometown Tustin High School and instead was enrolled at University High School in an effort by the school district to increase the student population of the then-newly opened Irvine high school.[2] There he played on the school's lower level baseball team during his freshman and sophomore years before being promoted to the varsity team for his last two years.[2] Upon graduating in 1975, the aspiring young baseball player enrolled at the nearby Saddleback College and transferred to California State University, Fullerton.[2]
Though Wallach was passed over from being signed to the major leagues out of high school, he soon caught the attention of scouts as a member of the university's Titans baseball team. He led the team to its first Division I title in 1979 while being awarded the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award, selected on the 1979 College Baseball All-America Team and named the Sporting News College Player of the Year.[2]
Career
He won three Gold Glove awards for defensive excellence and two Silver Slugger awards for offensive excellence. He was named to five All-Star teams. Wallach spent the majority of his career with the Expos, forming a potent lineup with teammates Tim Raines, Gary Carter and Andre Dawson. He was voted the Montreal Expos Player of the Year in 1987, 1989 and 1990. Bill James has referred to Wallach as a "poor man's Brooks Robinson", largely because of his defensive skills.[3]
With the Expos on September 6, 1980, Wallach hit a home run in his first major league at bat. He was the first player from Cal State Fullerton to do this. On September 6, 2011, Brett Pill of the San Francisco Giants became the second player from Cal State Fullerton to also hit a home run in his first at bat in the major league.
In 8099 career at-bats, Wallach had 2085 hits. He batted .257 with 260 home runs and 1125 RBI. Wallach had 908 career runs scored. He was the equal third last Major League Baseball player to wear a flapless batting helmet, after Tim Raines and Gary Gaetti and equal with Ozzie Smith.[4]
Coaching career
In 2004 and 2005, Wallach was the hitting coach of the Los Angeles Dodgers. When Grady Little became the manager and replaced Jim Tracy in December 2005, Wallach remained hitting coach until he was replaced by Eddie Murray. On January 12, 2009, he was named the manager for the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes in the Dodgers organization.[5] He led the Isotopes into the playoffs with a franchise record 80 wins and was named as Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year.[6]
On November 22, 2010, he was named the new third base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Family
Tim has three sons (Matt, Brett and Chad) with his wife, Lori. Matt was drafted by the Dodgers in the 22nd round of the 2007 MLB Draft as a catcher out of California State University Fullerton. Brett was drafted by the Dodgers as a pitcher in the 3rd round of the 2009 MLB Draft out of Orange Coast College and then traded to the Chicago Cubs in 2010. Chad is a catcher for California State University Fullerton who was selected by the Miami Marlins in the 5th round of the 2013 MLB Draft.
See also
References
- ^ Associated Press (1992-09-14). "Actor gets to meet namesake". The Daily News. Middlesboro, Kentucky: The Daily News. p. 2.
- ^ a b c d e Burt, Tim (October 18, 2012). "Dodger coach Tim Wallach returns to University". Orange County Register. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- ^ Bill, James (2001). The new Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. The Free Press / Simon & Schuster.
- ^ La Point of It All; in Newsday; April 11, 1993; p. 07
- ^ "Isotopes name new manager". kob.com. 2009-01-12. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
- ^ Tim Wallach Named PCL Manager of the Year
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)