Danny Walton

Danny Walton
Outfielder
Born: (1947-07-14)July 14, 1947
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died: August 9, 2017(2017-08-09) (aged 70)
Morgan, Utah, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 20, 1968, for the Houston Astros
Last MLB appearance
June 6, 1980, for the Texas Rangers
MLB statistics
Batting average.223
Home runs28
Runs batted in107
Stats at Baseball Reference 
Teams

Daniel James Walton (July 14, 1947 – August 9, 2017) was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. Walton attended Bishop Amat Memorial High School, and was selected in the 10th round (192nd overall) of the 1965 MLB draft by the Houston Astros.[1] He played for the Houston Astros (1968 and 1977), Seattle Pilots / Milwaukee Brewers (1969–71), New York Yankees (1971), Minnesota Twins (1973 and 1975), Los Angeles Dodgers (1976), Yokohama Taiyo Whales (1978), and Texas Rangers (1980). During a nine-year major league baseball career, he hit .223, with 28 home runs, and 107 runs batted in (RBI) in 297 career games.[2]

Walton, along with Sandy Valdespino, was traded from the Houston Astros to the Seattle Pilots for Tommy Davis on August 31, 1969.[3] Popular with the Brewers fans who sat in the left field bleachers at Milwaukee County Stadium, Walton was dealt to the Yankees for Bobby Mitchell and Frank Tepedino on June 7, 1971.[4] Walton was sent by the Yankees to the Minnesota Twins for Rick Dempsey on October 31, 1972.[5]

The Sporting News awarded Walton their Minor League Player of the Year Award in 1969 for his season with the Oklahoma City 89ers. He batted .332 with 25 home runs and 119 RBI that season.[6]

Walton's friend and minor-league teammate while in the Dodgers organization, longtime Atlanta Braves broadcaster Joe Simpson, called Walton "arguably the strongest man I ever played with." One season while Walton was playing winter ball in Puerto Rico, he answered an advertisement seeking a sparring partner for boxer Joe King Roman. Walton had small amount of previous experience as an amateur boxer and without much effort, in his words, "Beat the hell out of [Roman]." Walton was immediately fired as Roman's sparring partner.[7]

Walton died August 9, 2017, in Morgan, Utah, aged 70.[8] He worked as a welder after his retirement from professional baseball.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "10th Round of the 1965 MLB June Amateur Draft". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Danny Walton Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Pilots Trade Tommy Davis To Houston". Reading Eagle. Reading, Pennsylvania. UPI. September 1, 1969. p. 26. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  4. ↑ McGowen, Deane (June 8, 1971). "Yanks Get Walton;". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Twins Obtain Danny Walton". Milwaukee Journal. October 31, 1972. p. 30. Retrieved February 17, 2025 – via GenealogyBank.com.
  6. 1 2 Munn, Scott (September 26, 2017). "Tributes: Danny Walton was Minor League Player of the Year". The Oklahoman. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
  7. ↑ Jonathan Chadwick; Ben Ingram; Joe Simpson (June 19, 2025). "From the Braves Booth Episode 60" (Podcast). Megaphone. Atlanta Braves. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Danny James Walton Obituary". Lindquist Mortuary. Archived from the original on August 13, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
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