Steve Braun Marquee

b. May 8, 1948 · Minnesota Twins 1971–1976, Seattle Mariners 1977–1978, Kansas City Royals 1978–1980, Toronto Blue Jays 1980, St. Louis Cardinals 1981–1985

Steve Braun drew 579 walks in 1,425 games and hit .271, a combination that made him valuable in a way the era did not yet have a word for. St. Louis used him almost entirely off the bench for five seasons and he was excellent at it, hitting .333 as a pinch hitter in 1983.

He began as a regular, six seasons at third base and in left field for Minnesota, before the role narrowed. He was on the Kansas City club that reached the 1980 World Series and the St. Louis one that won in 1982.

Born in Trenton, New Jersey in 1948, Braun collected 989 hits and 52 home runs, and later spent many years as a minor league hitting instructor.

Batting, season by season

Year	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	AVG
1971	MIN	128	343	51	87	12	2	5	35	48	50	8	.254
1972	MIN	121	402	40	116	21	0	2	50	45	38	4	.289
1973	MIN	115	361	46	102	28	5	6	42	74	48	4	.283
1974	MIN	129	453	53	127	12	1	8	40	56	51	4	.280
1975	MIN	136	453	70	137	18	3	11	45	66	55	0	.302
1976	MIN	122	417	73	120	12	3	3	61	67	43	12	.288
1977	SEA	139	451	51	106	19	1	5	31	80	59	8	.235
1978	KCR/SEA	96	211	27	53	14	1	3	29	37	21	4	.251
1979	KCR	58	116	15	31	2	0	4	10	22	11	0	.267
1980	KCR/TOR	51	78	4	16	2	0	1	10	10	7	0	.205
1981	STL	44	46	9	9	2	1	0	2	15	7	1	.196
1982	STL	58	62	6	17	4	0	0	4	11	10	0	.274
1983	STL	78	92	8	25	2	1	3	7	21	7	0	.272
1984	STL	86	98	6	27	3	1	0	16	17	17	0	.276
1985	STL	64	67	7	16	4	0	1	6	10	9	0	.239
Career	—	1425	3650	466	989	155	19	52	388	579	433	45	.271

On this day & linked events

1948

Born May 8, 1948

Trenton, NJ, USA

1971

Major-league debut: Steve Braun

Steve Braun made a major-league debut on April 6, 1971.

1985

Final major-league game: Steve Braun

Steve Braun played a final major-league game on October 6, 1985.

Image: Unknown author Unknown, public domain