Al Bumbry
1973 AL Rookie of the Year, All-Star, and World Series champion with the Baltimore Orioles.
Alonza Benjamin Bumbry (né Bumbrey; born April 21, 1947) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder who played for the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres from 1972 through 1985. Bumbry was the 1973 American League Rookie of the Year, and went on to be an All-Star and World Series champion. He is an inductee of the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. Prior to his major league career, Bumbry served in the US Army during the Vietnam War and was awarded a Bronze Star.
- role
- Outfielder
- primary_team
- Baltimore Orioles
- debut_year
- 1972
- rookie_honor
- 1973 AL Rookie of the Year
- all_star_selections
- 1-time All-Star (1980)
- unique_feats
- Led American League in triples (1973)
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Bumbry was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and graduated from Ralph Bunche High School in King George, Virginia. He attended Virginia State College on a basketball scholarship, which he played for four years. While at Virginia State, the school restarted its baseball program; Bumbry played during his final year, batted .578, and was named the team's Most Outstanding Player. Bumbry was in ROTC at Virginia State, obligating him to serve for two years in the US military. He served in the United States Army and led a platoon during the Vietnam War, receiving the Bronze Star Medal.
In Their Own Story
The 1979 season saw Bumbry emerge as a defensive stalwart and offensive catalyst for the Orioles, batting .285 with 37 stolen bases. He anchored center field in all seven games of the World Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, though his series average was just .143 (3-for-21). Despite leading the series 3–1, Baltimore lost the final three games to fall short of the title. Bumbry's most successful individual campaign came in 1980, where he played in all but two games, including 152 as a center fielder. He finished with a .318 average and career highs in RBIs (53), runs scored (118), stolen bases (44), walks (78), and hits (205). This performance earned him an All-Star selection at Dodger Stadium, where he grounded out in his only plate appearance. He became the first Oriole since 1948 to collect 200 hits in a season and finished 13th in AL MVP voting.
Reader's Guide
Bumbry was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 11th round of the 1968 MLB draft. He started his professional career in 1969 for the Stockton Ports of the Class A California League. After military service from July 1969 to June 1971, he played for the Aberdeen Pheasants in 1971 and then for the Asheville Orioles and Rochester Red Wings in 1972. He debuted with the Orioles on September 5, 1972, and collected his first hit on October 3. In 1973 he was named AL Rookie of the Year, batting .337 with 11 triples, including three in one game on September 22. He played in the 1979 World Series, the 1980 All-Star Game, and won the 1983 World Series with the Orioles. He became a free agent after the 1984 season and signed with the San Diego Padres in March 1985, appearing in 68 games that season.
Did You Know?
- Bumbry was the first Baltimore Oriole (post-1954) to collect 200 hits in a season, achieving 205 hits in 1980.
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