Jeff Burroughs

Career

Burroughs entered professional baseball after being chosen first overall by the Washington Senators in the 1969 draft. He debuted for the Senators on July 20, 1970, at age 19, starting in right field and going 0-for-3 in a 2–0 win. Known as a slugger with limited defensive skills, he was capable but slow in the field. Over four full seasons with the Texas Rangers, he averaged 25.5 home runs per year, with a high of 30.

His finest season came in 1974, when he batted .301 with 25 home runs and a league-leading 118 RBI in 152 games, earning the American League MVP award. He became the first Ranger to win the award and one of seven number-one draft picks to achieve MVP honors. During the 1974 season, he was involved in the Ten Cent Beer Night incident at Cleveland Stadium, where fans threw objects and threw punches, leading to a forfeit in Texas's favor. Burroughs was an All-Star in 1974 and again in 1978 with the Atlanta Braves, entering the 1978 All-Star break with a National League-leading .324 average.

The Sporting News named him AL Player of the Year and selected him as an outfielder on its AL All-Star team in 1974. On December 9, 1976, the Braves acquired him in a five-for-one trade that sent Ken Henderson, Dave May, Roger Moret, Adrian Devine, Carl Morton, and $200,000 to the Rangers. Fans displayed a banner titled "Jeff's Jackpot" below the right field deck showing his home run total plus one. On March 8, 1981, he was traded to the Seattle Mariners for relief pitcher Carlos Diaz, and in his only season there he hit .254 with 10 home runs and 41 RBI in 89 games.

Post-playing career

Burroughs is the father of major league third baseman Sean Burroughs. After retiring, he coached his son's Little League team, the Long Beach All-Stars, which won the Little League World Series in 1992 and 1993. The 1992 title came by forfeit after opponents used 14 ineligible players; the 1993 victory was a 3–2 win over Panama, making Long Beach the first American team to repeat as champion.