Tim Raines

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Tim Raines

|image=Tim Raines (51276088029) (cropped).jpg

|image_size=230

|caption=Raines in 2018

|position=Left fielder

|bats=Switch

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1959|9|16}}

|birth_place=Sanford, Florida, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=September 11

|debutyear=1979

|debutteam=Montreal Expos

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=September 29

|finalyear=2002

|finalteam=Florida Marlins

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Batting average

|stat1value=.294

|stat2label=Hits

|stat2value=2,605

|stat3label=Home runs

|stat3value=170

|stat4label=Runs batted in

|stat4value=980

|stat5label=Stolen bases

|stat5value=808

|teams=

;As player

Montreal Expos ({{mlby|1979}}–{{mlby|1990}})
Chicago White Sox ({{mlby|1991}}–{{mlby|1995}})
New York Yankees ({{mlby|1996}}–{{mlby|1998}})
Oakland Athletics ({{mlby|1999}})
Montreal Expos ({{mlby|2001}})
Baltimore Orioles ({{mlby|2001}})
Florida Marlins ({{mlby|2002}})

;As coach

Chicago White Sox ({{mlby|2005}}–{{mlby|2006}})

|highlights=

7× All-Star (1981–1987)
3× World Series champion ({{wsy|1996}}, {{wsy|1998}}, {{wsy|2005}})
Silver Slugger Award (1986)
NL batting champion (1986)
4× NL stolen base leader (1981–1984)
Montreal Expos No. 30 retired
Montreal Expos Hall of Fame
Washington Nationals Ring of Honor

|hoflink = National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

|hoftype = National

|hofdate=2017

|hofvote=86.0% (tenth ballot)

}}

Timothy Raines Sr. (born September 16, 1959), nicknamed "Rock",Raines received this nickname at an Expo rookie camp when he was seventeen, based on his physique. {{Cite news| last = Abel| first = Allen| title = Raines defies Doubleday| newspaper = The Globe and Mail| page = 55| date = May 28, 1981}} is an American professional baseball coach and former player. He played as a left fielder in Major League Baseball for six teams from 1979 to 2002 and was best known for his 13 seasons with the Montreal Expos. A seven-time All-Star, four-time stolen base champion, and National League batting champion, Raines is regarded as one of the best leadoff hitters and baserunners in baseball history.In 2001, Bill James ranked Raines as the second-greatest leadoff player in MLB history. {{cite book| last = James| first = Bill| title = New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, The| publisher = Simon & Schuster| year = 2001| location = New York| pages = [https://archive.org/details/newbilljameshist00jame/page/684 684–685]| isbn = 0-684-80697-5| url-access = registration| url = https://archive.org/details/newbilljameshist00jame/page/684}}{{cite web| last = McLaughlin| first = Dan| title = The Path to Cooperstown: Tim Raines and the Tablesetters| publisher = HardballTimes.com| date = December 27, 2007| url = http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/printarticle/the-path-to-cooperstown-tim-raines-and-the-tablesetters/| access-date = April 30, 2008| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140112032110/http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/printarticle/the-path-to-cooperstown-tim-raines-and-the-tablesetters/| archive-date = January 12, 2014| df = mdy-all}}{{cite web| last = Stark| first = Jayson|author2=Peter Gammons | title = Debate: Is Tim Raines a Hall of Famer?| work = ESPN.com| date = December 29, 2007| url = https://www.espn.com/mlb/hof08/news/story?id=3169953| access-date = April 30, 2008}} In 2013, Raines began working in the Toronto Blue Jays organization as a roving outfield and baserunning instructor.{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball/2012/12/31/toronto_blue_jays_add_tim_raines_to_coaching_staff_report.html|title=Toronto Blue Jays add Tim Raines to coaching staff: report|work=thestar.com|date=December 31, 2012|access-date=March 29, 2014}} In 2017, Raines was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Early life

Raines was born on September 16, 1959, in Sanford, Florida,{{cite web

| url = https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/rainestim

| title = Raines, Tim

| publisher = National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

| access-date = June 21, 2024 }}

to Ned and Florence Raines. He attended Seminole High School in Sanford.{{cite book|last1=Porter|first1=David L.|title=Latino and African American Athletes Today: A Biographical Dictionary|date=2004|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=9780313320484|page=311|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0LSZX4z6WZAC&pg=PA311|access-date=January 24, 2016|language=en}} Raines was one of seven children. Two of his brothers, Levi and Ned III, played minor league baseball.{{cite magazine|last1=Fimrite|first1=Ron|title=Don't Knock The Rock|url=https://www.si.com/vault/1984/06/25/619862/dont-knock-the-rock|access-date=21 December 2017|magazine=Sports Illustrated|date=June 25, 1984}} As a baseball player at Seminole, Raines stole home plate ten times. He also rushed for 1,000 yards in eight football games and set two school track and field records that lasted for several years.{{cite news|last1=Buchalter|first1=Bill|title=Seminole's top star still Raines at school|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1994/09/25/seminoles-top-star-still-raines-at-school/|access-date=January 24, 2016|work=Orlando Sentinel|date=September 25, 1994}} Raines reportedly received over 100 scholarship offers to play college football.{{cite magazine|last1=Jaffe|first1=Jay|title=Tim Raines talks his journey to Hall of Fame|url=https://www.si.com/mlb/2017/01/25/tim-raines-hall-fame-journey-expos|access-date=21 December 2017|magazine=Sports Illustrated|date=January 25, 2017|language=en}}

Career

=Montreal Expos=

The Montreal Expos selected Raines in the fifth round of the 1977 Major League Baseball draft.{{cite web |url=http://www.thebaseballcube.com/draft/1977/June-Reg/5.shtml |title=1977 Major League Baseball Draft |publisher=thebaseballcube.com |access-date=October 8, 2010 }} After debuting with six games as a pinch runner in 1979, he played briefly as a second baseman for the Expos in 1980 but soon switched to playing the outfield, and rapidly became a fan favorite due to his aggressiveness on the basepaths. In his strike-interrupted 1981 rookie season, he batted .304 and set a then Major League Baseball rookie record with 71 stolen bases,{{refn|group=note|Broken by Juan Samuel with 72 in 1984{{cite news|last=Durso|first=Joseph|title=Samuel Is Making an Impact|date=August 15, 1989|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/15/sports/samuel-is-making-an-impact.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150525120817/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/15/sports/samuel-is-making-an-impact.html|archive-date=May 25, 2015|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}}} breaking the previous mark of 56 steals set by Gene Richards in 1977.{{cite news|title=Expos' Raines makes off with SB record|date=August 30, 1981|newspaper=The Sun|location=San Bernardino, California|page=D-6|agency=Associated Press|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3148900/|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=September 3, 2015}}{{open access}} Raines was caught stealing for the first time in 1981, after having begun his career with a then major league record 27 consecutive successful stolen bases. Raines was the runner-up for the National League's Rookie of the Year Award in 1981, which was won by Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela.

Raines' performance dipped in 1982,{{cite magazine

| last = Fimrite | first = Ron

| title = Don't Knock the Rock

| magazine=Sports Illustrated

| date = June 25, 1984

| url = http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/features/expos/flashback/the_rock/

| archive-url = https://archive.today/20130430175449/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/features/expos/flashback/the_rock/

| url-status = dead

| archive-date = April 30, 2013

| access-date = May 4, 2008 }}

as he hit .277 with a .353 on-base percentage.{{cite web

| author = baseball-reference.com

| title = Tim Raines

| publisher = Sports Reference

| url = https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/raineti01.shtml

| access-date = July 4, 2011 }} At the end of the season, Raines entered treatment for substance abuse, having spent an estimated $40,000 that year on cocaine. To avoid leaving the drug in his locker, Raines carried it in his hip pocket, and slid headfirst when running the bases.{{cite news

| last = Vecsey | first = George

| title = SPORTS OF THE TIMES; To Test or not to Test?

| work=The New York Times

| date = August 21, 1985

}}

He used cocaine before games, in his car, after games, and on some occasions between innings in the clubhouse.{{Cite book

| last = Farber | first = Michael

| contribution = Raines beats $1,000-a-week habit

| year = 2004

| title = The Way it Looks From Here

| editor-last = Brunt

| editor-first = Stephen

| publisher = Alfred A. Knopf

}}

Originally published in The Gazette on 1982-12-11.

Raines would later testify at the Pittsburgh drug trials in September 1985.

In 1983, Raines stole a career high of 90 bases, the second-highest total in franchise history, and scored 133 runs, a franchise record. He was named Expos Player of the Year in 1983, 1985, and 1986. In each season from 1981 to 1986, Raines stole at least 70 bases. He had a career-high .334 batting average in 1986, winning the National League Batting Championship. Raines maintained a consistently high on-base percentage during this period and a rising slugging percentage, reaching a career peak of .429 in 1987. Although he never won a Gold Glove Award, Raines was an excellent defensive player who led the National League with 21 assists in 1983 and, with 4 double plays, tied for the league lead in double plays by an outfielder in 1985.

Raines became a free agent on November 12, 1986, but in spite of his league-leading play no team made a serious attempt to sign him{{cite news

| last = Anderson | first = Dave

| title = SPORTS OF THE TIMES; Nobody Wanted Raines

| work=The New York Times

| date = May 5, 1987

| url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE2DE1030F936A35756C0A961948260

| access-date = January 19, 2008 }}

(in a period when Major League Baseball owners colluded to keep salaries down). On May 1, 1987, hours after being permitted to negotiate again with Montreal, Raines signed a new deal with the Expos for $5 million over three years and a $900,000 signing bonus. In his first game back, on May 2, facing the Mets, although Raines had not participated in spring training or any other competitive preparation for the season, he hit the first pitch he saw off the right-field wall for a triple. Raines finished the game with four hits in five at-bats, three runs, one walk, a stolen base, and a game-winning grand slam in the 10th inning.{{cite web

| last = Keri

| first = Jonah

| author-link = Jonah Keri

| title = Raines: 'I played the game with excitement, focus'

| work = ESPN.com

| date=December 29, 2007

| url = https://www.espn.com/mlb/hof08/news/story?id=3170163

| access-date = January 19, 2008 }}{{cite web

| title = Retrosheet Boxscore: Montreal Expos 11, New York Mets 7

| publisher = Retrosheet.org

| url = http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1987/B05020NYN1987.htm

| access-date = January 19, 2008 }}

Even without having played in April, Raines led the Expos in runs, walks, times on base, runs created, and stolen bases, in addition to batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage.{{cite web

| author = baseball-reference.com

| title = 1987 Montreal Expos Statistics and Roster

| publisher = Sports Reference

| url = https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/MON/1987.shtml

| access-date = January 19, 2008 }}

He also garnered MVP honors in the All-Star Game as he delivered a game-winning triple in the 13th inning. Raines would, in 1992, be one of dozens of players retroactively awarded collusion damages, receiving over $865,000.{{cite news| url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE3D9173EF936A25751C1A964958260 | work=The New York Times | title=BASEBALL; Big Collusion Winners: Clark, Parrish, Dawson | first=Murray | last=Chass | date=December 15, 1992}}

=Post-Expos career=

The Expos traded Raines to the Chicago White Sox on December 20, 1990, along with Jeff Carter and a player to be named later (PTBNL), later identified as Mario Brito, in exchange for Iván Calderón and Barry Jones. Raines later admitted he left Montreal because he wanted to win a World Series and did not believe the Expos "had what it took".{{Cite episode |title=22 October 2017 episode |url=http://ici.radio-canada.ca/tele/tout-le-monde-en-parle/site/episodes/392298/guy-lepage-dany-turcotte-film-affames-baseball |access-date=25 October 2017 |series=Tout le monde en parle |series-link=Tout le monde en parle (Quebec) |subject=Tim Raines |interviewer=Guy A. Lepage |network=Ici Radio-Canada Télé |date=22 October 2017 |season=14 |number=05 |minutes=34m12s |quote=I didn't leave because I didn't like Montreal... I left because I was in a situation where: I'm a veteran, I want to win a World Championship, we didn't have what it takes to win a World Championship... and that's why I ended up going to Chicago. Not because I didn't like Montreal, but I wanted to go to a team that has a chance to win and... unfortunately we didn't win there and I ended up going to New York and winning, but, that was what it was all about, it wasn't about the city, and that's why I came back to Montreal, because, you know, I wanted to finish my career in Montreal.|location=Montreal |language=fr, en}}

File:Tim Raines 1995.jpg, 1995]]

In his first season in the American League, Raines hit for a .268 average but with a .359 on-base percentage; he was second on the team in runs scored as the White Sox finished the season in second place in the American League Western Division. His average improved in 1992 to .294 with a .380 on-base percentage. In 1993, despite missing nearly six weeks in April and May due to a torn ligament in his thumb he sustained while stealing a base, he managed to hit .306 with 16 home runs as the White Sox won the American League Western Division title.{{cite web |url= https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1993.shtml |title=1993 American League Standings |publisher= Baseball Reference |access-date=August 21, 2010 }} In the 1993 American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, Raines posted a .444 batting average and scored five runs in a losing cause.{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1993_ALCS.shtml |title=1993 American League Championship Series |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=August 21, 2010 }}

On December 28, 1995, the White Sox traded Raines to the New York Yankees for future considerations; in February 1996, the teams agreed on Blaise Kozeniewski as the return.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/07/sports/sports-people-baseball-yankees-finish-trade.html|title=SPORTS PEOPLE: BASEBALL;Yankees Finish Trade|work=The New York Times|date=February 7, 1996|access-date=January 23, 2017}} With the Yankees, Raines received two World Series rings in 1996 and 1998. While his playing time was curtailed due to injuries, he contributed to a loose clubhouse atmosphere,{{cite news

| last = Olney | first = Buster

| title = WORLD SERIES PREVIEW: YANKEES VS. PADRES – IN THE CLUBHOUSE; Before the Yankees Take the Field...

| work=The New York Times

| date = October 16, 1998

| url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04E3DB103AF935A25753C1A96E958260

| access-date = January 19, 2008 }}

{{cite news

| last = El-Bashir

| first = Tarik

| title = Raines Returns, as Do the Laughs

| work=The New York Times

| date = August 31, 1999

| url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C02E6DA1E3BF932A0575BC0A96F958260

| access-date = January 19, 2008 }}

and was productive when he came up to the plate. With the Yankees, Raines stole his 800th base on June 10, 1998.

In January 1999, Raines signed as a free agent with the Oakland Athletics. After a kidney biopsy on July 23, Raines was diagnosed with lupus and spent the rest of the year undergoing treatment and recovery.{{cite news

|last = McKeon

|first = Ross

|title = Raines diagnosis: Lupus

|publisher = SFGate.com

|date = August 7, 1999

|url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/examiner/archive/1999/08/07/SPORTS2728.dtl

|access-date = January 19, 2008

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090627014914/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=%2Fexaminer%2Farchive%2F1999%2F08%2F07%2FSPORTS2728.dtl

|archive-date = June 27, 2009

|url-status = dead

|df = mdy-all

}}

=Recovery and return=

Raines was signed by the Yankees as a free agent on February 1, 2000,{{cite news

| last = Olney | first = Buster

| title = Raines Gets a Shot At Resuming Career

| work=The New York Times

| date = February 2, 2000

| url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE7DA153FF931A35751C0A9669C8B63

| access-date = January 19, 2008 }} but was released on March 23. On December 21, Raines was signed by the Expos. At the Expos home opener in 2001, Raines received what he described as the longest and loudest standing ovation in his entire career, resulting in the pitcher walking him on four pitches.{{Cite web |url=http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130629&content_id=52169612&vkey=news_tor&c_id=tor |title=Tim Raines, George Bell among Canadian Hall inductees |access-date=June 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130702010345/http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130629&content_id=52169612&vkey=news_tor&c_id=tor |archive-date=July 2, 2013 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }} With limited playing time, Raines batted .308, with a .433 on-base percentage and a .436 slugging percentage. That same year, he was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame.

Raines underwent surgery on May 31 due to a left shoulder strain, and spent time rehabilitating with the Expos Triple-A club, the Ottawa Lynx. On August 21, 2001, Raines and his son, Tim Raines Jr., became the first father-son pair to play against each other in an official professional baseball game, when the Lynx played the Rochester Red Wings (the two had faced each other earlier in the year during spring training).{{cite news

| author = CBC Sports

| title = Father-son combos common in baseball

| publisher = CBC.ca

| url = https://www.cbc.ca/sports/baseball/father-son-combos-common-in-baseball-1.284434

| date = August 22, 2001

| access-date = January 19, 2008 }}

Raines returned to the major league club on August 22.

On October 3, the Expos traded Raines to the Baltimore Orioles, thereby permitting Raines to play in a major league game with his son.{{cite news

| author = CBC Sports

| title = Orioles add elder Raines

| publisher = CBC.ca

| date = October 3, 2001

| url = https://www.cbc.ca/sports/baseball/orioles-add-elder-raines-1.264334

| access-date = January 19, 2008 }}{{cite web

| agency=Associated Press

| title = Tim Raines Sr. joins son on Orioles

| work = ESPN.com

| date = October 3, 2001

| url = http://static.espn.go.com/mlb/news/2001/1003/1258800.html

| access-date = March 6, 2009 }}

On October 4, Raines Jr. played center field and Raines Sr. played left field for Baltimore, becoming the second father and son team to play for the same major league team (a feat previously accomplished by Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr.).{{cite web

|title = Charlton's Baseball Chronology – 2001

|publisher = BaseballLibrary.com

|url = http://www.baseballlibrary.com/chronology/byyear.php?year=2001

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070107040407/http://www.baseballlibrary.com/chronology/byyear.php?year=2001

|url-status = dead

|archive-date = January 7, 2007

|access-date = January 19, 2008

}}

Raines played his last season in 2002 with the Florida Marlins. He is one of only 29 players in baseball history to date to have appeared in Major League baseball games in four decades, was the last active player who was involved with the Pittsburgh drug trials, and also the last MLB batter to wear a batting helmet with no ear flap. (Julio Franco, who retired in 2007, was also eligible to wear a batting helmet with no ear flap, but preferred not to do so.)Phillips, Thomas D.; Touching All the Bases: Baseball in 101 Fascinating Stories, p. 109 {{ISBN|0810885522}}

Career statistics

File:Tim Raines 2011.jpg in 2011]]

In a 23-year career, Raines played in 2,502 games accumulating 2,605 hits in 8,872 at bats for a .294 career batting average along with 170 home runs, 980 runs batted in, a .385 on-base percentage and a .425 slugging percentage. He ended his career with a .987 fielding percentage. Raines stole at least 70 bases in each of his first six full seasons (1981–1986), leading the National League in stolen bases each season from 1981 to 1984, with a career high of 90 steals in 1983. Raines also led the National League in runs scored twice (1983 and 1987). Raines batted over .300 in five full seasons and over .320 from 1985 to 1987, winning the 1986 National League batting title with a .334 average. He also had six full seasons with an on-base percentage above .390.

With 808 steals in his career, Raines has the fourth-highest total in major league history, behind Rickey Henderson, Lou Brock and Ty Cobb.{{cite web |title=Career Leaders & Records for Stolen Bases |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/SB_career.shtml |website=baseball-reference.com |publisher=Sports-Reference, LLC. |access-date=22 January 2022}} Some sources, such as Baseball Reference, also place Raines behind Billy Hamilton, who recorded over 900 steals from 1888 to 1901; however, nearly 800 of these were achieved prior to 1898, when the definition of a steal was altered, and these early steals are not officially recognized.{{cite web |last1=Shenk |first1=Larry |title='Sliding Billy' Hamilton a pioneer of basestealing |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/sliding-billy-hamilton-a-pioneer-of-basestealing/c-40882332 |website=mlb.com |publisher=MLB Advanced Media, LP. |access-date=22 January 2022}} Raines's career stolen base percentage (84.7%) was the highest in major league history for players with 300 or more attempts, until he was surpassed by Carlos Beltrán with an 86.4% success rate.{{cite web |title=Career Leaders & Records for SB % |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/stolen_base_perc_career.shtml |website=baseball-reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference, LLC. |access-date=22 January 2022}} (Note that caught stealing data is incomplete prior to the 1951 season.){{cite web |last1=Edes |first1=Gordon |title=Jacoby Ellsbury: Sultan of swipe |url=https://www.espn.com/boston/mlb/story/_/id/9757214/jacoby-ellsbury-quick-learner-craft-stealing-bases |website=ESPN |date=October 2, 2013 |publisher=ESPN, Inc. |access-date=22 January 2022}} Raines set an American League records of 40 consecutive successful steal attempts between July 1993 and August 1995 (the record was broken by Ichiro Suzuki{{citation needed|date=January 2022}} in May 2007, when he completed 45 consecutive steals).

Among switch hitters, Raines ranks sixth in career hits (2,605), fourth in runs (1,571), walks (1,330) and times on base (3,977), fifth in plate appearances (10,359), seventh in singles (1,892), doubles (430), total bases (3,771) and at bats (8,872), eighth in triples (113) and tenth in extra base hits (713). He held the Expos/Washington Nationals franchise records for career runs (947) until May 22, 2021, when Ryan Zimmerman scored his 948th run for the franchise. Raines holds the Nationals/Expos franchise records for steals (635), singles (1,163), triples (82) and walks (793), and was the seventh player whose career began after 1945 to retire with over 1,500 runs and 100 triples.The previous six were Willie Mays, Lou Brock, Pete Rose, George Brett, Robin Yount and Paul Molitor. His 1,966 games in left field ranked seventh in major league history when he retired.

From 1983 to 1987, Total Baseball rated him as one of the National League's five best players each season.{{Citation needed|date=January 2008}} He is also listed as the 40th greatest non-pitcher in major-league history according to Bill James's win shares formula, one place ahead of Mark McGwire.{{Citation needed|date=January 2008}}

=League leading statistics=

Reference: Baseball-Reference.com Leader and Record Board Index{{cite web

| author = baseball-reference.com

| title = Baseball-Reference.com Leader and Record Board Index

| publisher = Sports Reference

| url = https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/

| access-date = January 19, 2008 }}

Led the National League in batting average in 1986 (.334), the third switch hitter to win the NL batting title
Led the National League in on-base percentage in 1986 (.413)
Led the major leagues in stolen bases in 1981 (71) and 1984 (75)
Led the National League in stolen bases in 1982 (78) and 1983 (90)
Led the major leagues in runs scored in 1983 (133) and 1987 (123)
Led the National League for times on base in 1983 (282), 1984 (281), and 1986 (274)
Led the National League in outfield assists in 1983 (21)
Tied for the National League lead in double plays by an outfielder in 1985 (4)

=Expos records=

Reference: Montreal Expos Batting Leaders from baseball-reference.com{{cite web

| author = baseball-reference.com

| title = Washington Nationals Batting Leaders

| publisher = Sports Reference

| url = https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/WSN/leaders_bat.shtml

| access-date = January 19, 2008 }}

Single-season record for plate appearances (731 in 1982)
Single-season record for runs (133 in 1983)
Career record for runs (947)
Single-season record for triples (13 in 1985); shared with Rodney Scott and Mitch Webster
Career record for singles (1,163)
Career record for triples (82)
Career record for walks (793)
Career record for times on base (2,440)
Career record for stolen bases (635)
Career record for runs created (1,047)

File:Raines 30.png by the Montreal Expos.]]

Honors and awards

Raines was a National League All-Star in 7 consecutive seasons (1981–1987), and was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1987 All-Star Game.{{cite web

| author = baseball-reference.com

| title = Baseball-Reference All-Star Game Index

| publisher = Sports Reference

| url = https://www.baseball-reference.com/allstar/

| access-date = January 19, 2008 }}

In 1981, The Sporting News named Raines the National League Rookie of the Year.{{cite book|title=The ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia|year=2007|publisher=Sterling Publishing|isbn=978-1-4027-4771-7|page=1768}}

Raines finished in the top 10 in voting for the NL Most Valuable Player Award three times (1983, 1986, 1987). He won a Silver Slugger Award as an outfielder in 1986 when he led the National League in both batting average and on-base percentage.

In 2013, Raines was elected into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

On January 18, 2017, Raines was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.{{cite web|title=After slow burn, Tim Raines blazes his way into the Hall of Fame|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/18461421/after-slow-burn-tim-raines-blazes-way-hall-fame|publisher=ESPN|access-date=January 18, 2017|date=January 18, 2017}} He was formally inducted on July 30. His plaque depicts him in an Expos cap.

The baseball complex at Seminole High School in Sanford, Florida, Raines' alma mater, has been renamed Tim Raines Athletic Park in his honor, and Raines' number 22 has been retired at the school.{{Cite web|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/seminole-county/os-ne-baseball-tim-raines-sanford-20190307-story.html|title=Sanford to honor baseball Hall-of-Famer Tim Raines — 'the greatest athlete to come out of Sanford'|last=Comas|first=Martin E.|website=orlandosentinel.com|date=March 7, 2019 |access-date=2020-04-21}} Raines was also gifted a ceremonious key to the city of Sanford in March 2019, and the Sanford Historical Museum dedicated an exhibit to Raines, filling it with memorabilia from his career.

National Baseball Hall of Fame

Raines was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2017, appearing on 86.0% of ballots cast. He was eligible for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame in January 2008, and various sabermetricians and commentators had supported his induction prior to his being elected in 2017.{{cite web

| last = Stark

| first = Jayson

|author2=Peter Gammons

| title = Debate: Is Tim Raines a Hall of Famer?

| work = ESPN.com

| date = December 29, 2007

| url = https://www.espn.com/mlb/hof08/news/story?id=3169953

| access-date = September 19, 2008 }}{{cite web

| last = Pearlman

| title = "Rock" belongs in Cooperstown

| work = ESPN.com

| date = June 13, 2007

| url = https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=pearlman/070613

| access-date = September 19, 2008 }}{{cite web

| last = Sheehan | first = Joe

| author-link = Joe Sheehan

| title = The Daily Prospectus: A Hall of Famer Retires

| publisher = Baseball Prospectus

| date = March 24, 2000

| url = http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=489

| access-date = September 19, 2008 }}{{cite web

| last = Jazayerli | first = Rany

| author-link = Rany Jazayerli

| title = The Case for Tim Raines: An In-Depth Look

| publisher = Baseball Prospectus

| date = March 31, 2000

| url = http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=503

| access-date = September 19, 2008 }}{{cite web

|last = Darowski

|first = Mike

|title = Hall of Fame Case: Tim Raines

|work = The Rule V Baseball Blog

|date = February 17, 2006

|url = http://www.darowski.com/rulev/?p=10

|access-date = September 19, 2008

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080305070247/http://www.darowski.com/rulev/?p=10

|archive-date = March 5, 2008

|df = mdy-all

}}

class="wikitable" \|+History of Hall of Fame vote support
Year of Hall of Fame balloting ! Percentage
2008 \| 24.3%
2009 \| 22.6%
2010 \| 30.4%
2011 \| 37.5%
2012 \| 48.7%
2013 \| 52.2%
2014 \| 46.1%
2015 \| 55.0%
2016 \| 69.8%
2017 \| 86.0%

class="wikitable"

|+History of Hall of Fame vote support

Year of Hall of Fame balloting

! Percentage

| 24.3%

| 22.6%

| 30.4%

| 37.5%

| 48.7%

| 52.2%

| 46.1%

| 55.0%

| 69.8%

| 86.0%

Coaching career

Raines began his coaching career in 2003 as manager of the Class A-Advanced Brevard County Manatees affiliate of the Expos. He was promoted to the major league team in 2004 and was present for the Expos' final games as a Montreal franchise.

He was a coach for the White Sox from November 2004 until October 2006.{{Cite web |date=October 14, 2006 |title=White Sox fire bench coach Raines |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/wire?section=mlb&id=2624402 |access-date=October 28, 2006 |website=ESPN.com}} During the 2005 World Series Championship season, Raines served as first base coach. During the 2006 season, he served as bench coach. He was the hitting coach for the minor-league Harrisburg Senators in 2007,{{cite news

|last = Berry

|first = Adam

|title = Raines to coach in Blue Jays' farm system

|publisher = MLB Advanced Media

|newspaper = Major League Baseball

|date = January 2, 2013

|url = http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130102&content_id=40830514&vkey=news_tor&c_id=tor

|access-date = January 3, 2013

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130105062840/http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130102&content_id=40830514&vkey=news_tor&c_id=tor

|archive-date = January 5, 2013

|url-status = dead

|df = mdy-all

}} but was not retained by the team for 2008. Raines signed a two-year contract to manage the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League, starting in 2009. After the 2010 season, the Bears moved to the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, and the team announced Raines would return to manage in 2011.

{{Cite press release

| title = Rock Takes the Raines for 2011 Season

| publisher = Newark Bears

| date = November 2010

| url = http://www.newarkbears.com/news/currentnews/index.html?article_id=1875

| access-date = December 23, 2010

}}

In 2012, he was an assistant coach and Director of Player Development for the Bears. The Toronto Blue Jays hired Raines as a minor league baserunning and outfield coach in 2013.

{{cite news

| title = Former Expos star Tim Raines joins Blue Jays staff for 2013

| publisher = SportingNews.com

| date = January 1, 2013

| newspaper = The Sporting News

| url = http://aol.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2013-01-01/tim-raines-toronto-blue-jays-coach-2013-montreal-expos-stolen-bases

| access-date = January 3, 2013

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130401100109/http://aol.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2013-01-01/tim-raines-toronto-blue-jays-coach-2013-montreal-expos-stolen-bases

| archive-date = April 1, 2013

| url-status = dead

}}

{{cite web

| url = https://www.independentsportsnews.com/2014/03/29/raines-thrilled-with-games-return-to-montreal/

| title = Raines thrilled with game's return to Montreal

| last = Engel

| first = Heather

| work = Independent Sport News (ISN)

| date = March 29, 2014

| access-date = September 3, 2019

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190903183135/https://www.independentsportsnews.com/2014/03/29/raines-thrilled-with-games-return-to-montreal/

| archive-date = September 3, 2019

| url-status = live

}}

Personal life

Image:Tim Raines, Jr.jpg as hitting coach for the Aberdeen IronBirds in 2018]]

In 1979, Raines married Virginia Hilton, a classmate at Seminole High School. The couple had two children: Tim Jr. ("Little Rock"), and André ("Little Hawk").

{{cite news

| last = Fimrite

| first = Ron

| title = Don't Knock the Rock

| publisher = CNN/Sports Illustrated

| newspaper = Sports Illustrated

| date = June 25, 1984

| url = http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/features/expos/flashback/the_rock/

| access-date = May 13, 2008

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121022172903/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/features/expos/flashback/the_rock/

| archive-date = October 22, 2012

| url-status = dead

}}

In high school, he was a running back. Discussing his decision to play professional baseball instead of football he stated, "...in football I was a running back, so in the NFL my career would have probably lasted six or seven years and in baseball I ended up playing 23 years. In baseball you can play a long time so I think it's better when you think of it in that way."

{{cite web

| url = http://wbaisports.com/art57_Rock-Solid.aspx

| title = Rock Solid

| access-date = October 1, 2008

| last = Benjamin

| first = Samori

| date = July 21, 2008

| publisher = WBAI Sports

| website = wbaisports.com

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090106005848/http://wbaisports.com/art57_Rock-Solid.aspx

| archive-date = January 6, 2009

| url-status = dead

}}

In 2007, he moved to Estrella Mountain Ranch, a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona, and married Shannon Watson from Arnprior, Ontario.

{{cite web

| last = Elliott

| first = Bob

| title = Elliott on Baseball

| publisher = Canoe Inc

| website = canoe.ca

| date = August 11, 2007

| url = http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Columnists/Elliott/2007/08/11/4410527-sun.html

| archive-url = https://archive.today/20130115062105/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Columnists/Elliott/2007/08/11/4410527-sun.html

| archive-date = January 15, 2013

| access-date = May 13, 2008

| url-status = usurped

}}

She had twin babies in 2010.{{Cite episode

|title = The Jonah Keri Podcast, Episode 11 (Part 1)

|url = http://jonahkeri.com/2010/12/13/podcast-11-part-1/

|series = The Jonah Keri Podcast

|minutes = 16:35

|access-date = May 23, 2011

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110819023210/http://jonahkeri.com/2010/12/13/podcast-11-part-1/

|archive-date = August 19, 2011

|url-status = usurped

|df = mdy-all

}}

In 2017, Raines published his autobiography, written with journalist Alan Maimon, Rock Solid: My Life in Baseball's Fast Lane.

{{cite web

|url = https://sportsnaut.com/2017/05/tim-raines-unique-perspective-rock-solid-autobiography/

|title = Tim Raines Offers Unique Perspective into MLB History in 'Rock Solid' Autobiography

|first = Michael

|last = Dixon

|website = sportsnaut.com

|date = May 8, 2017

|access-date = September 3, 2019

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180103133535/https://sportsnaut.com/2017/05/tim-raines-unique-perspective-rock-solid-autobiography/

|archive-date = January 3, 2018

|url-status = live

}}

Notes

References

External links

{{Baseball Hall of Fame profile|raines-tim}}
{{baseballstats|mlb=120891|espn=622|br=r/raineti01|fangraphs=1406|brm=raines001tim|retro=R/Praint001}}
{{SABR Baseball Biography Project|6fb1015c}}
[https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip_529-1z41r6p451 Interview with Tim Raines] on KUT's "In Black America" radio series, September 8, 1988, at the American Archive of Public Broadcasting

{{Succession box| before = Candy Maldonado | title = Hitting for the cycle| years = August 16, 1987 | after = Albert Hall}}

{{Succession box| title= Chicago White Sox First base coach | before= Rafael Santana | years=2005| after=Harold Baines}}

{{Succession box| title= Chicago White Sox Bench coach | before= Harold Baines | years=2006| after=Joey Cora}}