Tommy Hutton

{{Short description|American baseball player and analyst (born 1946)}}

{{About|the former baseball player|the former NFL punter|Tom Hutton (American football)}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Tommy Hutton

|image=Tommy Hutton (6105587323) (cropped).jpg

|image_size =

|caption=Hutton in 2011

|position=First baseman / Outfielder

|bats=Left

|throws=Left

|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1946|4|20}}

|birth_place=Los Angeles, California, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=September 16

|debutyear=1966

|debutteam=Los Angeles Dodgers

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=September 3

|finalyear=1981

|finalteam=Montreal Expos

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Batting average

|stat1value=.248

|stat2label=Home runs

|stat2value=22

|stat3label=Runs batted in

|stat3value=186

|teams=

Los Angeles Dodgers ({{mlby|1966}}, {{mlby|1969}})
Philadelphia Phillies ({{mlby|1972}}–{{mlby|1977}})
Toronto Blue Jays ({{mlby|1978}})
Montreal Expos ({{mlby|1978}}–{{mlby|1981}})

}}

Thomas George Hutton (born April 20, 1946) is an American former professional baseball infielder-outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, and Montreal Expos.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/h/huttoto01.shtml|title=Tommy Hutton Stats|date=2019|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=June 6, 2019}}

Hutton is currently a color analyst for Miami Marlins baseball television broadcasts on Bally Sports Florida.

Playing career

Hutton played at South Pasadena High School and in the major leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers, in {{by|1966}} and {{by|1969}}, Philadelphia Phillies, from {{by|1972}} to {{by|1977}}, Toronto Blue Jays, in {{by|1978}}, and the Montreal Expos, from the latter part of the 1978 season to his final game on September 3, 1981. He appeared in the 1976 and 1977 National League Championship Series (NLCS), with the Phillies. He batted .309 with two home runs and eleven runs batted in (RBI) mostly as a pinch hitter with the Phillies in {{by|1977}} before his contract was sold to the Blue Jays at the Winter Meetings on December 8.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19771209&id=8zxOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Ge4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5443,3841570 "Cardinals swap with Cubs; Hutton to Toronto," The Associated Press (AP), Friday, December 9, 1977.] Retrieved February 20, 2023.

Hutton was highly regarded as a standout fielder at first base. He gained considerable notoriety during his Phillies career for his success against Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver of the New York Mets; in 62 plate appearances against Seaver, Hutton batted .320, with 11 walks, three homers and 15 RBI.{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/play-index/batter_vs_pitcher.cgi?request=1&submitter=1&batter=huttoto01&min_year_game=1966&max_year_game=1981&post=1&throws=R&opponent_status=HOF&c1criteria=PA&c1gtlt=gt&c1val=62&c2gtlt=gt&orderby=PA&orderby_dir=desc&orderby_second=Name&orderby_dir_second=asc|title=Tom Hutton vs. Pitchers (Tom Seaver)|date=2019|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=June 6, 2019}}

Hutton is also notable for never having been hit by pitch during his professional career, in 1,920 plate appearances.

In 952 games over 12 seasons, Hutton posted a .248 batting average (410-for-1655) with 196 runs, 22 home runs and 186 RBI. He was good defensively, recording a .995 fielding percentage playing primarily at first base and at all three outfield positions.

Broadcasting career

After being released by the Expos, Hutton moved from the dugout to the broadcast booth. He worked as a color commentator with ESPN, the Expos ({{by|1985}}–{{by|1986}}), New York Yankees ({{by|1987}}–{{by|1989}}), Blue Jays ({{by|1990}}–{{by|1996}}), and Marlins ({{by|1997}}–{{by|2015}}). In {{by|1995}}, Hutton called Games 1–2 of the American League Division Series between the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees alongside Gary Thorne for NBC and Game 3 of the ALDS between the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox alongside Steve Zabriskie for ABC.

Owing in great part to an organizational reshuffle, Hutton retired from his 19-season-long broadcasting position with the Marlins following the 2015 season.{{cite web|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-marlins/fl-marlins-fire-hutton-1125-20151124-story.html|title=Firing of Tommy Hutton sparks fresh criticism of Marlins|date=November 24, 2015|last=Davis|first=Craig|publisher=Sun-Sentinel|work=sun-sentinel.com|access-date=June 6, 2019}} After a six year absence from the booth, Hutton returned to his original position.[https://www.fishstripes.com/2022/2/17/22937320/mlb-players-meeting-lockout-continues]

Personal

His brother-in-law Dick Ruthven was an MLB pitcher from 1973 to 1986.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/r/ruthvdi01.shtml|title=Dick Ruthven Stats|date=2019|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=June 6, 2019}} The two were teammates on the Phillies from 1973 to 1975.

A cousin, Bill Seinsoth, was a star baseball player at the University of Southern California before he was killed in a 1969 automobile accident.{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-01-07-sp-5967-story.html|title=They're left to wonder what might have been|date=January 7, 1991|last=Wagner|first=Steven K.|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=March 6, 2016}}

References

External links

{{baseballstats|mlb=116374|espn=125|br=h/huttoto01|fangraphs=1006246|brm=hutton001tho|retro=H/Phuttt101}}
{{SABR Baseball Biography Project|ea3d4c3d}}
[https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=huttoto01 Tommy Hutton] at Baseball Almanac