Dave Magadan

David Joseph Magadan (born September 30, 1962) is an American former professional baseball player and coach.

He retired as an MLB player after a 16-year career as an above average hitting first and third baseman.

He is the cousin and godson of former manager Lou Piniella.

Magadan was listed at 6ft 4in, 245 lb, batted from the left side, and threw from the right.

While a 17-year-old senior at Jesuit High School of Tampa, Magadan was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the twelfth round of the 1980 Major League Baseball draft, but elected not to sign.

His status as a prospect improved after he led West Tampa Memorial Post No. 248 to a win against a team from Richmond, Virginia, in the American Legion World Series and was named series Most Valuable Player.

He also received the George W. Rulon American Legion Baseball Player of the Year award.

After high school, Magadan attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, where, in 1983, his .525 batting average led the entire National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), while setting a Southeastern Conference (SEC) record, and is still the fifth best in NCAA history.

At the College World Series in 1983, Alabama defeated Michigan and Arizona State twice, but lost to Texas twice.

Magadan was named the All-Tournament Team's first baseman, and also was selected as an AP All-American, was named the starting designated hitter on The Sporting News's college All-America team, received College Player of the Year honors from Baseball America and won USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award as the best amateur baseball player.

His .439 career batting average is the SEC record and tenth best in NCAA history.

Following his breakthrough season at Alabama, Magadan was selected by the New York Mets with the 32nd overall pick of the 1983 Major League Baseball draft, early in the second round.

He was assigned to the South Atlantic League's Columbia Mets, with whom he batted .336 with three home runs.

Magadan did not hit any home runs his next two seasons, and did not display power as a prospect, but consistently hit for a high batting average and displayed excellent plate discipline, with a low strikeout rate and twice as many walks as strikeouts.

He advanced steadily through the system, and was a September call-up for the 1986 championship squad.

Magadan made his major league debut on September 7, 1986, pinch hitting for Kevin Elster, and hit a double in his first MLB at-bat.

He won the hearts of Mets fans in his first major league start on September 17, by hitting three singles, and reaching on an error in his four at-bats, and collecting two RBIs in the Mets' National League Eastern division clincher.

For the season, Magadan went eight for eighteen for a .444 batting average.

Although he arrived too late in the 1986 season to join their postseason roster for their World Series championship run, he was given a World Series ring in 1995 for this, nine years after the series.

Blocked at third base by Howard Johnson and at first by Keith Hernandez, Magadan still found his way into the lineup on a semi-regular basis in 1987 and 1988.

He hit his first major league home run April 20, 1987.

He provided a quality bat in late-inning situations and a capable spot starter whenever a regular needed a day off.

Manager Davey Johnson even went so far as to move Johnson to shortstop for 30 games a year, just to get Magadan more playing time.

Magadan became the Mets' regular first baseman in 1989 when injuries limited Hernandez to 75 games and a .233 batting average.

Contrary to early reports of a mediocre glove, Magadan proved himself to be adequate at first, though certainly not in Hernandez' class.

Hernandez's contract expired after the season, and the Mets opted not to offer him a contract for the 1990 season.

However, instead of giving the starting job to Magadan, the Mets traded Juan Samuel to the Los Angeles Dodgers and received Mike Marshall in return, with the intent of starting him at first.

Marshall batted only .239 for the Mets, and had lost his starting job to Magadan by the time he was dealt to the Boston Red Sox on July 27.

Magadan batted .328, which ranked third in the league, and his .417 on-base percentage was good for second place.

He also ranked eighth in walks and fifth in sacrifice flies, and even drew four points in MVP voting.

For the season Magadan's average was .273, as he recorded the most hits he'd had since his breakout 1990 season with 124.

He also stayed relatively healthy when compared to the previous two seasons, playing in 137 games.

Magadan entered the 1991 season as the starting first baseman for the Mets, but his numbers went down significantly.

He only managed to bat .258 for the season, with 108 hits, and missed most of the last two months of the season with shoulder injuries.

The Mets once again went outside the organization to bring in a first baseman in the off season and brought in Eddie Murray, another former Dodger and eventual Hall of Famer, to fill the role.

This time, Magadan stayed in the lineup as he was moved to third base permanently while Howard Johnson was moved to the outfield.

He was limited again by injuries to 99 games but managed a .283 average.

Magadan signed a two-year contract with the expansion Florida Marlins on December 8, 1992, and was in the starting line-up for their inaugural season opener, going 1-for-4 in the Marlins' 6-3 victory over the Dodgers on April 5, 1993.

In late June, he was traded to the Seattle Mariners for Henry Cotto and Jeff Darwin.

Magadan was selected to the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010.