Ron LeFlore: Making the most of a second chance

Ron FeFlorre in his one year with the Montreal Expos in 1980.

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/danny7413/montreal-expos-tribute/

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There was a lot of excitement when Ron LeFlore joined the Montreal Expos for the 1980 season. He had been playing for the Detroit Tigers where he showed his speed in the field and on the base paths. That speed would make a team that was already fast, even faster.

The funny thing is, you haven’t really made it until a movie is made about you. After LeFlore joined the Expos, I discovered there was a movie about his life.

It starred LeVar Burton as LeFlore. He was best known to that point for his role in the blockbuster miniseries “Roots”.

It was then that I truly discovered what an interesting life Ron LeFlore had.

It was LeFlore’s birthday a couple days ago, providing the perfect opportunity to re-visit his story.

From jail to the big leagues
One of my favourite movies of all time is “Major League”. One of the characters, Ricky Vaughn, played by Charlie Sheen, joins the Cleveland Indians from jail, where he had pitched in the California Penal League.

It was treated like a joke, but that is exactly what happened to Ron LeFlore.

LeFlore got into trouble with the law from an early age. He started doing heroin, dropped out of high school and, ultimately, was arrested at the age of 15.

In 1970, he was convicted and sentenced to five to 15 years in jail for armed robbery.

The first organized baseball league he ever played was at the State Prison of Southern Michigan, also called Jackson State Penitentiary.

That’s where things changed for Ron LeFlore. A fellow inmate, had a friend who owned a sports bar that a lot of Detroit sports celebrities went to. He convinced his friend to talk to Detroit Tiger Manager Billy Martin about coming to watch LeFlore play.

Wikipedia reveals Martin visited Jackson State Prison on May 23, 1973. He liked what he saw, helping LeFlore get a day-pass to try out for the Tigers in June. In July of 1973, the Tigers signed LeFlore to a contract that also allowed him to meet the conditions of his parole.

He was assigned to the minors, playing for the Clinton Pilots of the Class A Midwest League. In 1974, he was assigned initially to the Lakeland Tigers of the Class A Florida State League, where he hit .331 and stole 45 bases in 102 games. He was promoted to the Evansville Triplets of the Triple A American Association, playing in nine games. LeFlore then got his call to “The Show”, from the Detroit Tigers. He finished the year playing 59 games for them, stealing 23 bases, and batting .260 with two home runs, 13 runs batted in, one triple and eight doubles.

For the next year, the 1975 season, he made the Tigers straight out of spring training.

Tiger by the tail
Ron LeFlore would play five seasons with the Detroit Tigers, establishing himself as one of the premiere base stealers of the time, setting marks that are still on the Tiger record books.

In 1975, he appeared in 136 games, stealing 28 bases, while batting .258 with 142 hits, including eight home runs, six triples, 13 doubles and 37 runs batted in.

The 1976 season saw LeFlore begin to assert himself on the base paths. In 135 games, he stole 58 bases, while batting .316 with 172 hits, including four home runs, eight triples, 23 doubles, and 39 RBIs. He also made the American League All-Star Team.

In 1977, LeFlore stole 39 bases, while batting .325 with 212 hits, including 16 home runs, 10 triples, 30 doubles and 57 RBIs.

LeFlore led the American League in stolen bases in 1978 with 68 in 155 games. He batted .297 with 198 hits, including 12 home runs, three triples, 30 doubles and a career-high 62 RBIs. He also led the American League with 126 runs scored.

He played his final season in Detroit in 1979, appearing in 148 games, stealing 78 bases, while batting .300 with 180 hits, including nine home runs, 10 triples, 22 doubles and 57 RBIs.

Going north
Ron LeFlore went north in 1980, joining Montreal, where he played his one and only season in the National League. The Tigers traded him to the Expos for pitcher Dan Schatzeder.

It was a career year for LeFlore, as he led the National League with a career-high 97 stolen bases in 139 games. He batted .257 with 134 hits, including four home runs, 11 triples, 21 doubles and 39 RBIs.

Wikipedia reveals those 97 stolen bases made him the fourth player in the National League since 1900 to have 95 or more stolen bases in a season. He joined Maury Wills, Lou Brock and Omar Moreno, who stole 96 bases that same year. LeFlore also finished third in the league in triples.

LeFlore would test the free agent market after the season, and headed back to the American League to finish his career.

The Windy City
LeFlore joined the Chicago White Sox to start the 1981 season, where his stats fell off dramatically. He suffered some injuries, appearing in just 82 games where he stole 36 bases, while batting .246 with 83 hits, including four triples and 10 doubles, but no home runs, and 24 RBIs.

He closed out his career after the 1982 season, where he played in 91 games, stealing 28 bases, and batting .287 with 96 hits, including four home runs, four triples, 15 doubles, and 25 RBIs.

Ron LeFlore failed to make the White Sox in the Spring of 1983, was released, and retired soon after. 

Interestingly, soon after it was discovered LeFlore was actually four years older than he previously said. Maybe that explained his rapid decline with the White Sox.

He finished his career playing in 1,099 games, stealing 455 bases, batting .288 overall, with 1,283 hits, including 59 home runs, 57 triples, 172 doubles, 353 RBIs, and 731 runs scored. Keep in mind, he batted lead-off or high in the order so he was expected to score runs, not drive them in.

TV movie
Ron LeFlore’s story is pretty amazing. In 1978, it was made into a TV movie called “One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story”. LeVar Burton, long before he donned the visor to play Geordi LaForge on “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, played Ron LeFlore, while Billy Martin played himself. It chronicled LeFlore’s rise from inmate at Jackson State Penitentiary to major league baseball player. The movie was based on LeFlore’s autobiography “Breakout: From Prison to the Big Leagues”.

Parting thoughts
There are so many inspiring stories in sports. So many are about overcoming adversity, whether it is circumstance, injury, or death. Others are about perseverance, sticking it out and achieving their goals.

Ron LeFlore’s story is a bit different. Quite frankly, he was a dirt bag. Battling heroin and alcohol addiction is one thing, but he carried a rifle to rob a bar. In this case, there was no wrongful conviction, racial profiling, or innocent man sent to jail. He committed a serious crime.

Here is where the story gets inspiring.

Not only did Ron LeFlore do his time, but he was offered the rarest of gifts – a second chance.

He took it, not only making the major leagues, but excelling at a high level.

Quite simply, for a six-year period, he was one of the best base stealers in the game.

Now that’s making the most of a second chance.