Rance Mulliniks: Platooning third baseman

Rance Mulliniks played third base for the Toronto Blue Jays for much of the '80s.

Source: https://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/rance-mulliniks-much-popular-played-today/

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He was a platooning third baseman with the Toronto Blue Jays through their drive to respectability in the 1980s.

However, there is one other thing I will always remember about Rance Mulliniks. He was named part of David Letterman’s Top 10 list of coolest names in Major League Baseball.

His name was evoked last week when Ernie Clement hit a game-winning home run for the Blue Jays in Yankee Stadium in New York on April 5.

It was the first Blue Jay go-ahead, pinch-hit home run in the Bronx since Rance Mulliniks hit one on June 12, 1985.

Background
Rance Mulliniks was taken by the California Angels in the 1974 free agent draft, and made his major league debut in 1977. He was traded with Willie Mays Aikens by the Angels to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Al Cowens, Todd Cruz and a player to be named later who ended up being Craig Eaton.

He was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays before the start of the 1982 season, for Phil Huffman.

That’s when things get interesting.

The switch
Rance Mulliniks had been a shortstop, but when he got to Toronto, he was converted to third base, where he would play the rest of his career.

Mulliniks’s arrival in Toronto coincided with Bobby Cox taking over as manager. He injected energy and confidence into the Blue Jays. That turned around the fortunes of the ball club who, up to that point, never had a winning season.

One of Cox’s strategies was to platoon players, utilizing two players at one position. It was early analytics, with the theory being that two players platooning, could put up the same numbers combined as one player. Moreover, one player would bat right-handed and the other left-handed.

Cox, platooned Mulliniks at third base with Garth Iorg, and the two were a fantastic tandem until Iorg retired in 1987.

The Blue Jays did not have a winning season in 1982, but they finished the year strong, setting the stage for 11 consecutive winning seasons.

The numbers
Mulliniks played in 112 games that first season in Toronto. He batted .244 with 76 hits including four home runs, 25 doubles and he drove in 35 runs.

The 1983 year would the Jays’ first winning season in franchise history. Mulliniks appeared in 129 games, batting .275 with 100 hits, including 10 home runs, three triples, 34 doubles, and 49 runs batted in.

In 1984, the Jays chased the Detroit Tigers wire to wire before finishing second in the American League East Division. Mulliniks played in 125 games, batting a career-high .324, with a career-high 111 hits, including three home runs, five triples, 25 doubles, and driving in 42 runs.

The Blue Jays won their first ever American League East Division title in 1985 before losing in the American League Championship Series to the Kansas City Royals in seven games. Mulliniks played in 129 games, batting .295 with 108 hits including 10 home runs, a triple and 26 doubles to go with a career-high 57 runs batted in.

In 1986, the Jays came down to Earth finishing fourth in the American League East Division. Mulliniks played in 117 games, batting .259 with 90 hits, including 11 home runs, 22 doubles and 45 runs batted in.

The Blue Jays lost the American League East Division title to Detroit on the last weekend of the 1987 season. Mulliniks appeared in 124 games, batting .310 on 103 hits including 11 home runs, a triple, 28 doubles and 44 runs batted in.

In 1988, the Jays again fell to Earth, finishing fourth in the American League East Division. Mulliniks played in 119 games, batting .300, with 101 hits including a career-high 12 home runs, one triple, 21 doubles and 48 runs batted in.

He also led American League third basemen in fielding percentage in 1984 at .968; 1985 at .971; and 1986 at .975.

The Jays ended the decade winning their second American League East Division title before losing to the eventual World Series champion Oakland A’s in the American League Championship Series. Mulliniks played in 103 games, batting .238 with 65 hits including three home runs, two triples, 11 doubles, and driving in 29 runs.

The years after
Mulliniks played right through to the 1992 season before retiring. Injuries hampered Mulliniks that 1992 season where the Jays won their first World Series. He appeared in just three games.

He finished his career with totals in Toronto of 1,115 games, batting .280 overall with 843 hits, including 68 home runs, 14 triples, 204 doubles and 389 total runs batted in. He also holds the Blue Jays’ single season franchise record for fielding percentage by a third baseman at .975; and has the franchise record for pinch hits with 59.

Parting thoughts
Whenever I think of Rance Mulliniks I have to think of Garth Iorg because, together, they were a formidable tandem at third base for the Toronto Blue Jays. If one started, invariably the other would make an appearance later in the game, usually after a pitching change, and usually for a more favourable situation at the plate.

Rance Mulliniks was a patient batter and a stellar fielder.

Often he gets lost among all the other players the Jays had leading in those 11 straight winning seasons that included two World Series championships.

Yet, Rance Mulliniks was a very important part of that team, providing an anchor at third base and at the plate.