Former utility player Lenny Randle has died, the National Baseball Hall of Fame confirmed on Monday. He was 75.
Randle was a first-round pick of the Washington Senators in 1970 and remained with the franchise as they moved to Texas and rebranded into the Rangers before the 1972 season. He had his breakthrough season in 2974, hitting .302 and stealing 26 bases across 151 games.
By the spring of 1977, Randle had lost his starting second base job and threatened to leave camp, leading manager Frank Lucchesi to publicly criticize Randle. The utility player then confronted Lucchesi and ended up punching him in the face several times, fracturing his cheekbone. That outburst was considered out of character for Randle.
The Rangers then traded Randle to the Mets, and in his first season in Queens he hit .304 with a career-high 33 steals.
Randle had a brief stint with the Yankees in 1979 and then spent time with the Cubs. He finished his career with two seasons with the Seattle Mariners.
“We are saddened by the passing of former Mariner Lenny Randle,” the Mariners wrote on X. “Our thoughts are with his family, friends and loved ones.”
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