Most Twins fans over a certain age, say 45, know that utility infielder and two-time World Series champion Al Newman never hit a home run in his five seasons with the Twins. He hit one home run in 1986 with the Montreal Expos, but that was the last of his career. While Newman was playing for Minnesota, it was talked about that he had the longest home run streak in history. I have not been able to confirm if that is true or if it still is. Anyway, all of this leads me to this question: Which Twins had the most at-bats but only one home run? Well, folks, let me introduce you to 1970s second baseman Bob Randall.
Robert Lee Randall was born on June 10, 1948, in Norton, Kansas. Norton is a small town in north-central Kansas, about 300 miles west of Lawrence and the University of Kansas. He graduated from high school in nearby Gove, Kansas. According to Patrick Ruse’s book, “Tales from the Minnesota Sports Beat,” Randall’s senior year of high school was one of only four boys. Randall said, “The graduation party was awful.”
After high school, Randall enrolled and graduated from Kansas State University.
The right-handed hitter was drafted three times by the Los Angeles Dodgers: in the 55th round in 1966, the seventh in 1968, and the second in 1969. He performed well in the minor leagues, leading the league in hits three times. He spent two-plus years with the Triple-A Albuquerque Dukes. Still, he couldn’t make it to the major leagues. The Dodgers had a young Davey Lopez, a proven second baseman who would go on to be a four-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner. So, not really needing a second baseman, the Dodgers traded Randall to the Twins after the 1975 season for Danny Walton, an infrequently used outfielder and first baseman.
The trade, and new manager Gene Mouch’s decision to move second baseman Rod Carew to first base, created an opportunity for Randall. His first year was his best, when he hit his first and only career home run. It came in the third inning of the second game of a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox on June 23, pitched by mediocre Chris Knapp. Throughout his career with the Twins, Randall was an energetic and gritty player. He quickly played significant minutes in his first season in 1976, and in 1977 and 1978 he played in a platoon role with left-handed hitter Rob Wilfong. His appearances were limited in 1979, with only 199 at-bats in just 80 games. In 1980, an unusual series of events led to Randall being fired at the end of spring training and named a coach. However, on May 16, he re-signed with the Twins, and after appearing in five games and going 3-for-15, he was fired again. The Twins re-signed Randall again on June 18, but he did not appear in a single game and was eventually released on July 16, 1980.
Randall had a career batting average of .257/.310/.311 with one home run and 91 RBIs. His OPS+ was 74. His best season was in 1976, but he wasn’t very good and he wasn’t able to repeat that in the next four seasons. He had a career WAR of 3.8.
In 1981, Randall was hired as an assistant baseball coach at Iowa State University. The head coach at the time was former Twins minor leaguer and later scout and eventually head of scouting Larry Corrigan. When Corrigan left Iowa State after 1984, Randall was promoted to head coach and stayed there for 11 seasons until 1995, compiling a mediocre record of 309-311. After the 1995 college baseball season, his hometown of Kansas called. The Iowa State Daily had a great article about Randall’s tenure in Ames and how it ended. It seems like he was a good coach, albeit underpaid, so he moved closer to home to continue doing what he loved and work for a well-funded athletic department. It seemed like a no-brainer. He was hired as the head baseball coach at the University of Kansas, where he stayed for seven seasons until 2002. He finished with a record of 166-213.
Bob Randall may not have had the power, but he had the ability and drive to play in the major leagues for five seasons, then go on to have a successful college coaching career, developing and mentoring countless athletes, future MLB players, and many future husbands, fathers and businessmen. That is surely his greatest legacy.
He only hit one home run during his time with the Twins, but that’s more than Al Newman would say.
Interested in Twins history? Then check out the Minnesota Twins Players Project, a community-driven project that discovers and collects great information on every player who has ever worn a Twins uniform.
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