Dale Holman

Quenton Dale Holman

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 188 lbs.
• School Louisiana Tech University
• High School Ouachita Christian School

• Born October 25, 1958 in Monroe, LA USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Dale Holman played nine seasons in the minors, including five at AAA, but did not make the majors. He did become the first person to double for two teams in the same game.

He was an All-Southland Conference pick in 1977, 1978 and 1979 and the SLC Hitter of the Year in '78 and '79. He led the league in average (.407), doubles (14) and hits (68) in 1979. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the sixth round of the 1979 Amateur Draft, before they picked Greg Brock or Orel Hershiser that year. Dale made his pro debut with the Lodi Dodgers and hit a solid .287/.372/.457. He moved up to the San Antonio Dodgers in 1980 and improved to .344/.432/.476 with 79 runs, 78 RBI and 74 walks. He was second in the Texas League in average (24 points behind Daryl Sconiers) and very possibly second in OBP as well. He still failed to make the TL All-Star outfield as Tom Brunansky, Melvin Barrow and Mike Bishop were all picked, the voters opting for better sluggers (all of whom also topped .320 in the process).

Holman remained stuck in San Antonio for 1981 as the Dodgers had Ron Roenicke, Candy Maldonado and Mike Marshall in their AAA outfield. He again finished second in the TL in average, hitting .333/.413/.485 with 14 home runs (a career best), 72 walks, 95 runs and 86 RBI. He also had 15 outfield assists. He was .013 behind TL leader and teammate Steve Sax in average. He also tied Jack Upton for second in runs, 3 shy of co-leaders Mel Hall and Mark Bradley. His 169 hits were one behind leader Hall. He was also among the OBP leaders. This time he made the league All-Star team, joining Gotay Mills, Bradley and Hall in the outfield.

Holman had a productive 1982 for the Albuquerque Dukes at .284/.373/.371 while battling for outfield time with Marshall, Maldonado, Tack Wilson and Bradley. He was 29 points below the team batting average, though, on a talented club in a high-scoring league, and he only hit two home runs in 103 games, not good for an outfielder. The Dukes cruised to the 1982 PCL title. In 1983, Dale split time between Albuquerque (.277/.443/.404 in 20 G) and San Antonio (.296/.372/.476 in 79 G).

Leaving the crowded Dodgers system, Holman moved to the Toronto Blue Jays organization. He split 1984 between the Syracuse Chiefs (.261/.329/.403 in 106 G) and Knoxville Blue Jays (.244/.365/.269 in 23 G). In '85, the 26-year-old had a fine year for the Chiefs: .308/.382/.472 in 75 games, his best AAA season. Had he qualified, he would have ranked 4th in the 1985 International League in average behind Juan Bonilla, Willie Aikens and LaSchelle Tarver. Toronto had no use for him, though, in The Show, as they had a stellar outfield consisting of George Bell, Jesse Barfield and Lloyd Moseby.

In 1986, he became the first professional player to play for two teams in the same game (he hit doubles for both as well). On June 16, he was playing for the Chiefs against the Richmond Braves. The game was suspended due to rain and was resumed on August 15. By that time, Holman had been traded to the Braves and played for them in that game. It would be 38 years until the second player to perform the feat, Danny Jansen doing so in MLB. For the year, his numbers were down: .273/.345/.442 in 23 games for the Greenville Braves and .279/.327/.381 in 49 games between Syracuse and Richmond.

The fading Holman hit only .242/.330/.345 in 67 games for the 1987 Richmond Braves, ending his minor league career. Overall, he had batted .298/.380/.435 in 883 games as a pro, showing good on-base skills but not enough pop to win a major league job as an outfielder.

Sources

• 1980-1984 Baseball Guides
• 1985-1986 Baseball America Statistics Reports
• 1987-1988 Baseball Almanacs
• Southland Conference