Darryl Banks

Darryl Dwayne Banks

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 205 lb.
• School College of Southern Idaho

• Born June 12, 1960 in Reno, NV USA

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Biographical Information

Darryl Banks was a minor league pitcher who was part of a very famous trade.

He was drafted twice out of the College of Southern Idaho, the first time by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1st round of the January 1980 amateur draft and the second by the Chicago Cubs in the secondary phase of that year's June draft. He signed with the Cubs, starting his professional career in 1980 with the Geneva Cubs of the New York-Penn League and going 3-4, 5.06 in 12 starts. Returning to Geneva in 1981, he fell to 1-5, 6.12 in 10 starts. He turned things around in 1982 with the Quad Cities Cubs of the Midwest League, putting up a record of 13-6, 3.26 as a swingman, logging 162 2/3 innings. He was back to starting full-time in 1983 after a promotion to the Midland Cubs of the Texas League, going 12-11, 5.47 in 27 games.

He started the 1984 season in AAA with the Iowa Cubs going 0-1, 19.29 in three relief appearances before going back to Midland. He was still struggling with a record of 1-5, 4.91 in 10 starts when on June 13th, he was included in a major trade with the Cleveland Indians. That day, the Cubs sent OFs Joe Carter and Mel Hall and P Don Schulze along with him to the Indians in return for P Rick Sutcliffe and C Ron Hassey. Sutcliffe would go 16-1 for the remainder of the season, winning the Cy Young Award and leading the Cubs to a division title, while both young outfielders became regulars for the next decade or so, and the two other players were major leaguers with substantial careers. However, for Banks, the end of the road was already in sight: he went 1-3, 5.49 in 8 games for the Buffalo Bisons in the Eastern League, and his pro career ended with that season.