David Hulse

David Lindsey Hulse

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 11", Weight 170 lb.
• School Navarro College, Schreiner University
• High School Central High School (San Angelo)
• Debut August 11, 1992
• Final Game September 7, 1996
• Born February 25, 1968 in San Angelo, TX USA

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Biographical Information

Despite only hitting 5 home runs in his five-year major league career, outfielder David Hulse was a capable contact hitter and a superior base stealer.

College and Minors

A San Angelo, Texas native, Hulse attended Navarro College and Schreiner University, and was the only big leaguer ever to come out of the latter school. Selected by the Texas Rangers in the 13th round of the 1990 amateur draft, he spent that summer with the Butte Copper Kings, hitting .358 and stealing 24 bases in 64 games. The next year, he was with the Charlotte Rangers in Single A ball, and he hit hit .277 and stole 44 bases.

Hulse played for the AA Tulsa Drillers and AAA Oklahoma City 89ers in 1992, hitting .281 in 96 games between the two clubs before being called up by the Rangers in August.

In the Majors

He made his major league debut with Texas on August 11, 1992, coming in as a pinch runner against the Minnesota Twins, and in his first big league at-bat the next day, he singled off Willie Banks of the Twins. Overall, he played 32 games for Texas that season, hitting .304. He is best remembered for an incident that occurred on October 4th. Against the California Angels, he hit four consecutive foul balls into the same spot of the Angels' dugout against Joe Grahe. This continues to appear in highlight and blooper reels.

In 1993, he was the Rangers' regular in centerfield, hit .290, and stole 29 bases in 38 attempts. He also had 10 triples, which placed him third in the American League in that category, and he finished eighth in Rookie of the Year voting. He started up 1994 with a bang, recording the first hit in his team's new home, The Ballpark in Arlington, on April 11th, and overall hit .254 with 18 steals in 20 attempts. He also spent 25 games in the minors that year, hitting .283 at Oklahoma City.

Prior to the 1995 season, Hulse was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for pitcher Scott Taylor. As the fourth outfielder for the club, he hit .251 with 4 triples in 339 at-bats and recorded 15 steals in 18 tries. After hitting .222 in 81 games in 1996, he suffered a devastating shoulder injury while trying to score in a late-season game against the Rangers.

Final Years

After not playing in 1997, Hulse split 1998 between the independent leagues and the Boston Red Sox organization, hitting .352 for the Nashua Pride of the Atlantic League before joining the Pawtucket Red Sox and batting .329. He moved on to the St. Louis Cardinals chain the next summer, 1999, hitting .335 in 74 games for the Memphis Redbirds in what would be his final pro season.

Related Sites

• No regrets: From the archives looks at David Hulse