Larry Foster (minors)

Larry Joel Foster

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 190 lb.
• School Jacksonville State University

• Born February 23, 1951 in Gadsden, AL USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Larry Foster spent six years in the minors, three including time at AAA. He won two minor league MVP awards.

He was signed by the Chicago White Sox and was named MVP of the Gulf Coast League with the GCL White Sox in his first pro season of 1973, leading the league with a .383 average, 63 points ahead of the runner-up. He had an OBP around .541 and slugged .555. He tied Glenn Tufts for the lead with 10 times hit by pitch. He briefly appeared with the Appleton Foxes.

In 1974, Foster split time between Appleton (.329/~.486/.481, 13 steals in 17 tries, 61 walks in 72 games) and the Knoxville Sox (.255/~.368/.425 in 29 games). He played for Knoxville (.293/~.414/.437 in 67 contests) and the AAA Denver Bears in 1975, hitting .224/~.367/.398 in 37 games at the higher level.

He then went back down to Knoxville in 1976 and was named Southern League MVP with a .311/~.445/.473 batting line. He stole 10 bases in 18 tries and drew 82 walks in 106 games. He led the SL in average, was second to Jim Obradovich in walks and led in OBP. He joined Derek Bryant and Mark Budaska on the SL All-Star outfield.

Foster was listed on the 1977 spring training roster for the White Sox, but never made the majors. Foster hit well again for Knoxville in 1977, with a .253/~.432/.502 batting line, drawing 61 walks in 67 games. He spent time with the Iowa Oaks (33 games) and Omaha Royals (34 games), hitting a composite .212~/~.352/.344 in AAA.

In his final season, 1978, Foster played for Omaha (.196/~.392/.375 in 21 games) and the Jacksonville Suns (.256/~.421/.464 in 106 games). He was third in the Southern League in walks, with 92, trailing Ken Phelps by 7 and Ken Smith by 5; both played at least 18 more games. He also was 5th in the league with 17 homers, one more than Phelps.

Foster's brother, Max Foster, played infield for the Sioux Falls Canaries in 1966.

Sources include 1974-1979 Baseball Guides

Notable Achievements

• 1973 MVP Gulf Coast League GCL White Sox
• 1976 Player of the Year Southern League Knoxville Sox