Ron Shelton (minors03)

Ronald Wayne Shelton

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 185 lb
• School Westmont College
• High School Santa Barbara High School

• Born September 15, 1945 in Whittier, CA USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Ron Shelton is a movie director and screenwriter responsible for Bull Durham and Cobb, among other, non-baseball, titles. He played six years in the minor leagues, reaching AAA.

Shelton debuted in 1967 with the Stockton Ports; he hit .213/~.284/.244 in 48 games and stole 9 bases in 10 tries. He also played with the Bluefield Orioles in the Appalachian League. Bluefield already had a player named Ron Shelton [1], a left-handed pitcher. Joe Altobelli, the Bluefield manager, could not stomach the idea of two Ron Sheltons on the team and asked the new Ron Shelton to use a different name. Shelton used "Wayne Shelton" utilizing his middle name, Wayne.

In 1968, he was back with Stockton and fielded .969, the best of any California League second baseman to play 80 or more games. He batted .240/~.305/.282 and stole 20 bases in 27 tries. He tied for 7th in the league in stolen bases.

Shelton remained in Stockton in 1969 and continued to make strides. He led Cal League second basemen in putouts (342), assists (361), double plays (82) and fielding percentage (.974). At the plate, he batted .277/~.363/.382 with 87 runs and 32 steals in 39 tries. He led the league in doubles (29), times hit by pitch (14) and sacrifice hits (17) and tied for the lead in games played (140). He was third in stolen bases behind Albert Holland and Michael Weaver.

In 1970, Ron spent most of the year with the Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs, hitting .244/~.337/.299 with 22 steals in 33 tries in 104 games for them. His .978 fielding percentage was third among Texas League second basemen. He tied for the TL lead with 9 sacrifice hits. He also made his AAA debut with the Rochester Red Wings, going 6 for 29 with 3 walks and one steal in 2 tries.

Shelton spent all of 1971 with the International League champion Rochester Red Wings, where he played for Joe Altobelli again, and with teammates including Bobby Grich, Don Baylor, Johnny Oates, Ray Miller and Mike Ferraro. Ron hit .260/~.352/.305 in 66 games, fielding .982 in 42 games at second base.

Biographical Information

• Stephen Borelli: "'Bull Durham' director Ron Shelton was 'always getting banned' coaching Little League, argued like Earl Weaver", USA Today, May 3, 2020. [2]
• Sweeny Murty: "Shelton name intertwined in baseball -- and film -- history", mlb.com, June 16, 2023. [3]