Terry Whitfield

Terry Bertland Whitfield

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 197 lb.
• High School Palo Verde High School (Blythe)
• Debut September 29, 1974
• Final Game May 23, 1986
• Born January 12, 1953 in Blythe, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Terry Whitfield, who played ten seasons in the big leagues, may have been the first major league player to go to Japan during the prime of his major league career. He had hit .296 at age 27 before going to play three seasons in Japan.

Whitfield began in the minors in 1971 after being picked in the first round of the 1971 amateur draft by the New York Yankees. He hit .335 with 18 home runs for the Kinston Eagles in 1973 and spent 1974-1976 with the Syracuse Chiefs, hitting with moderate power. He was up in the majors for a bit in each of 1974-1976, getting 81 at-bats with the Yanks in 1975. Terry got a chance to play more often when the Yankees traded him in March of 1977 to the San Francisco Giants. From 1978 to 1980, he was the starting left fielder for the team. In all four seasons by the bay, he hit around .290.

In early March 1981 the Giants sold him to the Seibu Lions and he played three seasons in Japan, helping the team to a couple of championships. Then, saying he wanted to be closer to his family, he came back to the States as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1984. He was a backup on the 1984-1986 Dodger teams, appearing in the 1985 NLCS. Released in late May 1986, he played 1987 and 1988 in the California League.

Steve Ontiveros was a teammate with Seibu. Both had played for San Francisco, but Steve was there from 1973 to 1976 while Terry was there from 1977 to 1980.

Terry later owned the Future Pro Baseball Center in the San Francisco, CA area and is the inventor of the soft toss machine The Terry-Toss.

Notable Achievements

• 1973 MVP Carolina League Kinston Eagles