Toby Harrah

Colbert Dale Harrah

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.
• High School Elgin High School (Marion)
• Debut September 5, 1969
• Final Game October 4, 1986
• Born October 26, 1948 in Sissonville, WV USA

BR page

Biographical information

Toby Harrah was a multi-talented player who spent 17 years in the big leagues. He played several infield positions, had some power, drew walks well, and stole a lot of bases. He also served as a major league manager for half of 1992, as a major league coach for several seasons and as a minor league manager.

A four-time All-Star, Harrah broke in with the 1970 Washington Senators and moved to Texas with them in 1972, the year he was named to the All-Star team for the first time. He played nine years with the team and had some hitting peaks during his stay, with 27 home runs in 1977, 109 walks in the same year, 93 RBI in 1975, and 31 stolen bases in 1978 (getting caught only 8 times). He manned shortstop primarily.

Harrah next spent five years with the Cleveland Indians (at the time of "Super" Joe Charboneau), moving to third base, scoring 100 runs twice and posting his career best batting average of .304 in 1982. He finished his career playing one year with the New York Yankees and two back with the Rangers, where he was now a second baseman. He drew 113 walks with Texas in 1985. For his play with the Rangers, he was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in 2009.

Harrah was the last player to bat for the expansion Senators and the last member of the team to play in the majors. In 1989, he played for the West Palm Beach Tropics of the Senior Professional Baseball Association. He hit .318 in 63 games with the team.

After his playing days ended, Harrah managed the Oklahoma City 89ers in 1987 and 1988. He was a Rangers coach from 1989 to 1992, also managing the club for part of the season in his last year there, taking over when Bobby Valentine was fired. Harrah was a minor league hitting instructor for the Rangers in 1993-1994, and once again succeeded Valentine, this time as manager of the Norfolk Tides, in 1995. He coached third base for the Indians in 1996, was the hitting coach of the Detroit Tigers in 1998 and was Colorado Rockies bench coach from 2000 to 2002. From 2011-2012 he was the minor league hitting coordinator for the Detroit Tigers. In 2013, he was promoted to assistant hitting coach, lasting one season in this capacity.

In one American Legion Baseball game, he threw a no-hitter.

Notable Achievements

• 4-time AL All-Star (1972, 1975, 1976 & 1982)
• AL Bases on Balls Leader (1977)
• 20-Home Run Seasons: 5 (1974, 1975, 1977, 1979 & 1982)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 2 (1980 & 1982)

Preceded by Bobby Valentine

Texas Rangers Manager 1992

Succeeded by Kevin Kennedy

Year-By-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1987	Oklahoma City 89ers	American Association	69-71	4th	Texas Rangers
1988	Oklahoma City 89ers	American Association	67-74	7th	Texas Rangers
1992	Texas Rangers	American League	32-44	4th	Texas Rangers		replaced Bobby Valentine (45-41) on July 9
1995	Norfolk Tides	International League	86-56	1st	New York Mets	Lost league Finals

Further Reading

• Thomas Boswell: "All of Us Bear the Marks of the Lash", in How Life Imitates the World Series, Penguin Books, New York, 1982, pp. 98-100.
• Frederick C. Bush: "Toby Harrah", in Steve West and Bill Nowlin, eds.: The Team That Couldn't Hit: The 1972 Texas Rangers, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2019, pp. 85-94. ISBN 978-1-943816-93-4

Related Sites

• Toby Harrah at the SABR Bio Project
• BR Manager page