The Montreal Expos had some great players throughout their history before becoming the Washington Nationals in 2005. One of these players is Tim Raines. Raines played 23 seasons, primarily with the Expos, from 1979 to 1990. His name is one to include in the annals of Major League Baseball.
Tim Raines had a great rookie season in 1981, leading the National League (NL) in stolen bases with 71 in just 88 games. Raines finished 2nd to Fernando Valenzuela in the NL Rookie of the Year voting, and then became one of the best leadoff hitters in the NL for the rest of the decade.
Raines made seven All-Star teams (1981-1987) and won the 1987 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award. Raines led the NL in stolen bases four times (1981-1984) and in runs scored twice (1983, 1987). He won the 1986 NL batting title (.334) and led the NL in on-base percentage in that year (.413).
Tim Raines is the most efficient base stealer of all time, finishing his career with 808 stolen bases, which, according to Baseball Reference, is 5th all-time. Raines won two championships with the Yankees in 1996 and 1998, and in 2017, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
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The original version of this article was published on Anthony’s blog.
