Mo Vaughn

From SoSH

Maurice Samuel 'Mo' Vaughn (born December 15, 1967 in Norwalk, Connecticut), nicknamed "Hit Dog", a nickname given to him by his Omega Psi Phi fraternity brothers at Seton Hall University, was a Red Sox first baseman from 1991 to 1998. Vaughn won the American League Most Valuable Player award in 1995 and was a key factor in the 1995 Red Sox and 1998 Red Sox playoff teams.

Contents 1 Early career 2 Best years 3 Last season with the Sox 4 Anaheim and beyond 5 Steroids 6 Trivia 7 Accomplishments 8 Transactions 9 External links

Early career

In the summer of 1988, while attending Seton Hall, Vaughn played first base for the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League. One of his teammates was former MLB second baseman Chuck Knoblauch.

Vaughn was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 1st round (23rd pick) of the 1989 Amateur Draft and made his Major league debut on June 27, 1991.

Best years

Vaughn became the center of the Red Sox's batting order in 1993, hitting 29 home runs and contributing 101 RBIs, but his reputation as one of the most feared hitters in the American League wasn't grounded until after the 1994 strike-shortened season when Vaughn hit 39 home runs with 126 RBIs and a .326 batting average in 1995. He also pitched in with 11 stolen bases, although he was considerably slimmer earlier on. His efforts, which led the Red Sox to the playoffs (only to lose to the Cleveland Indians in the 1995 American League Division Series), were rewarded with the American League MVP award.

Vaughn continued to improve over the next several seasons, batting .315 or higher from 1996 to 1998 and averaging 40 home runs and 118 RBIs. The Red Sox lost in the American League Division Series in 1998, once again to the Cleveland Indians, although Vaughn played well, hitting two home runs and driving in seven runs in game one.

Last season with the Sox

Though Vaughn's powerful personality and extensive charity work made him a popular figure in Boston, he had many issues with the Red Sox management and local media; his disagreements with Boston Globe sports columnist Dan Shaughnessy and Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette were particularly acute. As an outspoken clubhouse leader, Vaughn repeatedly stated that the conservative Sox administration did not want him around. Incidents in which he allegedly punched a man in the mouth outside of a nightclub and crashed his truck while returning home from a strip club in Providence, Rhode Island led to further rifts with the administration. Vaughn formed a formidable middle of the lineup with shortstop Nomar Garciaparra. The two combined for 75 home runs in 1998, Vaughn's final year with the club.

Vaughn hit a walkoff grand slam in the ninth inning of Opening Day at Fenway Park against the Seattle Mariners in 1998. Despite this auspicious start, the season was filled with acrimony, as Vaughn and the Sox administration sniped at each other throughout the year. After Cleveland knocked Boston out of the playoffs in the first round, Vaughn became a free agent. Almost immediately, he signed a six-year, $88-million deal with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the highest contract in the game at that time. The Red Sox made little effort to retain him.

Anaheim and beyond

While he hit well for Anaheim when he played—he hit 30-plus home runs and knocked in over 100 runs in both 1999 and 2000—Vaughn was plagued by injuries in 1999 and didn't play a single game in the 2001 season. He started his Anaheim career by falling down the visitor's dugout steps on his first play of his first game, badly spraining his ankle. Vaughn was nevertheless seen as a viable middle of the line-up producer prior to the 2002 season and was traded to the New York Mets on December 27, 2001 for Kevin Appier.

Vaughn was unable, however, to resurrect his glory days of Boston or kick the injuries which had been nagging him. In 2003, after a poor 2002 season, Vaughn played only 27 games because of a left knee injury. He was advised by several doctors that attempting to play baseball again might lead to disability. These diagnoses put a close to Vaughn's career. He now owns and operates the Mo Vaughn Hit Dog baseball clinic, which runs at Tufts University.

Steroids

Vaughn was was named in the December 2007 Mitchell Report on performance enhancing drugs in baseball. According to former clubhouse attendant and admitted steroids distributer Kirk Radomski, he provided Vaughn with a program for the use of the human growth hormone. Radomski said that he delivered the substances to Vaughn personally.

Trivia

• Vaughn wore the number 42 throughout his career in honor of Jackie Robinson. In 1997 Robinson's number was retired throughout the Major Leagues, but a grandfather clause enabled Vaughn to continue to wear it for the remainder of his career. Therefore, Vaughn has the distinction of being the last to wear number 42 on three different teams: the Red Sox, Angels, and Mets.

Accomplishments

• 2-time American League All-Star (1995, 1996)
• American League Most Valuable Player award (1995)
• Finished 4th in American League MVP voting (1998)
• Finished 5th in American League MVP voting (1996)

Transactions

• June 5, 1989: Drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 1st round (23rd pick) of the 1989 Amateur Draft. Player signed June 20, 1989.
• October 23, 1998: Granted Free Agency.
• December 11, 1998: Signed as a Free Agent with the Anaheim Angels.
• December 27, 2001: Traded by the Anaheim Angels to the New York Mets for Kevin Appier.

External links

• Read more about Mo Vaughn at the Mo Vaughn Web Site
• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
• USA Today article