Catching Up With Terry Whitfield

Via InsideBayArea.com -

Terry Whitfield fits into the baseball-rich tradition of San Mateo County much like he used to fit nicely into the San Francisco Giants lineup during the late 1970s. The 55-year-old looks trim enough to grab a glove and play a little outfield.

Or at least pick up a bat and not embarrass anyone. His lifetime average in 730 major league games was a respectable .281.

Hitting continues as his trademark quality, along with a championship smile. After finishing a 10-year career, plus an additional three years in Japan, Whitfield embraced youth baseball on such a level that his influence continues today.

He opened batting cages in Burlingame, coached at Burlingame High, developed a pitching machine for kids, and worked with several prominent athletes to improve their offensive potential.

“I worked with so many kids I don’t remember them all unless they come back and thank me,” Whitfield said during a recent reunion of San Francisco outfielders at AT&T Park. “But that’s the most rewarding thing for me, to have them come back like that and talk about how their baseball was helped.”

The “Terry Toss” can be found at AT&T Park in San Francisco and the Oakland Coliseum. Whitfield said the youngest child he saw use the machine was 21/2 years old; the oldest was 78.

Whitfield, originally signed by the New York Yankees in 1971 as their first-round draft pick, came to the Giants in 1977 as part of a trade that sent Marty Perez to New York. It’s there, he says, that he polished his unique batting style.

Terry Whitfield is 55-years old? Dell Alston is 56-years old? So is Kerry Dineen?

What in the name of Thaddeaus Inglehart Wilborn is going on here? How did these guys get to be so old when I’m still a spring chicken?

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