By IAN WILSON
No pressure.
We just want you to replace Hall-of-Fame first baseman Rod Carew.
This was the looming expectation for Wally Joyner as he went about his business in 1985.
Joyner was the next in line to take over the first base position held by Carew, a seven-time American League (AL) batting champ and an 18-time Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star. The 1967 AL Rookie of the Year and former AL Most Valuable Player was in his final season with the California Angels and the organization made it obvious that the job was Joyner’s to lose.
Of course, it wasn’t Joyner’s fault that Carew’s career was winding down while his was trending up, but he had mighty big cleats to fill, nonetheless.
Joyner, a lefty hitter who grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, was a third-round draft choice of the Angels in 1983. After smashing batting records at Brigham Young University that year, he went straight into the Midwest League where he had a .328 batting average over 54 games with the Peoria Suns at the Single-A level.
He continued to be a consistent hitter with the Double-A Waterbury Angels the following season, hitting .317 with 81 runs, 72 runs batted in (RBI) and 12 home runs in 134 contests.
His stock kept rising at spring training in 1985, where he caught the eye of Gene Mauch – the manager of the California Angels – along with third baseman Jack Howell and second sacker Mark McLemore.
“I’ve only had a few can’t misses … I mean, guys you knew were going to play well from the minute you saw them,” said Mauch when he was asked about his promising infield prospects.
“They’re going to play and play well.”
McLemore was assigned to Double-A in Midland, Texas that spring and Joyner was dispatched to Edmonton for a Triple-A assignment with the Trappers in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). Howell, meanwhile, split his time with the Trappers and the big club that season.
The expectation was that Joyner’s ascent would proceed as though he’d started his career on a launching pad. Over the previous two seasons, he had been named the best defensive first baseman in his league by Baseball America and he was drawing comparisons to Bill Buckner and Keith Hernandez.
“Everything has fallen into place,” Joyner told Edmonton Journal reporter Norm Cowley after he arrived at John Ducey Park.
“I got a lot of breaks and made the best of them. It’s been almost too perfect. But I work hard and enjoy coming out here and taking batting practice and working on my defence. I enjoy this game and have fun at it.”
As good as things had gone for Joyner, he was candid about his apparent lack of power at the pro level.
“I think it’s going to happen in time,” he said.
“My body has not matured yet. I’m already a lot stronger than I was last year. But it’s not strength that hits home runs. It’s good contact.”
CONVERTING HOOPS INTO HITS
Joyner also chatted with Cowley about his love of basketball as a teenager.
“My adrenalin was flowing all the time and I enjoyed that. I enjoyed playing baseball. But it was just something I played during the summer,” said Joyner, who tore ligaments in his ankle when he was a senior in high school.
“I wanted to go to college and play both sports. But, after no one recruited me in basketball, I decided to see what I could do in baseball. I don’t want it to seem cocky but baseball seemed easier to play. I wanted to play basketball because it was taller and you were guarding taller people. It was more of a challenge.”
Added Joyner: “I enjoy meeting challenges, like now I enjoy hitting with a man at third and two out, and I enjoy taking a hit away from the batter. Again, I can say my adrenalin flows when I do that, so you can say it’s a natural high.”
The 6-foot-2 athlete may have wished he was back on the hardcourt during the start of the PCL season when he batted just .150 with six strikeouts over his first five games.
“I think a lot of people, including my wife, thought it was because I was upset at being sent down. But that’s not it at all. I’d rather be here than on the big league team because this is where I need to be right now. I need to continue to improve. If they let me stay up there, I wouldn’t be playing every day and I think that might hurt me,” observed Joyner.
“A lot of people said, ‘You were sent down.’ I was sent up as far as I’m concerned because last year I played in Double-A.”
Joyner – who went by the nickname Wally World – was able to put together a 10-game hitting streak while playing solid defence in May, but the results were largely underwhelming for a player who had made baseball look so easy to that point.
Another nine-game hit streak for Joyner extended into early June.
Collectively, the Trappers were in last place in the PCL at the halfway point of the season.
Manager Winston Llenas was hopeful that a visit from hitting instructor Rick Down in late June would turn the team’s fortunes around.
“I’d keep Rick with us permanently if I had the choice,” Llenas told Journal columnist John Short.
“He helps our ball club just by being here and talking hitting and concentration with the players.”
Joyner was appreciative of the advice he received from Down, who extended his stay by several days after working closely with Edmonton’s batters.
“Rick showed me that I was trying to do too much at the plate, making things tough for myself. It’s easier his way,” said Joyner.
ROUNDING INTO FORM
When the calendar turned to July, reporters in Edmonton started to recognize the player who was billed as the top prospect in the organization.
“The real Wally Joyner has finally stood up,” wrote Cowley.
“It took the talented first baseman almost three months to find his niche in the Pacific Coast League but he finally came to realize he’s not Atlas and doesn’t need to carry a world on his shoulders.”
Joyner turned in a 20-game stretch that saw him hit .341 – boosting his season batting average to .263 – and record 21 RBI.
He discussed his slow start in Cowley’s article and admitted he was feeling the heat.
“Subconsciously, I was trying to tell myself don’t worry about it,” said Joyner.
“But the pressure was there. It affected me right off the bat. I was trying to show these guys that I belonged here and that my play with the big league guys was no fluke.”
Added Joyner: “From the beginning of the season, I feel like I’ve handled the downs really well … I wasn’t really struggling. I just was not getting any hits. I think it’s just a matter of time and baseball luck.”
Joyner, who turned 23 in June, brought up some equipment mishaps that contributed to poor at bats, as well.
“I also had a couple of situations with bad luck on the road. One time I didn’t have my bats and another time the wrong bats were brought along. I went out one time with Jack Howell’s bat and broke it so I had to get another bat the next time up. I was swinging at pitches I don’t normally swing at because I felt uneasy. A lot of people might think it’s silly, but using your own bats means a lot,” said Joyner, who was finally starting to feel comfortable playing for the Trappers.
“I think that right now, I’ve found myself. I’ve relaxed a little more and I’m getting the breaks that I didn’t have in the first half.”
Joyner experienced a bout of bad luck during a road trip to Arizona. After jumping in the hotel pool in Tucson, his ear was plugged and he suffered from dizzy spells that kept him out of the lineup against the Toros. Upon his return to Alberta, doctors discovered a perforated and infected eardrum. He was hospitalized for three days as a result.
FINISHING STRONG
The Trappers received a mid-season boost from the arrival of speedy centre fielder Devon White – who stole 21 bases and scored 53 runs in 66 games with Edmonton – and jumped into first place in the Northern Division in late July. They ultimately fell short in their pursuit of the postseason, but the Trappers remained in the second-half pennant race until the final weekend of the season.
Joyner was also determined to end the season on a high note.
By the time the 1985 campaign wrapped up, his stats that looked woeful at the start of the year appeared to be pretty decent.
In his 126 games, Joyner led the Trappers in at bats (477), hits (135), RBI (73) and total bases (210). The corner infielder finished second on the club in runs (68), doubles (29), walks (60) and extra base hits (46).
He managed to raise his batting average to .283, his on-base percentage to .363, and his 12 homers were a respectable total for a young player experiencing life at the Triple-A level for the first time.
Indeed, it looked like Joyner had turned a corner and might even be capable of taking the reins at first base for the California Angels.
His “off season” consisted of a trip to the Puerto Rican Winter League and it was time well spent. Joyner became the first player in a quarter century to claim the league’s Triple Crown by smacking 14 long balls, batting .356 and driving in 48 runs. He also led the circuit in doubles and hits and was the unanimous selection as league MVP.
Back in California, the Angels opted to allow Carew to go to free agency.
During spring training, Joyner suited up in all 22 exhibition games and batted .465 along the way.
SPRINGBOARD TO SUCCESS
In one of the least surprising moves in baseball history, Joyner became the starting first baseman for the Halos in 1986.
He was an immediate impact player, launching 22 homers, producing 100 RBI and batting .290 in his first MLB season.
Along the way, Joyner was the starting first baseman in the 1986 All-Star Game and he tied Darryl Strawberry for first in the Home Run Derby.
He finished second in AL Rookie of the Year voting to Jose Canseco and helped lead the Angels to the postseason. California lost in the AL Championship Series to the Boston Red Sox, but Joyner batted .455 with three runs, two doubles, two RBI and a homer in his three playoff games.
Joyner remained a fixture at first for the Angels through the 1991 season. From there, he continued on a 16-year MLB journey that included stops with the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves.
He finished his major-league career with 2,033 games played, 2,060 hits, 204 home runs, 1,106 RBI, a .289 batting average and a .362 on-base percentage.
Llenas described Joyner as a player with “inner strength” who “rises to the occasion” when he coached him in the minor leagues. Despite the pressure he felt as a player, Joyner turned that strength into an impressive MLB career.
After his playing days, Joyner went into coaching and served as a hitting instructor with the Padres, Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers.
