Eddie Milner | |
---|---|
Center fielder | |
Born: May 21, 1955 Columbus, Ohio |
|
Batted: Left | Threw: Left |
MLB debut | |
September 2, 1980 for the Cincinnati Reds | |
Last MLB appearance | |
July 29, 1988 for the Cincinnati Reds | |
Career statistics | |
Batting average | .253 |
Home runs | 42 |
Runs batted in | 195 |
Teams | |
|
Edward James Milner (born May 21, 1955) is a former professional baseball player. He played all or part of nine seasons in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds (1980-86, 1988) and San Francisco Giants (1987), primarily as a center fielder. Milner batted and threw left-handed.
Eddie Milner was drafted out of Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio by the Reds in 1976. In a seven-year career, Milner was a .253 hitter with 42 home runs and 195 RBI in 804 games.
Milner was one of the best defensive center fielders of the 1980s, ranking first in the National League in both range factor and fielding percentage in 1983. A fast runner and a good-contact hitter, in 1986 he had a 20-game hitting streak and belted 15 home runs. On August 2, 1986, Milner collected his team's only hit in a game for fifth time, tying César Tovar's MLB record (1975).
Milner suffered from cocaine addiction during his baseball career. Commissioner Peter Ueberroth suspended him for the entire 1988 season after he relapsed, but he was reinstated before the All-Star break after completing a drug rehabilitation program. The Reds released him on July 31, ending his major league career.
Eddie's cousin, John, also was a major league player.