Steven Rance Mulliniks is a former Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 player.

Originally drafted as a shortstop

Shortstop

Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...

, Mulliniks made his major league debut in for the California Angels

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...

, batting

Batting average

Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

 .269 in 78 games. He saw limited playing time over the following years with the California Angels until and with the Kansas City Royals

Kansas City Royals

The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...

 in and .

Mulliniks' luck changed when he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays

Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....

, just before the start of the season. He was converted to third base

Third Base

is a 1978 Japanese film directed by Yōichi Higashi.-External links:...

 and appeared in over 100 games each year through the season. He batted over .300 three times and demonstrated great patience at the plate, regularly posting on-base percentages near .400. In 1984 he was named to Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...

's Dream Team as a utility infielder.

Retirement and broadcasting career

Mulliniks retired after the season having compiled a .272 career batting average, 73 home run

Home run

In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

s, 437 RBI

Run batted in

Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...

, and 445 runs. He holds the Blue Jays franchise single season fielding percentage record for third basemen (.975) and the franchise record for most pinch hits (59).

Rance Mulliniks was a colour commentator

Color commentator

A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...

 for Rogers Sportsnet

Rogers Sportsnet

Sportsnet was launched on October 9, 1998 as CTV Sportsnet. The name was chosen to match the regional "Fox Sports Net" operations across the United States...

's Blue Jays coverage, and in 2007 and 2008 he was also a colour commentator alongside Jim Hughson

Jim Hughson

Jim Hughson is a Canadian sportscaster, best known for his play-by-play of professional ice hockey and baseball.-Biography:...

 and Jesse Barfield

Jesse Barfield

Jesse Lee Barfield is a former Major League Baseball right fielder who played for the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees . He batted and threw right-handed. He lived in Tenafly, a suburb of New York City.Barfield was well known for his powerful, accurate throwing arm...

 on CBC Sports, broadcasting Blue Jays baseball. In 2009, Mulliniks filled in for the ailing Jerry Remy

Jerry Remy

Gerald Peter "Rem Dawg" Remy is a Major League Baseball broadcaster and former Major League Baseball second baseman. Remy grew up in Somerset, Massachusetts.-Playing career:...

 on NESN, for the Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

May 29–31 road trip to Toronto.

1977-1988 seasons

In this time period, Rance Mulliniks played for the Angels ('77-'79), the Royals ('80, '81), and the Blue Jays ('82-'92), with stats totalling .277 batting average, 1065 games, 2957 at bats, 381 runs, 818 hits, 199 doubles, 14 triples, 66 home runs, 366 RBI's, and 13 stolen bases. Personal records from this time period: Highest batting average: .324 ('84); Most games: 129 ('83, '85); Most at bats: 366 ('85); Most runs: 55 ('85); Most hits: 111 ('84); Most doubles: 34 ('83); Most triples: 5 ('84); Most home runs: 12 ('88); Most RBI's: 57 ('85); Most stolen bases: 3 ('82).

External links

• Rance Mulliniks' career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com