Samuel was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980. A three-time All-Star, Samuel earned National League (NL) Rookie of the Year honors from The Sporting News in 1984, when he tied for the NL lead with 19 triples and placed second with 72 stolen bases, which established a then-MLB rookie single-season record for steals,[a] previously held by Tim Raines with 71 in 1981.[2] He finished second in official NL Rookie of the Year voting behind Dwight Gooden.[3] During his majors career, Samuel collected 1,578 hits, 396 stolen bases, and also reached double figures in home runs nine times. A popular player in Philadelphia, he appeared in the 1983 World Series, going 0-for-1 in three games.
Samuel holds the major league record for most at-bats by a right-handed hitter in one season with 701, set in 1984. That mark was also the most for any National League batter in a single campaign, later surpassed by Jimmy Rollins. He also tied a major league record for consecutive strikeout titles with four (1984–87), shared with Hack Wilson (1927–30) and Vince DiMaggio (1942–45).
In a 16-season playing career, Samuel was a .259 hitter with 161 home runs and 703 RBI in 1,720 games.[5]
Post-playing career
Coaching career
Samuel coaching with the Orioles in 2008
Since retiring from play, Samuel has coached at various levels and in various roles. He coached third base for the Detroit Tigers in 2005 after having coached first base for the team since 1999. He managed the Double-A Binghamton Mets for the 2006 season, and was named the third base coach for the Baltimore Orioles on October 31, 2006,[6] where he remained through the first part of 2010.
In August 2008, Samuel was inducted into the Philadelphia Phillies Wall of Fame at Citizens Bank Park.
Samuel joined the Philadelphia Phillies coaching staff for the 2011 season as third base coach, with former third base coach Sam Perlozzo moving to first base coach.[7] In 2013, he moved to first base coach with Ryne Sandberg taking over the duties at third base.[8] Upon Sandberg being named interim manager, Samuel returned to filling the role of third base coach for the Phillies.[9]
On January 6, 2022, Samuel was hired to serve as a minor league hitting instructor for the Cincinnati Reds organization.[10]
Managerial career
Baltimore Orioles
Samuel was named interim manager of the Orioles after Dave Trembley's dismissal on June 4, 2010.[11] He took over a ballclub that was in last place in the American League (AL) East with the majors' worst record at 15–39.[12] During his brief tenure, the team had a pair of four-game win streaks.[13] The first one on June 24–27 was highlighted by a three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals at Camden Yards.[14] Its first four-game road sweep since 1995 occurred after the vanquishing of the eventual AL champion Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington two weekends later and immediately prior to the All-Star break.[15] Beyond this, the Orioles showed little tangible improvement as they went 17–34 under Samuel,[16] whose stint ended on August 1 with a 5–4 loss at Kauffman Stadium, the third straight defeat to the Kansas City Royals.[17] Three days earlier on July 29, Buck Showalter was announced as Samuel's successor on a full-time basis beginning on August 3.[18] After declining an offer to return to his old third-base coaching job, Samuel accepted a position elsewhere in the organization as an evaluator for its Dominican Republic academy for the remainder of that season.[19]
