Quick Facts
Biography
Delino Lamont DeShields (born January 15, 1969), also nicknamed "Bop", is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played for thirteen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles, and Chicago Cubs between 1990 and 2002. Since 2014, he has managed the Louisville Bats in the Cincinnati Reds organization. His son Delino DeShields, Jr. has played for the Texas Rangers since 2015.
Early life
DeShields was born in Seaford, Delaware and played for Seaford High School. DeShields was to attend Villanova University where he would have played point guard on the basketball team; however, after being selected as the 12th overall pick in the 1987 MLB draft, he chose a career in baseball.
Career
DeShields became the regular second baseman for the Montreal Expos in 1990, finishing in second place for the NL Rookie of the Year award. He suffered from a sophomore slump in 1991, but went on to post his two best years in 1992 and 1993, hitting .294 and averaging 45 stolen bases.
On November 19, 1993, DeShields was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for then-prospect Pedro Martínez. In retrospect, this is considered one of the worst trades in Dodgers history. DeShields hit a mediocre .241 during his three years in Los Angeles, while Martinez went on to win three Cy Young Awards and established himself amongst the greatest pitchers of all time.
In 1996, DeShields signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Cardinals, and later played with the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs. In 2001, he was the last out in Hideo Nomo's no-hitter against the Baltimore Orioles.
After playing career
DeShields is the co-founder of the Urban Baseball League. He also travels with Oil Can Boyd to promote baseball in African American communities.
DeShields was the manager for the Dayton Dragons, a single-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds organization for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. On December 12, 2012, it was announced that DeShields would become the manager for the Cincinnati Reds AA minor league team, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos for the 2013 season. On December 1, 2014 DeShields became manager of the Louisville Bats, replacing Jim Riggleman.
Personal
Delino DeShields is married to Michelle Elliott DeShields, an educator and television host for the PBS series Georgia Traveler airing on Georgia Public Broadcasting. He has five children (two sons, Delino, Jr and D'Angelo and three daughters, Diamond, Denim, and Delaney). His eldest child, Delino DeShields, Jr., was drafted with the 8th overall pick by the Houston Astros in the 2010 MLB draft. His daughter Diamond was listed by ESPNU as one of the top 25 women's basketball recruits for the class of 2013 and played her freshman year of collegiate basketball at North Carolina before deciding to transfer to the University of Tennessee. At age 15, Diamond was the youngest member of the gold medal-winning United States team at the 2010 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship. DeShields tips his cap after every managerial win in tribute to Little League coach Peter Kilroy, who was the original baseball role model in his life.
Highlights
- Named State Baseball Player of the Year in 1986.
- Placed second in Rookie of the Year Award voting in 1990
- Led National League in triples (14, 1997)
- 9-time top 10 finisher among NL base stealers (1990–98)
- His career 463 stolen bases ranks him 44th on the all-time list
- Wore his socks just below the knee, to honor the players of the defunct Negro Leagues
- Inducted into the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame in 2006.
- Inducted into the Eastern Shore Baseball Foundation Hall of Fame and Museum in 2010.