First Baseman/Outfielder, Atlanta Braves
Age: 24 (Apr. 14)
Bats – Left,
Throws – Left
Height: 6’3” Weight: 195
Prior to 1990:
A native of
Cincinnati, Ohio, Justice attended Covington Latin School in nearby Kentucky
where he excelled in basketball as well as academics. Receiving a full
scholarship to Thomas More College, he joined the baseball team as a sophomore
and proved to be a natural talent. Chosen by the Braves in the fourth round of
the 1985 amateur draft, the 19-year-old Justice began his pro career with
Pulaski of the Rookie-level Appalachian League where he played in the outfield
and batted .245 with 10 home runs and 46 RBIs while appearing in 66 games in
’85. Playing with two teams at the Class A level in 1986 he hit .290 with 22
home runs and 105 RBIs. Moving on to Greenville of the Class AA Southern League
in 1987 Justice hit only .227 with 6 home runs and 40 RBIs. Still with Greenville
in 1988, he batted .278 with 9 home runs and 37 RBIs before advancing to
Richmond of the Class AAA International League where he hit .203 with 8 home
runs and 28 RBIs over 70 games. Still with Richmond in 1989, Justice batted
.261 with 12 home runs and 58 RBIs and received a call-up to the Braves where
he appeared in 16 games and hit .235 with a home run and three RBIs. He started
the 1990 season with Richmond until called up in May to play first base in
place of the injured Nick Esasky.
1990 Season Summary
Appeared in 127
games
1B – 69, RF – 60,
LF – 1, PH – 6, PR – 2
[Bracketed
numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate
Appearances – 504
At Bats – 439
Runs – 76
Hits – 124
Doubles – 23
Triples – 2
Home Runs – 28
[8]
RBI – 78
Bases on Balls
– 64
Int. BB – 4
Strikeouts – 92
Stolen Bases – 11
Caught Stealing
– 6
Average - .282
OBP - .373 [14]
Slugging Pct. -
.535 [5, tied with Andre Dawson]
Total Bases – 235
GDP – 2
Hit By Pitches
– 0
Sac Hits – 0
Sac Flies – 1
Midseason
snapshot: HR - 5, RBI – 20, AVG - .261, SLG – .429, OBP - .346
---
Most hits, game
– 4 (in 4 AB) vs. San Diego 8/7
Longest hitting
streak – 10 games
Most HR, game –
2 (in 4 AB) vs. San Diego 8/7, (in 4 AB) vs. San Diego 8/8, (in 3 AB) vs. Cincinnati
9/4
HR at home – 19
HR on road – 9
Multi-HR games
– 3
Most RBIs, game
– 4 vs. San Diego 8/7, at Cincinnati 9/25
Pinch-hitting/running
– 2 of 5 (.400) with 2 R, 1 BB, 1 HR & 1 RBI
Fielding (1B)
Chances – 536
Put Outs – 488
Assists – 38
Errors – 10
DP – 43
Pct. - .981
Awards & Honors:
NL Rookie of
the Year: BBWAA
24th
in NL MVP voting, tied with Brett Butler, SF & Pedro Guerrero, StL (2
points, 1% share)
NL ROY Voting (Top
5):
David Justice,
Atl.: 118 pts. – 23 of 24 first place votes, 98% share
Delino
DeShields, Mon.: 60 pts. – 1 first place vote, 50% share
Hal Morris,
Cin.: 13 pts. – 11% share
John Burkett,
SF: 12 pts. – 10% share
Mike Harkey,
ChiC.: 7 pts. – 6% share
---
Braves went 65-97 to finish sixth (last) in the NL Western Division, 26 games behind the division-winning Cincinnati Reds, while leading the league in lowest on-base percentage (.311). In finishing in the NL West cellar for the third straight year, manager Russ Nixon was replaced by Bobby Cox in June. The youth movement that included Justice and CF Ron Gant were among the bright spots for the Braves, who traded long-time star outfielder Dale Murphy in August which allowed the move of Justice, who struggled at first base, to his natural position in right field.
Aftermath of ‘90:
Justice
followed up by batting .275 with 21 home runs and 87 RBIs in 1991, despite
spending two months on the disabled list due to a stress fracture in his lower
back. He drew criticism for being aloof and uncooperative with sports
journalists and fans. The Braves, benefiting from an influx of young talent
that included Justice, went from the cellar in 1990 to the top of the NL West
and reached the World Series, which they lost in seven games to Minnesota.
Justice contributed three postseason home runs. Atlanta was a division and
pennant winner again in 1992, and Justice hit .256 with 21 home runs and 72
RBIs. His public image began to improve as well. Justice married actress Halle
Berry in the offseason (which ended in a contentious divorce in 1997) and he
had his first All-Star season in 1993, batting .270 with 40 home runs and 120
RBIs. The team finished atop the NL West for the third straight year but failed
to advance in the NLCS. Justice placed third in NL MVP voting. In the
strike-shortened 1994 season he hit .313 with 19 home runs and 59 RBIs. He
suffered a shoulder injury in 1995 and his production dropped to .253 with 24
home runs and 78 RBIs. The Braves reached the World Series and Justice hit a
Game 6 home run that ultimately won both the game and the Series. He got off to
a strong start in 1996 and was batting .321 with 6 home runs and 25 RBIs when a
shoulder injury finished him for the year in May after 40 games. Just prior to
the 1997 season Justice was involved in a major trade with the Cleveland
Indians when he and CF Marquis Grissom were dealt for CF Kenny Lofton and LHP
Alan Embree. Starting the ’97 season in left field with his new team, Justice
returned to All-Star form but was relegated to DH duty by knee and elbow
injuries. He ended up hitting .329 with 33 home runs and 101 RBIs and received
Comeback Player of the Year recognition. Primarily a Designated Hitter in 1998
and recovering from knee surgery and a variety of minor injuries, Justice
batted .280 with 21 home runs and 88 RBIs. Still dealing with nagging injuries
in 1999, he saw more action in left field and again produced 21 home runs and
88 RBIs while hitting .287. Off to a strong start in 2000, he was batting .265
with 21 home runs and 58 RBIs after 68 games when he was dealt to the New York
Yankees. He continued to hit well with the Yankees and finished up batting a
combined .286 with 41 home runs and 118 RBIs. He went on to be MVP of the ALCS
win over Seattle thanks to his timely hitting that produced two home runs and 8
RBIs. Justice’s production tailed off in 2001 to .241 with 18 home runs and 51
RBIs. In the offseason he was traded to the Mets, who in turn dealt him to the
Oakland A’s where he hit .266 with 11 home runs and 49 RBIs in 2002, following
which he retired. Overall, for his major league career Justice batted .279 with
1571 hits that included 280 doubles, 24 triples, and 305 home runs. He also
scored 929 runs and compiled 1017 RBIs and 903 walks. His career slugging
percentage was .500 with a .378 OBP. With the Braves he batted .275 with 786
hits, 127 doubles, 16 triples, 160 home runs, 475 runs scored, 522 RBIs, and
drew 452 bases on balls. Appearing in 112 postseason games with four teams,
Justice hit .224 with 14 home runs and 63 RBIs. A three-time All-Star, he was
also awarded two Silver Sluggers. In retirement Justice went into broadcasting
for a few years. Named in the Mitchell Report, he denied using
performance-enhancing drugs.
--
Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of
the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America
(1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from
its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major
league.
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