Keith Drumright, who played for the Houston Astros in 1978 and the Oakland Athletics in 1981, passed away on August 7 at the age of 55.
Though short, his big league career was notable—he played a role in the Athletics’ playoff effort in 1981, collecting a hit in four at-bats in the ALDS against the Kansas City Royals, a series which the Athletics won. They ended up losing to the New York Yankees in the Championship Series later that year.
Drumright first appeared in the majors with the Houston Astros in 1978, hitting .164 in 17 at-bats. He did not play in the major leagues in 1979 or 1980, however he performed well in his next big league stint—in 86 at-bats with the Athletics in 1981, he hit .291 with a triple and 11 RBI.
He began his professional career in 1976 and quickly displayed two of his most important abilities—though he didn’t hit for power or steal a lot of bases, he did hit for average and strike out very little. In fact, in his first three minor league seasons he posted batting averages of .319, .292 and .311.
After his brief stay in the major leagues, he returned to the minors for the 1982 season—and hit .329. Overall, Drumright had a .301 career minor league batting average.
