From the Texas Rangers:
Toby Harrah, the Rangers first all-star who excelled at three infield positions, and Ruben Sierra, a powerful switch-hitter who captured the club's player of the year award four times in a five-year span, have been elected as the 2009 class of the Texas Rangers Baseball Hall of Fame, it was announced today.
Harrah and Sierra, who were elected by a selection committee comprised of Rangers Hall of Fame players, media representatives, and team executives, become the 11th and 12th individuals to be so honored. The pair will be inducted on Saturday, August 1 in an on-field ceremony prior to the Rangers-Seattle Mariners game that begins at 7:05 p.m.
Harrah is second on Texas' all-time list with 668 walks and 143 stolen bases and ranks sixth with 1,220 games in his two stints with the Rangers from 1972-78 and 1985-86. He is also among the team's all-time leaders in on-base percentage (5th, .361), at bats (7th, 4,188), runs batted in (7th, 546), runs (7th, 582), total bases (7th, 1,666), hits (8th, 1,086), and extra base hits (9th, 317).
An original Ranger after beginning his big league career with the Washington Senators in 1969, Harrah was selected to the A.L. All-Star Team in 1972 (replaced due to injury) before playing in the 1975 and 1976 midsummer classics. He was the Rangers Player of the Year in 1975, when he batted .293 with 20 homers and a career best 93 RBI, and clubbed a lifetime high 27 homers with an A.L. best 109 walks in 1977. Overall, Harrah homered at least 20 times in three of four seasons from 1974-77 while appearing in at least 150 games each year.
The Rangers' starting shortstop from 1972-76, Harrah moved to third base in 1977. After stints with the Indians and Yankees, Harrah returned to Texas as the starting second baseman in 1985, establishing a club record for walks (113) and producing the second best on-base percentage in team history (.432) that season. He retired after the 1986 season with a .264 average, 195 homers, and 918 RBI in 2,155 games with the Senators, Rangers, Indians, and Yankees. He went on to coach and manage in the Texas minor league system and served as a Rangers major league coach from 1989-92. Harrah managed Texas to a 32-44 record over the second half of the 1992 season. He is currently the minor league hitting coordinator for the Detroit Tigers.
Sierra is the Rangers' all-time leader with 44 triples, ranks fourth in club history with 180 homers, 742 RBI, and 481 extra base hits, and places fifth with 645 runs, 1,281 hits, and 2,166 total bases. He is also among the leaders in doubles (6th, 257), slugging (6th, .473), at bats (6th, 4,580), games (7th, 1,190), and stolen bases (9th, 90). Sierra had five seasons with 20+ homers, three years with at least 100 RBI, and scored over 100 runs twice in his Rangers tenure.
The native of Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico signed with Texas as an undrafted free agent in November 1982 and made his major league debut at age 20 in 1986, ranking second in the A.L. in triples (10). Sierra earned Rangers Player of the Year honors in 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1991 and was a member of the A.L. All-Star team in 1989, 1991, and 1992, starting the 1989 midsummer classic. He was named The Sporting News and USA Today American League Player of the Year and finished second in the BBWAA A.L. MVP voting in 1989, when he led the majors in triples (14) and the A.L. in RBI (119), total bases (344), slugging (.543), and extra base hits (78), all club records at the time. Sierra appeared in at least 156 games for five straight seasons from 1987-91.
Traded to Oakland in August 1992, Sierra returned to the Texas organization in May 2000 and produced 28 homers and 82 RBI at Oklahoma City before appearing in 20 games with the Rangers at the end of the season. He was the A.L. Comeback Player of the Year in 2001, batting .291 with 23 homers in 94 games with Texas. Sierra also played in 43 games in a third stint with the Rangers in 2003. Sixth all-time among switch-hitters with 306 home runs, Sierra batted .268 and drove in 1,322 runs in 2,186 games in 20 seasons with the Rangers, A's, Yankees, Tigers, Reds, Blue Jays, White Sox, Mariners, and Twins from 1986-98 and 2000-06. Sierra's son, Ruben, Jr., was selected by Texas in the sixth round of the 2009 MLB First Year Player Draft as an outfielder from the San Juan (PR) School and signed with the organization on Friday.
In addition to the on-field ceremony on August 1, Harrah and Sierra will be honored at the Dr Pepper Texas Rangers Alumni Legacy Luncheon on Friday, July 31 at the Sheraton Arlington. In addition to the inductees, Rangers Hall of Famers Ferguson Jenkins, Nolan Ryan, and Jim Sundberg will be among the guests at the luncheon, which benefits the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation. Tickets are priced at $50 for individuals and $500 for tables of eight that include Rangers Alumni/Celebrity (subject to availability). For tickets to the luncheon, which begins at 11:30 a.m., please call 817-436-5933 or e-mail foundation@texasrangers.com.
TEXAS RANGERS BASEBALL HALL OF FAME MEMBERS (Year Inducted in parentheses)
Charlie Hough (2003) Mark Holtz (2005)
Johnny Oates (2003) John Wetteland (2005)
Nolan Ryan (2003) Rusty Greer (2007)
Jim Sundberg (2003) Toby Harrah (2009)
Buddy Bell (2004) Ruben Sierra (2009)
Ferguson Jenkins (2004)
Tom Vandergriff (2004)
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