JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Before going on to play 19 major league seasons Andrés Galarraga was a first baseman for the Jacksonville Suns. On Monday the Southern League of Professional Baseball Clubs announced that Galarraga will be inducted into their Hall of Fame.
A panel of 20 voters chose the league’s fifth induction class, which will also include Birmingham/Huntsville radio broadcaster Curt Bloom, Memphis outfielder and Birmingham manager Terry Francona, and Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Willie Mays, who played for the Negro American League’s Birmingham Black Barons in the late 1940s. The inductees will be celebrated at the 2018 Southern League All-Star Game June 19 in Birmingham, Alabama. Jacksonville is the only franchise with at least one representative in each of the first five Southern League Hall of Fame classes.
Recommended Videos
In 1984 Galarraga was named the Southern League MVP. During that season he led the team in runs (81), hits (154), home runs (27), RBI (87), batting average (.289) and slugging percentage (.508). Following that season Galarraga moved on to the major leagues.
In a 19-year MLB career from 1985 to 2004, Galarraga was a five-time All-Star with two Gold Gloves and two Silver Slugger awards. He amassed 2,333 hits, a .288 career batting average and 399 home runs in the major leagues. He qualified with a .300 batting average eight times, including a .370 average to win the 1993 NL batting title. In 1988, he led the NL in hits (184), extra-base hits (79) and total bases (329). He hit 40 home runs in three straight seasons from 1996 to 1998, including an NL-best 47 in 1996. He also led the NL in RBIs in 1996 (150) and 1997 (140). He won MLB Comeback Player of the Year in 2000 after missing a season for cancer treatment. He reached the postseason five times, appearing for the Rockies (1995), Braves (1998, 2000) and Giants (2003).
Below is a list of previous Jacksonville inductees into the Southern League Hall of Fame:
2014:
Peter Bragan, Sr., Owner, 1984-2012
2015:
Randy Johnson, Left-handed pitcher, 1987
2016:
Peter Bragan, Jr., Owner, 1984-2015
John Shoemaker, Manager, 2001, 2005-07
Larry Ward, Broadcaster, 1981-84
2017:
Gabe Kapler, Outfielder, 1998.