Floyd Rayford

Floyd Rayford was a third baseman and catcher in the 1980s, mostly with the Baltimore Orioles, who was known as both “Honey Bear” and “Sugar Bear,” was a favorite of Earl Weaver, and received an unusual amount of attention for his body shape.

Floyd was born in Memphis on July 27, 1957, and at some point in his childhood his family moved to Los Angeles, where he starred in baseball at Manual Arts High School. In June of 1975, around the time of his high school graduation, he was drafted by the California Angels in the fourth round of the free agent draft. He signed with the Angels and was sent to Idaho Falls in the Rookie class Pioneer League, where he played third base and catcher as well as a little first base, outfield and shortstop. He hit .283 and, despite being listed as 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, stole 24 bases in 29 attempts in a 72-game season.

In 1976 the Angels moved Floyd up to Salinas in the Class A California League, where he was named the league’s all-star third baseman, also playing some at catcher and second base. He hit .273 and stole 17 bases in 20 attempts.

In April 1977 Floyd filled out a questionnaire that was sent out to minor league baseball players. Among other things, he mentioned his two nicknames, his off-season occupation of carpenter, and his hobbies, hunting and fishing. He began spring training that year on the roster of the El Paso Diablos of the Class AA Texas League, but the Angels were disappointed that he had gained weight over the off-season and sent him back to Salinas. He ended up back at El Paso, though, and the August 6 issue of the Sporting News included his first national attention, a feature article that both tells the story of his season and illustrates the nature of the media coverage over the course of his career:

Hungry Rayford is Real Handyman

Just pick an infield position and El Paso’s Floyd Rayford can play it. He’s an excellent utility man.

But Rayford is also pretty good with utensils. He’s as sharp with a knife and fork as he is with a glove. 

Potatoes, roast beef, desserts, second helpings—Rayford loves ‘em all. He doesn’t like being called a utility infielder, but the parent California Angels might have some different ideas. 

“What I’d really like to do is find a home at one position and stay there,” said Rayford. “Like maybe second base.” 

But Angel scouts ask, “Whoever heard of a 210-pound second baseman?” 

That’s the way the dialogue has been going in this Battle of the Bulge. 

Rayford has the ability to make both cooks and managers look good. At a squatty 5-9 and a plump 210 pounds, he might look more like a wrestler than a baseball player. 

But don’t let his appearances fool you. When regular second baseman Bob Slater was injured, Rayford took over in grand style. When third baseman Carney Lansford needed a rest, it was Rayford who filled in. And when shortstop Jim Anderson was hurting, Rayford hopped off the bench and took command. 

“As far as I’m concerned,” said Diablo Manager Bob Rodgers, “it’s great to have a guy like Floyd on the club. I wouldn’t be afraid to play him any place.” 

Except, perhaps, in front of the refrigerator. 

Opening refrigerator doors put the weight on Rayford in the first place. 

“Last winter I would go over to my girl friend’s house a lot and I guess I went to the frig too often,” said the 21-year-old Los Angeles resident. 

It was bad enough when Rayford reported to spring training 10 pounds overweight. But when he added another 10, that’s when the Angels became concerned. 

The Angels were so frustrated with him that they sent him to Salinas (California) instead of keeping him on the El Paso roster, Rayford figured he’d be with Salinas all season. 

But because of some major injury problems at El Paso, he was shipped to the Texas League club in early June. 

“I didn’t figure I’d be with El Paso long, so I left most of my clothes and my car in Salinas,” said Rayford. But his ability to fit in anywhere and his .345 batting average ruled out his return to Salinas. 

Originally a catcher, Rayford played third base most of the time with the California League team. 

“Since I’ve been moving around from one place to another with El Paso, I’ve been doing some thinking,” said the handyman. “You gotta look at the guys above you in the organization and see what chance you have. 

“Like next year I hope to be just a second baseman. I want to drop 25 pounds and become a power-hitting guy, like Joe Morgan.” 

Go right ahead, say the Angels. You can push ahead by pushing away from the refrigerator.

Between the two teams, in 1977 Floyd played 130 games and hit .282 with more walks and a lot more power than he had shown before; after hitting a total of seven home runs in his first two pro seasons he hit 17 in his third, and his slugging percentages went from .386 to .372 to .448. He scored 102 runs, drove in 99, and stole 13 bases despite the extra weight. Also, he hit significantly better while with El Paso than he had in the first part of the season at Salinas. The Angels had a much higher opinion of him at the end of the season than they had at the beginning, and in November they added him to the 40-man major league roster to prevent him from being drafted by another team.

During the 77-78 off-season Floyd played winter ball in Mexico, where Frank Robinson, recently fired by the Indians, was his manager. The Orioles placed him back in El Paso for 1978, and he spent the whole season there, playing mostly third base. He hit .313 in 126 games, and with another 17 homers and a career high of 36 doubles he had a slugging percentage of .501, though his walks and stolen bases were down. After the season he was again placed on the 40-man roster and he again played in Mexico, this time for John McNamara.

For 1979 Floyd was bumped up to the Salt Lake Gulls of the AAA Pacific Coast League. On June 5 the Angels, needing an outfielder, traded him and some cash to the Orioles for Larry Harlow; the Orioles didn’t really need anyone for their major league roster so they gave the Angels a list of minor leaguers they’d be willing to take, and Floyd was on it. (After the trade it was reported in various places that the Angels’ scouting report on him consisted of “In a word—fat.”) They then lent him back to the Gulls, where he finished the season. He again played mostly third, and hit .294 in 135 games with 13 homers, 18 steals, 98 runs, 80 RBI, and enough walks for a .360 OBP. On July 28 he sat out the last two innings of the game, the first innings he had missed all year, though a leg injury caused him to miss the last two weeks of the season and the league championship series, which the Gulls won.

In 1980 Floyd went to spring training with the Orioles, where Earl Weaver became enthusiastic about using him as a catcher, which he hadn’t played since 1976. On March 7 the Washington Evening Star reported:

Elrod Hendricks has been working with Floyd Rayford, trying to convert the third baseman to a catcher. There’s a great deal of debate about Rayford’s weight. He looks very stocky at 5 feet 9, 210 pounds, but Dr. Leonard Wallenstein, the team physician, says “He’s not fat, he’s just stocky and broad-boned.” “He could still stand to lose some of that rear end,” says [coach Frank] Robinson.

On March 29 the Sporting News ran another feature on Floyd:

Orioles Beef Up Opinion of Hefty Rookie Rayford 

He ain’t heavy, he’s a player.

That’s what the Baltimore Orioles are discovering about Floyd Rayford, easily the most pleasant surprise in the early weeks of spring training. At 5-10 and 205 pounds, Rayford looks like another fat guy who maybe should be carrying a football instead of trying to hit and catch a baseball. But looks are deceiving.

“I guess I don’t have an all-star body but I get the job done,” said Rayford. “When people first see me, they’re amazed I can be so quick. I may look fat but I prepare myself every year and I can iron-man it with anyone.” 

Indeed, Rayford has played in 125 and 135 games in the minors the last two years and played winter ball after each season. He boasts enough speed to have stolen 18 bases at Salt Lake City (Pacific Coast League) last year, when he also led the league's third basemen in fielding.

“I played third base the last two years but I was a catcher in high school and I caught maybe five games in Class A ball,” Rayford said. “Catching is really demanding but I try to relax at any position I play. I don’t mind where I play and I think I’ve got a chance to stick with Baltimore.”

Rayford is a longshot to stick, but the fact he can catch in addition to playing third and is a righthanded hitter with some power are factors in his favor. He just might cause Manager Earl Weaver to think seriously when he makes the final cuts. 

“I like what I’ve seen of him,” Weaver said. “He looks good at every position and he hasn’t made a mistake yet. As for his weight, it’s all relative.”

That’s the consensus of the Orioles’ staff. When the coaches look at Rayford, all they see is a piece of prime beef.

“If you think Floyd’s heavy, try running into him,” said coach Elrod Hendricks. “Floyd is just naturally big and there’s nothing you can do about it. I remember when Boog Powell was here. When he hit .300, it didn’t matter if he weighed 300 pounds, which he did. 

“I like the way Floyd handles himself and the way he swings a bat. He has a good head and he’s a hard worker. He learns fast and he listens; his ears are always cocked.”

Rayford was signed originally by the Angels and although he compiled good minor-league statistics, he ranked behind Carney Lansford as California’s third baseman of the future…

Floyd did stick, becoming the only newcomer on the Orioles’ opening-day roster. On April 27 he got his first major league hit on a bunt single down the third base line. 

He didn’t play much, though, and on May 7 he was sent to the Orioles’ AAA team, the Rochester Red Wings of the International League. He had an off year there, hitting .230 in 107 games, mostly at third base, with nine homers and a .278 OBP. 

At the end of August he was called back up to Baltimore as insurance in case Doug DeCinces needed back surgery; it was noted that he looked thinner than he had in April, Weaver saying “They don’t feed you so good in the minor leagues.” He only got into one game after his return, making a total of eight at the major league level for the year. The Orioles won 100 games but finished three games out of the playoffs; the top three teams in each division shared in the World Series money and the Oriole players voted Floyd $300. On October 25 he got married in Las Vegas, and then he played winter ball again.

When Floyd arrived for spring training in 1981, the Washington Evening Star reported that he “appears to have his weight problem under control.” Just before the season began he was sent back to Rochester, where he spent the year, though he only appeared in 96 games, split between catcher and third base. His hitting improved from 1980, though not to his 1977-79 level—he hit .248 with a .329 OBP and 11 homers, his slugging percentage rising from .357 to .424. He also spent a lot of time that season throwing extra batting practice to teammate Cal Ripken, Jr.

In 1982 Floyd made the Orioles’ opening day roster, as the backup third baseman to rookie Ripken, and the third-string catcher. He and Ripken were roommates on the road, and Cal would want to wrestle every morning. On May 29 he started at third while Ripken got a rest, his last rest for 2632 games, which eventually made Floyd the answer to a trivia question. On June 18 Jack Mann’s column in the Washington Times bore the headline “Rayford makes do playing a waiting game” and read in part:

"But Rayford has helped me a lot already,” Weaver said, “just by being here. I can make a lot of moves. When Ripken was having troubles and I was hitting for him, I knew I had a third baseman who could do the job. 

“And if I have to hit for Dempsey, I know I have a catcher if the second guy takes one on the finger. Hell, we were hiding Rayford last year so we wouldn’t lose him in the draft.” 

“You’re talking about some tough subjects,” Rayford said when talk of “hiding” was followed by mention of trading. “I’m glad to be here. You could get traded somewhere and still not play. I just keep a low profile, take it easy and try to be ready when I’m called on.”

On July 1 Weaver made the move he had been dying to make, informing the world (and the rest of the Orioles’ organization, which was opposed) that Cal Ripken was no longer a third baseman, he was now the everyday shortstop. The plan was that this would make Floyd Rayford the everyday third baseman, but that only lasted about a week before Floyd pulled a hamstring and missed two weeks. Weaver then moved second baseman Rich Dauer to third and previous shortstop Lenn Sakata back to his preferred position of second. When Floyd returned he had lost his regular job; the fact that his batting average at that point in the season was just .118 (though in only 34 at-bats) no doubt worked against him. In late July and early August he did get several starts at third against left-handed pitchers, but after that he was back to the bench. He spent a few days at the end of August back at Rochester due to roster needs, but was recalled when the rosters were expanded on September first. Floyd ended 1982 with a .132 batting average on seven hits (four singles, three homers) in 53 at-bats in 34 games, plus 3-for-12 in three games at Rochester, where he played second base. In eight of those major league games he was used as a pinch-runner, so apparently his weight wasn’t slowing him down much.

Earl Weaver retired at the end of the 1982 season and was replaced by Joe Altobelli, so Floyd had lost his biggest supporter, and he was sent to Rochester to start 1983. He got off to a great start, hitting .371 with a .433 OBP and .543 slugging percentage (the high slugging mark was not due to home runs, of which he had only two, but due to his 16 doubles) and 38 RBI in 140 at-bats in 42 games. His time was split between second base, third base, and catcher. On June 14 he was traded to St. Louis for a player to be named later; the Cardinals wanted him to temporarily fill the spot of Lonnie Smith. Floyd got another Sporting News article in the August 1 issue:

Rayford Supplies Heavy Hitting

Call it Rayford Madness. 

The St. Louis Cardinals’ quest for a righthanded hitter off the bench was assuaged by the performance of Floyd Rayford, who has an everyman sort of physique but authority in his bat… 

Rayford wondered where his career was going when the Orioles assigned him outright to Rochester this spring. 

“I started out doing real well at Rochester, and I thought maybe there would be another chance, but I thought the Cardinals would be the last team that would want me,” he said. “I never had an inkling it would be them.” 

Rayford said he hadn’t been trained to do anything but play baseball. “For a lot of guys, baseball’s all they’ve done,” he said. “But I would have found something to do. My wife just got into real estate and maybe she could have shown me something.” 

Cardinal scout Tim Thompson recommended Rayford. When Lonnie Smith went into a hospital for treatment of drug abuse and consequently was placed on the disabled list, Rayford filled his spot on the roster. 

At the time, it was presumed Rayford’s time with the Redbirds might be limited.“They were really honest with me,” Rayford said. “I was just there because Lonnie had gone on the DL and they said they didn’t know what to do with me after that. So, basically, I was ready for anything.” 

It appears that Rayford will remain on the roster the rest of the season. “He’s a slasher,” said [manager Whitey] Herzog. “I like him.”

Floyd was moved into a platoon at third with Ken Oberkfell, but his hitting trailed off and by the end of the season he was back on the bench. On August 31 the Cardinals sent Tito Landrum to the Orioles as the player to be named later in the trade for Floyd. Landrum played well off the bench for Baltimore the rest of the way and had the key hit in their playoff victory over the White Sox, while Floyd had the misfortune of playing for the 1983 World Champions in 1982 and the 1982 World Champions in 1983. During his time in St. Louis Floyd hit .212 (.278 OBP, .337 slugging) in 104 at-bats in 56 games.

During spring training 1984 Whitey Herzog said that he would try Floyd at catcher, on the recommendation of Earl Weaver and Orioles general manager Hank Peters. But at the end of March he and Tito Landrum switched teams again and Floyd was once again Baltimore property. He began the season back with Rochester, catching, and was 1-for-18 when the Orioles called him up after an injury to Dan Ford. He got off to a good start and his teammates started calling him “Rayfanella,” a reference to Roy Campanella. On June 21 the Richmond Times-Dispatch ran an article on him:

On part-time perch, master of even keel helps steer Orioles 

As good-luck charms go, Floyd Rayford has some appealing qualities. He’s a little bit chunky and a whole lot gregarious, a right jolly young elf who answers to the nickname “Sugar Bear.” He livens a baseball clubhouse. And he has no delusions of grandeur. He’s content to fill in wherever he’s needed. He won’t complain, doesn’t rock the boat. All in all, he’s nice to have around. 

Oh, yes, and one other thing: The guy can play. 

When the Baltimore Orioles beckoned Rayford from their Rochester farm club on April 19—they had a 2-10 record at the time—they probably weren’t expecting a great deal from him. Outfielder Dan Ford had just gone down with a knee injury, and the team needed a replacement on the roster. Enter Rayford, who loomed as a third-string catcher/third baseman and right-handed swinging pinch hitter… 

Now, however, as the Orioles begin a week-long homestead tonight against New York, Rayford has emerged as a key member of the team’s comeback cast. Baltimore was 36-19 since April 20 heading into last night’s outing at Boston. And Rayford’s versatility and bat are two significant ingredients in the turnaround. He’s batting .289 and has driven in 16 runs, tying him with John Lowenstein for fourth on the squad. Lowenstein generated his total in 159 at-bats, Rayford in 83. Even more remarkable is Rayford’s RBI-to-hits ratio: 16 RBI, 24 hits. 

Not surprisingly, Rayford’s stock and playing time have risen with his average. In the absence of Joe Nolan—another knee-injury, disabled-list casualty—he’s the Orioles No. 2 catcher behind Rick Dempsey. And his run-producing prowess recently prompted manager Joe Altobelli to start him at third base instead of Todd Cruz against left-handed pitchers. Rayford responded Tuesday with a 4-for-5 night at Boston… 

During the last six years, Rayford has bounced from organization to organization and between Triple-A and the majors. Traded from California to Baltimore in 1979, he rode the Rochester-to-Baltimore-to-Rochester shuttle until he was traded to St. Louis last June. He was leading the International League with a .361 average when the deal materialized. 

“I just took it in stride, like I take all things in stride,” he says. “Even when Baltimore traded me, I didn’t feel they didn’t want me.” 

He was right. And in March, when the Orioles were given the opportunity to purchase Rayford’s contract from St. Louis, they brought him back into the fold. Less than a month later, he was with the big club. When he strolled into the clubhouse and the Baltimore players spotted his familiar 5-10, 195-pound Pillsbury Doughboy frame, the response was immediate. And positive. And contagious. 

“He’s a very likeable kid,” says Oriole pitching coach Ray Miller. “He takes a lot of kidding, gives a lot, too. Everybody laughs when they see Rayford. He loosens things up around here.” 

More importantly, Rayford has delivered. Besides hitting well, he moved in at catcher during a critical moment—Nolan was out, and Dempsey was ailing with a sore shoulder—and performed admirably. The Orioles are 14-8 in games Rayford’s been behind the plate. They’ve been satisfied enough with his play not to bring in or deal for another catcher. 

“He’s excellent,” says Miller. “He has a real good set of hands, he’s agile, he blocks the ball, he has real good rapport with the pitchers, he’s got a good arm. We’ve got a couple of people who are tough to catch. Flanagan has a lot of movement on the ball. Davis has a 90-mile-per-hour fastball, and his stuff breaks sharply. And Rayford handles ‘em well.” 

Floyd played less often in the second half of the season, mainly at catcher, and he didn’t hit as well as he had earlier, ending up with a .256 batting average (.296 OB, .360 slugging) in 250 at-bats in 86 games.

Floyd opened 1985 with the Orioles as the backup catcher, playing very little third base, and was hitting .344 in mid-June in only 32 at-bats. Then Joe Altobelli was fired and Earl Weaver came out of retirement. On July 2 Floyd began playing third against left-handed pitchers, and on July 24 he became the everyday third baseman, catching occasionally as needed. On August 15 the Cleveland Plain Dealer ran a story with the headline “Sugar Bear gets job done at third,” which included:

…The Sugar Bear is a needler, the Orioles’ version of the class clown. 

He’s never seen without his black nylon sweat jacket—even yesterday when temperatures were hovering at 100 degrees—during batting and infield practice before the game. It is his security blanket… 

Weight is a touchy subject with Rayford. When the questions became too hot and heavy earlier this season from the Baltimore media, he took a vow of silence. 

Silence, though, doesn’t fit the Sugar Bear well. The incident was forgotten and Rayford is talking again…

1985 was Floyd’s best season in the majors. He hit .306 (.324 OB with just ten walks, .521 slugging) in 359 at-bats in 105 games, with 21 doubles and 18 home runs. He got divorced in mid-season, and years later said that “alimony can be a tremendous motivator.”

In spring training 1986 Floyd injured his left thumb and was put on the disabled list. He played a couple of games in Rochester in mid-April on a rehab assignment, then made his ’86 debut with the Orioles on April 21. He was not the same hitter he had been in 1985, which some blamed on his thumb and others on a weight gain, and he lost his regular third base job in late May, hitting .159. He went hitless between May 14 and June 6, by which point his average was down to .122, and on June 17 he was sent down to Rochester. He went back and forth between Rochester and Baltimore the rest of the year. On August 21 the Washington Times blamed his problems on coming back too soon from the thumb injury and on getting down on himself, while the next day it was reported that Oriole owner Edward Bennett Williams was blaming Eddie Murray’s poor off-season training habits for being a bad influence on Floyd. In early September Thomas Boswell’s Washington Post column on the Orioles’ failed season (they would finish in last place) included this passage:

Floyd Rayford, who should have been the fair-field, good-hit third baseman for years, has just about eaten himself out of a nice career and lives in the outhouse behind the team doghouse. How he could continue to gain weight over the summer is a source of endless rage to Peters and Williams.

Floyd finished 1986 hitting .176 (.231 OB, .310 slugging) in 210 at-bats with Baltimore and .285/.372/.453 in 137 at-bats with Rochester, playing mostly third base in both places. Weaver retired again after the season and was replaced by Cal Ripken, Sr. On December 6 syndicated columnist Tracy Ringolsby wrote “Baltimore infielder Floyd Rayford reports he has lost 13 pounds so far in his stay at a fat farm as part of his effort to get another shot with the Orioles.” On December 28 Ringolsby wrote “Floyd Rayford checked out of a fat farm having lost 20 pounds. Baltimore GM Hank Peters said he was impressed, and if Rayford drops 10 more pounds, the Orioles will make him a contract offer.” On March 19, 1987, the following appeared in the New Orleans Times-Picayune:

Baltimore hoping less of Rayford will produce more 

It was, Floyd Rayford said, a cleansing of the body and soul and a chance to save a career that had been one of the Baltimore Orioles’ most promising a year ago. 

At the Pritikin Center, he learned the joys of 6 a.m. walks and of breakfasts that included not eggs and bacon, but dried bagels, fruit and whole-grain cereals. 

He went to classes on nutrition, he did aerobic exercises and he talked to people with problems similar to his. He listened to lectures on founder Nathan Pritikin, who went on a strict no-fat, high-carbohydrate diet after being diagnosed as having leukemia. 

“I was in remission for 28 years,” Rayford said, shaking his head. 

Rayford, who has played third base, catcher and designated hitter, spent $4,300 for a two-week session that he describes as being the best and worst two weeks of his life. 

He was told to change some aspects of his life that may be unchangeable. He was raised in Los Angeles by a mother who cooked mounds of fried chicken, pork chops, pot roasts and barbecue. No more of that, he was told. 

The bottom line is that he weighed 244 pounds last October and is 214. His eventual goal is 208. 

“What hurt me is that someone wrote I was at a fat farm,” he said. “There were people weighing 300 pounds and people weighing 110 pounds. I didn’t consider it just a fat farm. I was there to lose weight, but also to learn about food.”

During the off-season the Orioles signed Terry Kennedy to catch and Ray Knight to play third base, but Floyd still made the team as Kennedy’s backup. In early May, at which point he had one hit (a homer) in 13 at-bats in five games, he was sent to Rochester. His agent objected to the timing—three days before he was to reach five years of major league service—but as it turned out it didn’t matter. He hit .277/.335/.518 with ten home runs in 48 games, as a catcher and designated hitter, then was called back up to Baltimore in mid-July. 

He played in 15 more games the rest of the season, all at catcher, ending up hitting .220/.250/.340 in 50 at-bats, and at the end of the year the Orioles released him.

In February 1988 Floyd was signed to a AAA contract by the White Sox, but was released in April. In mid-May the Orioles hired him to fill in as bullpen coach for Elrod Hendricks while Hendricks was filling in for manager Frank Robinson, who was out with a ruptured disc. Hendricks’ stint as manager turned out to be just one game, but Floyd was kept on the staff. For the 1989 season he was hired by the Phillies as a coach for the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons of the International League, a job he held for three seasons; he also played some each year, in 57, 19, and 5 games. During the 89-90 off-season he played for the St. Lucie Legends of the short-lived Senior Professional Baseball Association, a league for players 35 and over—except that catchers only had to be 32, which is how he was eligible.

For the 1992 season the Phillies moved Floyd to the Batavia Clippers of the NY-Penn League, level Short Season A. In 1996 he became the Clippers’ manager, finishing with a 42-33 record, 1.5 games out of first place. For 1997 he was a coach again, for the Piedmont Boll Weevils of the Class A South Atlantic League. In 1998 he moved to the Brewers’ organization, coaching for the Beloit Snappers of the Class A Midwest League, and in 1999 he was a coach in the Orioles’ organization for the Frederick Keys of the Class Advanced A Carolina League. In 2000 he went to the Twins’ organization, where he stayed for twelve years, moving from Quad City to Fort Myers to New Britain and then back to Rochester, no longer affiliated with the Orioles. After the 2011 season he and manager Tom Nieto were let go, and that seems to have ended Floyd’s professional baseball career. The latest information I have found is that he remarried in 2011 and is living in Fort Myers, Florida.

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/R/Prayff001.htm

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rayfofl01.shtml

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?ID=16961