Born in Los Angeles and raised in Berkeley, California, Washington did not play high school baseball focusing instead on basketball and track. It was Washington's speed which attracted the attention of a local police officer who also scouted for the Oakland A's signing him as an amateur free agent in 1972.
Washington was only 19 when he was made his MLB debut with the A's in July 1974. Mind you, the A's had just won back to back World Series and yet Washington's talent was such that the team moved veteran Joe Rudi to first base so that Washington could play in left field. Veteran teammates showered Washington with praise. Reggie Jackson said, “He’s the best player for his age I have ever seen or know,” while 1972 World Series MVP Gene Tenace added, "He's going to be one hell of a player." Washington then hit .571 in the World Series. While he didn't win the World Series MVP (that honor went to Rollie Fingers) he did earn a World Series ring at the age of 20. In 1975, Washington was named to the AL All-Star Team. The sky seemed to be the limit.
But the A's would soon go from being a dynasty to a laughing stock. Prior to the 1977 season, the A's traded Washington to the Texas Rangers for Rodney Scott and Jim Umbarger. Washington didn't fit in with the Rangers who had their own brand of chaos going through four managers that season. In May 1978, the Rangers sent Washington and Rusty Torres to the Chicago White Sox for Bobby Bonds.
While Washington posted decent offensive numbers on the South Side of Chicago his defense was suspect. Chisox fans hung a banner in right field which sarcastically said, "Washington slept here."
Washington was on the move again in June 1980 when the White Sox traded him to the New York Mets for a minor league pitcher. The highlight of Washington's stint with the Mets was a 3-HR game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Washington's 3-HR game was significant as he had a 3-HR game with the White Sox the previous year thus making him the first MLB player to have a 3-HR game in both leagues.
After the 1980 season, Washington signed a five-year, $3.5 million free agent contract with the Atlanta Braves. The signing was met with mixed reviews given that Washington had been with four teams in five years and hadn't lived up to his superstar billing. But Washington would play the full term of his contract in Atlanta. He enjoyed his finest season in 1982 hitting .266 with 16 HR, a career high 80 RBI along with 33 stolen bases and 94 runs scored on a Braves team that won the NL West. In 1984, Washington would be selected for the All-Star Game for the first time in nearly a decade in a season where he hit a career high 17 home runs. Washington's tenure in Atlanta was marred by his involvement in the Pittsburgh drug trials his time with the Braves is probably best remembered for making Ferris Bueller's day by hitting a foul ball into his hands at Wrigley Field.
In June 1986, after five and a half seasons in Atlanta, the Braves traded Washington to the New York Yankees for Ken Griffey, Sr. Washington spent two and a half productive seasons with the Yankees hitting .308. Washington had last hit .308 in his first All-Star campaign in 1975. Washington signed as a free agent with the California Angels in 1989 and would return to the Yankees in a April 1990 trade for Luis Polonia finishing his career in the Bronx. In 17 big league seasons, Washington collected 1884 hits for a lifetime batting average of .278 with 164 HR and 824 RBIs along with 312 stolen bases.
Washington largely remained out of the spotlight for the last 30 years of his life except for occasional reunions with former teammates. I leave you with Washington hitting a walk off HR for the Yankees against the Detroit Tigers on September 11, 1988 in a game which would last 18 innings. R.I.P.
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