Draft and minor leagues He was drafted in the first round (sixth overall pick) of the 1979 Major League Baseball amateur draft by the
St. Louis Cardinals.
St. Louis Cardinals (1983–1986) Called up from the AAA
Louisville Redbirds, he made his Major League debut with the Cardinals on June 17, 1983, collecting a
double, a
run batted in (RBI) and making three
putouts in the outfield without an
error. The first two years of his career Van Slyke played
first base,
third base and all three
outfield positions. He mostly played
right field the next two years on the strength of his throwing arm, occasionally
platooning with
Tito Landrum, sometimes substituting for
Willie McGee in
center field. Van Slyke was the Cardinals' right fielder during the
1985 World Series; in Game 6 he fielded
Dane Iorg's ninth-inning game winning two-run base hit and his true and accurate throw was barely beaten by
Jim Sundberg for the winning run. On September 21, 1986, he hit a rare
inside-the-park home run.
Pittsburgh Pirates (1987–1994) During spring training 1987, he was traded to the
Pittsburgh Pirates along with left-handed hitting catcher
Mike LaValliere and minor league pitcher
Mike Dunne for catcher
Tony Peña. The trade occurred on April 1, with Van Slyke initially believing that it was an
April Fools' Day joke. In Pittsburgh, he mostly played center field alongside stars
Barry Bonds and
Bobby Bonilla. During the 1991
Gulf War, when MLB decreed all players would wear both the Canadian and U.S. flags on their batting helmets as a patriotic gesture, Van Slyke scraped the Maple Leaf off his helmet, stating "I guess the people in
Quebec won't be upset because the last time we were there they booed [the Canadian] National Anthem".
MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent ordered that the Canadian flag decal be reinserted onto the helmet.
Playing career Van Slyke possessed one of the most accurate and powerful throwing arms in the majors, so much that the "Slyke Zone" was established at
Three Rivers Stadium. From 1985 to 1994, he was frequently among the league leaders in outfield
assists. From 1985 to 1988, he posted seasons of 13, 10, 11, and 12 assists, respectively. As center fielder for the Pirates, he won five consecutive
Gold Gloves from 1988 to 1992. In 1988, Van Slyke set career highs with 25 home runs and 100 RBIs, led the majors with 15 triples and 13 sacrifice flies, and finished fourth in
National League MVP voting. In 1992, Van Slyke led the National League in hits with 199 and doubles with 45 while finishing second with a .324 batting average. Van Slyke played for four teams in his career: the St. Louis Cardinals (1983–1986), Pittsburgh Pirates (1987–1994),
Baltimore Orioles (1995), and
Philadelphia Phillies (1995). He played his final game on October 1, 1995. In his 13-year career, Van Slyke appeared in three All-Star games (1988, 1992, 1993), won five
Gold Glove Awards, two
Silver Slugger Awards, and ranked in the top 10 in many offensive categories in varying seasons. In 1658 games over 13 seasons, Van Slyke compiled a .274
batting average (1562-for-5711) with 835
runs, 293
doubles, 91
triples, 164
home runs, 792
RBI, 245
stolen bases, 667
walks, 1063
strikeouts, an
on-base percentage of .349 and a
slugging percentage of .443. He recorded a .987
fielding percentage at all three outfield positions, first base and third base. ==Coaching career==