Minor leagues Collins was drafted by the
California Angels in the first round of the
1972 Major League Baseball draft out of
Mesa Community College. Collins made his professional debut with the Angels
Rookie ball team in
Idaho Falls and moved up through the Angels
farm system, with stops in
Single-A Quad City and
Salinas,
Double-A El Paso and
Triple-A Salt Lake City. Collins was dubbed the "fastest white man in baseball" because he ran the
100-yard dash in 9.6 seconds and had high
stolen base totals.
California Angels Collins made his major league debut for the Angels on June 7, 1975, playing
left field and batting
leadoff, against the
Milwaukee Brewers. Collins recorded his first career
hit the following day against Brewers pitcher
Tom Murphy.
Seattle Mariners After two seasons as a
utility player and reserve outfielder with the Angels, Collins was selected by the
Seattle Mariners with the 14th pick in the
1976 Major League Baseball expansion draft. Collins was the first batter for the Mariners in their first game, and he scored the franchise's first run two days later. He
hit .239 for the season, leading the Mariners with 25 stolen bases and 10 times
caught stealing.
Cincinnati Reds After that 1977 season, the Mariners traded Collins to the
Cincinnati Reds for pitcher
Shane Rawley. Collins spent the next four seasons with the Reds. Collins hit .318 in 1979 and .303 in 1980 (8th in National League) and also scored 94 runs (7th in National League) and stole 79 bases (3rd in National League).
New York Yankees Collins was signed by the
New York Yankees as a free agent prior to the 1982 season.
Toronto Blue Jays Collins was traded by the Yankees, along with
Mike Morgan,
Fred McGriff and cash to the
Toronto Blue Jays in 1983 for
Tom Dodd and
Dale Murray. Collins hit .271 and .308 in his two seasons in Toronto, and currently holds the
Blue Jays single season stolen base record with 60 steals in 1984. Collins also led the
American League with 15 triples hit in 1984.
Oakland A's Collins was traded in December 1984 by the Blue Jays, along with
Alfredo Griffin and cash, to the
Oakland Athletics, in exchange for
Bill Caudill. Collins hit .251 in 112 games for Oakland during the 1985 season.
Detroit Tigers Collins was then traded to the
Detroit Tigers for
Bárbaro Garbey in November 1985. As a part-time outfielder with Detroit, Collins hit .270 and stole 27 bases.
Montreal Expos Picked up by the
Montreal Expos as a free agent after the season, Collins was cut during spring training.
Cincinnati Reds Collins was signed by the
Cincinnati Reds, with whom he had previously had the most success. Used as a fourth outfielder/pinch hitter by the Reds, Collins found some success, hitting .294 in 1987, but his average dropped to .236 in 1988. In 1989, he was released.
St. Louis Cardinals Collins' last season was in 1990, with the
St. Louis Cardinals, batting .224 in 99 games as a first baseman.
Career statistics In 1701 games over 16 seasons, Collins compiled a .272
batting average with 667
runs, 187
doubles, 52
triples, 32
home runs, 373
RBI, 395 stolen bases, 467
base on balls, 660
strikeouts, and a .338
on-base percentage and .351
slugging percentage. Defensively, Collins recorded a .986
fielding percentage at all three outfield positions and at first base.
Tommy John thought Collins was a better player on
Astroturf fields (like
Riverfront Stadium) than natural grass fields (like
Yankee Stadium).
Retirement Collins played briefly for the
Fort Myers Sun Sox of the
Senior Professional Baseball Association. He was inducted into the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. Collins has volunteered at the Lighthouse Correctional Facility, conducting one-hour motivational and life skills sessions to young offenders, with the hope of enhancing and changing their lives. ==Coaching career==