Elliott Maddox was an American baseball player who had a decade-long career during the 1970s. Born in East Orange, New Jersey, in 1947, Maddox was 22 when he made his major league debut with the Detroit Tigers in 1970, and played his last major league game for the New York Mets on Oct. 1, 1980.
Early Years
A first-round draft pick in 1968, Maddox was a right-handed batter and thrower. He stood 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighed around 180 pounds. Maddox attended the University of Michigan and had actually been drafted in the fourth round of the 1966 draft by the Houston Astros but did not sign with the team. Maddox played 11 seasons in the major leagues.
Team History
Drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 1968, Maddox debuted in 1970 and was then traded to the Washington Senators, for whom he played during the 1971 season. The Senators became the Texas Rangers the following year, and Maddox played for Texas for two years before being sold to the New York Yankees in 1974. Maddox stayed with the Yankees through the 1976 regular season, at which point he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for the 1977 season. He was the granted free agent status and played for the New York Mets during his final three seasons, 1978 to 1980.
Positions Played
Maddox played a range of positions over the course of his career, never settling on one for very long. He played second base, third base, shortstop and outfield for the Tigers, and third base and outfield for the Senators as well as the Rangers. He alternated between outfield, second base, third base and center field for the Yankees. Maddox played both outfield and third base for the Baltimore Orioles, before playing outfield, third base and first base during his final years with the New York Mets.
Statistics
The years 1974 and 1975 with the Rangers were two of Maddox's best in terms of batting, where he respectively averaged a hit percentage of .303 and .307, with four home runs total during each year and 45 and 23 RBI. Maddox's career batting average was .261. He had a total of 234 RBI and 18 home runs in 2,843 career at-bats. Maddox had 54 errors in his 11 years and an overall fielding percentage of .976.
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