Tom Paciorek made his debut in the Majors in 1970 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and he saw little action with L.A. when he played there until 1975. The Atlanta Braves had him next but released him in May of 1978, and by that time, he was 30 and had never been more than a platoon player. The Mariners would sign him days later, and the First Baseman remained as a platoon player, but he would see more action in 1980 and would have 114 Hits. That was good, but in 1981, he had an unexpected season.
Paciorek would make the All-Star Team in the strike-shortened ’81 campaign, and he set personal records with 132 Hits, and his .326 Batting Average placed him second in the AL. He would also finish first in Power-Speed, and he was tenth overall in MVP voting.
The Mariners traded him for three players to the Chicago White Sox, and none of those players amounted to much. Paciorek batted .300 in the next two years. He would have 410 Hits with a .296 Batting Average for Seattle.
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