Claudell Washington dies at 65

Bill Shanks remembers former Braves outfielder Claudell Washington, who died Wednesday at 65

Former Atlanta Braves outfielder Claudell Washington died Wednesday morning at the age of 65.

Washington was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2017. He had stopped treatments in January 2018, according to a report from the Athletic.

The Braves signed Claudell Washington on November 1980 to a five-year, $3.5 million dollar contract. The deal was considered large at that time, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution described it as a contract that “sent shockwaves throughout the major-league superstructure.”

Washington was coming off a 1980 season split between the Chicago White Sox and the New York Mets. He had hit .278 with a .326 OBP, 11 home runs, 54 RBI and 21 stolen bases.

When Washington first got to the Braves, there was a logjam. Dale Murphy had just been moved to the outfield the previous season to join Gary Matthews and Jeff Burroughs. The Braves had plenty of outfield prospects, like Terry Harper, Eddie Miller, Brett Butler and Albert Hall on the way.

And team owner Ted Turner was still trying to sign free agent Dave Winfield, but Winfield signed with the Yankees.

The Braves traded Matthews and Burroughs in the spring of 1981, and Washington took over in right field. Rufino Linares (54 starts), Miller (23) and Butler (21) got most of the playing time in left field.

Washington would become a solid regular for the Braves for five-and-a-half seasons. In the Braves special 1982 season, Washington hit .266 with 16 home runs, 80 RBI and 33 stolen bases. His best season was in 1984, when he hit .286 with 17 home runs, 61 RBI, 21 stolen bases and a .374 on base percentage. Washington made the All-Star team that season, his only appearance in the midsummer classic.

When Chuck Tanner joined the Braves as the manager in 1985, he re-signed Washington to a one-year contract and vowed that Washington would have his best year ever. Tanner had managed Washington in Oakland.

Washington hit .270 with five home runs and 14 RBI for the Braves in 40 games to start the 1986 season, but he was traded to the Yankees June 29, 1986 for Ken Griffey, Sr.

With his six years with the Braves, Washington hit .278 with a .339 OBP, 67 home runs, 279 RBI and 115 stolen bases.

Washington spent two-and-a-half seasons with the Yankees and then signed a free agent contract with the Angels, who then traded him back to New York in 1990. Washington retired after the 1990 season.

He had 1884 career hits, 164 home runs, 824 runs batted in and 312 stolen bases.

Washington is the third member of the division-winning 1982 Braves team to die in the last month. Biff Pocoroba died May 24 and Bob Watson died May 14.

Listen to The Bill Shanks Show weekdays at 3:00 p.m. ET on Middle Georgia’s ESPN. You can listen online at TheSuperStations.com. Follow Bill on Twitter at @billshanks and you can email him at thebillshanksshow@yahoo.com.