Jewogle - Elliott Maddox

Biography:

Elliott Maddox (born December 21, 1947, in East Orange, New Jersey) is a former right-handed Major League Baseball American player from 1970 to 1980 for the Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators/Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, and New York Mets.

He attended Union High School in Union, New Jersey. He then went on to attend the University of Michigan, and while there took Judaic studies courses. As a junior in 1967, he won the Big Ten batting title with a .467 average.

Maddox, an African American, converted to Judaism later in life.

Draft:

In June 1966 he was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 4th round of the draft, but did not sign. In June 1968 he was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 1st round (20th pick) of the draft (secondary phase).

Minor league career:

In 2 minor league seasons, in 1968 and 1969, Maddox batted .303.

Major league career:

Detroit Tigers (1970):

As a 22 year old, he played 109 games for the Tigers in 1970.

Washington/Texas Senators (1971-73):

In October 1970, he was traded by the Tigers with Denny McLain, Norm McRae, and Don Wert to the Washington Senators for Ed Brinkman, Aurelio Rodriguez, Joe Coleman, and Jim Hannan.

In 1972, he stole 20 bases, a career high.

New York Yankees (1974-76):

In March 1974 the New York Yankees purchased him from the Rangers.

In 1974, the year that he converted to Judaism, he was 6th in the American League with a .303 batting average for the New York Yankees, 4th in the league in on base percentage (.395), and had 14 assists from the outfield. He came in 8th in the league in Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player voting.

In 1975, he slipped on the field in Shea Stadium and suffered an injury to his knee. He later sued the New York Yankees as his employer, the New York Mets as lessees of Shea Stadium, and the City of New York as owners of the stadium. In a famous decision entitled Maddox v. City of New York, the New York Court of Appeals ruled that Maddox knew of the condition of the grass at the time and decided to play anyway. Therefore he assumed the risk, and the defendants were found to be not liable for any damages that occurred to him.

In 1975, he batted .307 (.369 against lefties, and .360 with 2 outs, and runners in scoring position) with a .382 on base percentage, and came in 8th in the league in hbp (7).

Baltimore Orioles (1977):

In January 1977 the Yankees traded him and Rick Bladt to the Baltimore Orioles for Paul Blair.

New York Mets (1978-80):

In November 1977 he signed as a free agent with the New York Mets.

In 1980 he led the league in being hit by the pitch (6).

Philadelphia Phillies:

In June 1981 he signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Defense:

Maddox was an excellent defensive player, who could play both infield and outfield positions. While he played primarily outfield, he also played third base, shortstop, second base, and first base in his career. His fielding percentage in the outfield was better than the league average every year that he played.

Hall of Fame:

In 2007, Maddox was inducted into the Union County Baseball Hall of Fame.

Miscellaneous:

On August 28, 1986, Maddox and his wife Ursula gave birth to a boy named Jared Todd.
Elliott Maddox resides in Coral Springs, Florida, with his favorite pet, a ferret, Cody.
His hobbies consist of coaching high school baseball and Little League teams.