Only Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr. and today’s guest, Steve Finley amassed 2,500 hits and 5 Gold Gloves while patrolling center field in the history of Major League Baseball. Steve Finley is our 32nd entry of the continuing Legends Series exclusively at The Crawfish Boxes.
Q: Where were you when you learned of the trade that brought you to Houston from the Orioles?
A: I remember exactly where I was. I was playing basketball at Cal Ripken’s house in his gym. We had games three times a week which were
designed for running and staying in shape. Cal receives a call and goes upstairs to take it and then he proceeds to tell me that there’s a call for me as well. I thought that was strange. I go up there and it’s Roland Hemond and he informed me that I’d be going to Houston.
Q: What was your reaction?
A: I was a little bit in shock. They had told me after the season that I was in their future plans and not going anywhere. I thought I was going to be their center fielder for a long time. I actually had bought a place downtown because I knew that Camden Yards was coming. That was the kiss of death (laughs) but it ended up being a great trade for me because I got to play every day in Houston.
Q: That’s true. In 1992, you led the entire National League. You played all 162 games that season. How important was that for you?
A: All I wanted to do was play baseball. I never wanted to come out of the game. I even chose my college based upon the coaches telling me that center field was going to be mine. The Houston Astros gave me that opportunity and it was the best thing that happened in my career.
Q: I still feel to this day that if the strike didn’t happen in 1994, you guys would reach the World Series. Did the team feel that way?
A: We felt we had a team that could win. In 1991 when you looked around that clubhouse, there was a ton of young talent and then that core group of guys kept getting better each year. We kept adding pieces here and there.
When 1994 happened, things really started clicking, Bagwell had the year he had and established himself in the middle of the order. Gonzo, Caminiti, Biggio, Drabek, Swindell, we were solid up and down. We had things clicking. I would’ve liked to have seen how far we could’ve gone in the playoffs that year.
Q: I’m just wondering-why wasn’t there more discussion about you for the Hall of Fame? Some of your stats for a centerfielder are remarkable.
A: I think that falls to you guys in the media (laughs). I was never a self-promoter. My goal when I played was to do whatever I had to do to win the game. If it meant hitting behind a runner or giving myself up, I’d do it. That was my sole focus along with winning a World Series.
I didn’t play the game to make the Hall of Fame. It’s somewhat a popularity contest. There are a lot of players who played this game who have immense value that doesn’t show up completely in their numbers. I’m happy with my career. I played with a bunch of Hall of Famers and played in some really big games. I checked a lot of boxes.
Q: What do you think of the way centerfield is played today? There are some subtle differences compared to when you played.
A: Jackson Merrill in San Diego plays a quality center field. He has a good arm, covers a ton of ground.
It can be hard to watch at times for me. There are a lot of good players out there that are super athletic, but I feel sometimes guys aren’t paying full attention to the actual game, they are attached to the card that’s in their pocket which is telling them where to go.
I like the teams that put the ball in play. Toronto did that last season; Milwaukee is doing it this year. I like watching those style games as opposed to watching teams try to hit a three-run homer.
Some guys hit around .240 or .250 and their All-Stars. It doesn’t make any sense. To me, productivity is when you have a runner at second base and nobody out, your job is to get a base hit up the middle to the right center gap and if you don’t, the worst-case scenario is you get a ground ball to the right side, and the runner goes over the third for the next guy.
I see guys that take the same crazy swings at all of these pitches, they don’t know how to manufacture runs and when the playoffs come around, you can’t just flip a switch and play small ball. It doesn’t work that way.
