Chet Lemon
Chester Earl Lemon (February 12, 1955 – May 8, 2025) was an American professional baseball center fielder who played sixteen seasons in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox from 1975 to 1981 and the Detroit Tigers from 1982 to 1990.[1][2] A right-handed batter and thrower renowned for his defensive range and speed, Lemon was selected to three All-Star Games in 1978, 1979, and 1984, and contributed to the Tigers' 1984 World Series championship with a .294 batting average in the postseason.[3][4][5] In 1,988 games, he compiled a .273 batting average, 215 home runs, 884 runs batted in, and 215 stolen bases, while leading the American League with 44 doubles in 1979 and setting the major league single-season record for center field putouts with 509 in 1977.[1][3] Lemon's career was marked by consistent outfield excellence, evidenced by a .984 fielding percentage, and he led the AL in hit-by-pitches four times, reflecting his aggressive plate approach.[1][3] After retiring due to complications from polycythemia vera, a rare blood disorder, he coached high school baseball and founded the Chet Lemon School of Baseball in 1993.[3]Early life
Upbringing and family
Chester Earl Lemon was born on February 12, 1955, in Jackson, Mississippi, to parents Ralph and Gloria Lemon.[3][6] As the eldest of their four children, Lemon's family maintained Southern roots while seeking opportunities in California.[3][6] The family relocated to Los Angeles when he was six months old, settling in Compton, where Lemon grew up amid the urban environment of South Central Los Angeles.[7][8] Lemon attended Fremont High School in Los Angeles, developing his athletic talents in a competitive local scene that emphasized baseball alongside other sports.[7][8] Limited public details exist on his immediate family dynamics beyond the parental influence of Ralph and Gloria, who supported his early pursuits in a working-class household typical of mid-20th-century Black families migrating westward.[3] His upbringing in Compton exposed him to the challenges and community resilience of the era, shaping a foundation for his disciplined approach to sports.[6]Amateur baseball and draft
Lemon attended Fremont High School in Los Angeles, California, where he played baseball as a shortstop and excelled in multiple sports.[7] In his senior year of 1972, he batted .490 for the baseball team while also rushing for over 1,200 yards as a halfback in football, earning all-city honors in both.[8][7] He received a football scholarship offer from Arizona State University but rejected college opportunities to pursue professional baseball.[8][7] On June 6, 1972, the Oakland Athletics selected Lemon in the first round (22nd overall) of the MLB June Amateur Draft out of Fremont High School.[3] At age 17, he signed with the Athletics under scout Phil Pote, forgoing additional amateur play.[3][1] The 1972 draft class included 14 future major leaguers in the first round alone.[8]Minor league career
Oakland Athletics affiliates
Lemon signed with the Oakland Athletics after being selected in the first round (22nd overall) of the 1972 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft out of Fremont High School in Los Angeles, California.[9] He debuted professionally that summer at age 17 with the Coos Bay-North Bend A's of the Class A- Northwest League, posting a .286 batting average over 38 games with 40 hits, eight doubles, one triple, two home runs, and 16 RBI.[9] Midseason, he advanced to the Class A Burlington Bees of the Midwest League, where he hit .256 in 33 games, including 33 hits and one home run.[9] In 1973, Lemon returned to Burlington for a full season, establishing himself as a power-hitting prospect by slashing .309/.435/.513 with 121 hits, 21 doubles, 19 home runs, and 88 RBI across 113 games; his 19 homers led the Midwest League.[9] Promoted to Double-A Birmingham Barons of the Southern League in 1974, he adapted to higher competition with a .290 average, 79 hits, 22 doubles, 10 home runs, and 61 RBI in 79 games, while drawing 40 walks for a .390 on-base percentage.[9] Lemon opened 1975 with the Triple-A Tucson Toros of the Pacific Coast League, batting .280 with 68 hits, seven doubles, two triples, five home runs, and 17 stolen bases in 65 games.[9] On June 15, 1975, the Athletics traded him, along with pitcher Dave Hamilton, to the Chicago White Sox for pitchers Stan Bahnsen and Skip Pitlock, ending his affiliation with Oakland's minor league system.[10]| Year | Team (Affiliate Level) | League | G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Coos Bay-North Bend (A-) | Northwest | 38 | 140 | 40 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 14 | 24 | .286 | .373 | .400 |
| 1972 | Burlington (A) | Midwest | 33 | 129 | 33 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 30 | .256 | .312 | .318 |
| 1973 | Burlington (A) | Midwest | 113 | 392 | 121 | 21 | 1 | 19 | 88 | 77 | 82 | .309 | .435 | .513 |
| 1974 | Birmingham (AA) | Southern | 79 | 272 | 79 | 22 | 2 | 10 | 61 | 40 | 45 | .290 | .390 | .496 |
| 1975 | Tucson (AAA) | Pacific Coast | 65 | 243 | 68 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 33 | 37 | 37 | .280 | .379 | .387 |
Transition to Chicago White Sox system
On June 15, 1975, just before the MLB non-waiver trade deadline, the Oakland Athletics traded outfield prospect Chet Lemon and pitcher Dave Hamilton to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for pitchers Stan Bahnsen and Skip Pitlock.[10] [11] At the time, Lemon was playing for the Athletics' Triple-A affiliate, the Tucson Toros of the Pacific Coast League, where he had appeared in 65 games during the 1975 season.[9] The deal shifted Lemon into the White Sox farm system, reflecting Chicago's strategy under general manager Roland Hemond to acquire young talent with major-league potential in exchange for established but aging pitchers; Bahnsen, a 30-year-old starter, and Pitlock, a 28-year-old reliever, provided immediate rotation and bullpen depth for Oakland.[12] Following the trade, Lemon joined the White Sox's Triple-A affiliate, the Denver Bears, also in the Pacific Coast League, for the remainder of the 1975 minor-league season, where he played 70 games and contributed to his development as a center fielder with speed and defensive range.[9] This transition accelerated Lemon's path to the majors, as he made his MLB debut with the White Sox on September 4, 1975, shortly after the minor-league campaign concluded.[3] The move proved beneficial for Chicago, as Lemon emerged as a regular outfielder and All-Star in subsequent years, while the pitchers acquired by Oakland offered short-term value but did not match Lemon's long-term impact.[13]Major League career
Chicago White Sox tenure (1975–1981)
Chet Lemon debuted in Major League Baseball on September 9, 1975, with the Chicago White Sox, appearing as a third baseman in a 5-4 loss to the California Angels at Comiskey Park, where he grounded out in his only at-bat.[3] In nine games that season, he batted .257 with no home runs.[1] In 1976, Lemon transitioned to center field and the leadoff position, playing 132 games and posting a .246 batting average with 4 home runs and 38 RBIs; he hit his first MLB home run off Frank Tanana of the California Angels.[3] The following year, 1977, marked a breakout as part of the White Sox's "South Side Hit Men" lineup, which emphasized power hitting; Lemon batted .273 with 19 home runs and 67 RBIs while setting a major league record with 509 putouts in center field, showcasing his defensive range.[3][1] Lemon earned American League All-Star selections in 1978, entering as a defensive replacement, and 1979, where he was hit by a pitch and scored.[3] His 1979 season represented a career peak, leading the AL with 44 doubles and 13 hit-by-pitches while batting .318 with 17 home runs and 86 RBIs.[3][2] In 1980, he maintained solid production at .292 with 11 home runs, though RBIs dropped to 51 amid team struggles.[3] The strike-shortened 1981 season saw him bat .302 with 9 home runs and 50 RBIs in 94 games.[3]| Year | Games | AB | H | HR | RBI | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 9 | 35 | 9 | 0 | 1 | .257 | .297 | .314 |
| 1976 | 132 | 451 | 111 | 4 | 38 | .246 | .298 | .328 |
| 1977 | 150 | 553 | 151 | 19 | 67 | .273 | .343 | .459 |
| 1978 | 105 | 357 | 107 | 13 | 55 | .300 | .377 | .510 |
| 1979 | 148 | 556 | 177 | 17 | 86 | .318 | .391 | .496 |
| 1980 | 147 | 514 | 150 | 11 | 51 | .292 | .388 | .442 |
| 1981 | 94 | 328 | 99 | 9 | 50 | .302 | .384 | .491 |
Detroit Tigers era (1982–1990)
 Chet Lemon was acquired by the Detroit Tigers via trade from the Chicago White Sox on November 27, 1981, in exchange for outfielder Steve Kemp.[3] In his debut season with Detroit in 1982, Lemon appeared in 125 games, batting .266 with 19 home runs and 52 runs batted in (RBIs), while posting an on-base percentage (OBP) of .368 and slugging percentage (SLG) of .447.[1] The Tigers finished fourth in the American League East with an 83-79 record that year.[3] Lemon's performance improved in 1983, where he played 145 games, hit 24 home runs, drove in 69 RBIs, and made a notable game-saving catch on July 24 against the Kansas City Royals.[3][1] He primarily patrolled center field for the Tigers from 1983 onward, contributing to a strong defensive outfield alongside Kirk Gibson and others.[3] The pinnacle of Lemon's Tigers tenure came in 1984, as he earned his lone All-Star selection as a starter and helped Detroit secure the World Series championship.[1] Batting .287 with 20 home runs, 34 doubles, and 76 RBIs in 141 games—along with an .852 OPS—Lemon anchored the lineup for the 104-58 Tigers.[3][1] In the World Series against the San Diego Padres, he hit .294 and made a critical catch in Game 3, aiding the Tigers' 4-0 victory in that contest en route to a 4-1 series win.[3] Following the championship, Lemon maintained solid production through 1987, averaging approximately 139 games, 17 home runs, and consistent power output annually from 1985 to 1987.[3] In 1987, he batted .277 with 20 home runs and 75 RBIs, adding two home runs in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) as Detroit captured the AL East title before falling to the Minnesota Twins in five games.[3][1] Lemon's output declined in the late 1980s amid increased strikeouts and reduced power.[1] From 1988 to 1990, he averaged .253 batting over 275 games, with 29 total home runs and 143 RBIs, reflecting diminished speed and extra-base hits compared to his peak years.[1] Over his full Tigers tenure (1982–1990), Lemon compiled 1,103 games, a .263 batting average, 142 home runs, 536 RBIs, .350 OBP, and .443 SLG.[1] He retired after the 1990 season.[3]| Year | G | AB | BA | HR | RBI | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 125 | 436 | .266 | 19 | 52 | .368 | .447 |
| 1983 | 145 | 491 | .255 | 24 | 69 | .350 | .464 |
| 1984 | 141 | 509 | .287 | 20 | 76 | .357 | .495 |
| 1985 | 145 | 517 | .265 | 18 | 68 | .334 | .439 |
| 1986 | 126 | 403 | .251 | 12 | 53 | .326 | .407 |
| 1987 | 146 | 470 | .277 | 20 | 75 | .376 | .481 |
| 1988 | 144 | 512 | .264 | 17 | 64 | .346 | .436 |
| 1989 | 127 | 414 | .237 | 7 | 47 | .323 | .343 |
| 1990 | 104 | 322 | .258 | 5 | 32 | .359 | .379 |
| Total | 1,103 | 4,074 | .263 | 142 | 536 | .350 | .443 |