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Floyd Bannister

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Floyd Bannister
Bannister in 1981
Pitcher
Born: (1955-06-10) June 10, 1955 (age 70)
Pierre, South Dakota, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
Professional debut
MLB: April 19, 1977, for the Houston Astros
NPB: April 8, 1990, for the Yakult Swallows
Last appearance
NPB: June 14, 1990, for the Yakult Swallows
MLB: August 10, 1992, for the Texas Rangers
MLB statistics
Win–loss record134–143
Earned run average4.06
Strikeouts1,723
NPB statistics
Win–loss record3–2
Earned run average4.04
Strikeouts31
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  United States
Baseball World Cup
Gold medal – first place 1974 St. Petersburg Team

Floyd Franklin Bannister (born June 10, 1955)[1] is an American former professional baseball left-handed pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, California Angels, and Texas Rangers. He also played for the Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball in 1990. Bannister was the first overall pick by Houston in the 1976 MLB draft. With the Mariners in 1982, he was an All-Star and led the American League in strikeouts.

Playing career

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In 1973, as a high school senior, Bannister led his Kennedy High School team in Burien, Washington to a state championship, pitching 15 wins and 0 losses with a season ERA of 0.00.[2] His performance led to him being selected in the third round (71st overall) of the 1973 Major League Baseball draft by the Oakland Athletics, but he did not sign.[3]

Bannister then attended Arizona State University, where he was named college player of the year by The Sporting News as a junior.[4] He was later inducted into the Sun Devils Hall of Fame and College Baseball Hall of Fame.[5][6]

The Houston Astros selected Bannister as the first overall pick of the 1976 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with team, earning a $100,000 bonus.[7][4]

After pitching just seven games in the minors in 1976, Bannister opened the 1977 season with the Astros. He appeared in 24 games (23 starts), going 8–9 with a 4.04 earned run average (ERA). He finished fourth in National League Rookie of the Year voting.[1] He spent one more season with the Astros before Houston traded him to the Seattle Mariners for shortstop Craig Reynolds on December 8, 1978.[8]

Bannister spent four years in Seattle, with his last year there being his best. Bannister finished the season 12–13 with a 3.43 ERA in 35 starts and was selected his only All-Star Game. He also led the American League with 209 strikeouts, a career best. In 1983 and 1985, he led the American League in strikeouts per nine innings with averages of 8.0 and 8.5, respectively.[1]

On December 13, 1982, Bannister signed a five-year contract with the Chicago White Sox as a free agent.[9] During his time in Chicago, he was a solid starting pitcher, averaging 13 wins per season. In his first season with the White Sox, Bannister went 16–10 with a career-low 3.35 ERA in 34 starts, helping the team earn a playoff spot. He also tossed a career-high 11 complete games in 1987, his last season with the White Sox.[1]

On December 10, 1987, Bannister and infielder Dave Cochrane were traded to the Kansas City Royals for pitchers John Davis, Mélido Pérez, Chuck Mount, and Greg Hibbard.[10] Bannister had another solid season in 1988, going 12–13 with a 4.33 ERA in 31 starts.[1] However, in June 1989, he suffered an injury which knocked him out for the rest of the year. Finding no takers as a free agent, Bannister went to Japan in 1990, playing for the Yakult Swallows. In nine starts for the Swallows, he went 3–2 with a 4.04 ERA.[11]

On December 13, 1990, Bannister signed a minor league contract with the California Angels,[12] where he was converted into a reliever. He recorded a 3.96 ERA in 16 relief appearances with the Angels before being released on August 29. After one last season with the Texas Rangers in 1992, Bannister was released in August, ending his professional career.[1]

Armed with a strong fastball and big breaking curveball,[13][14] Bannister averaged 6.49 strikeouts per nine innings in his career but also shuffled between six different teams in 15 years in the majors. He gave up more than 30 home runs in four different seasons[1] and coaches, including Don Drysdale and Dave Duncan, questioned his mental approach to pitching.[14] Bannister later said he would have been more successful if he threw more curveballs.[4]

Bannister compiled a 134–143 record with a 4.06 ERA in 431 games (363 starts). He had 62 complete games in his career, along with 16 shutouts. He amassed 1,723 strikeouts over his career, averaging 147 a year.[1] He held several records for the nascent Mariners franchise, including career strikeouts and complete games, that have since been bested by several pitchers.[15]

Personal life

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Bannister is married and resides near Phoenix, Arizona. They have three children, all of whom pitched competitively.[4][16] Brian Bannister pitched for five seasons in the majors for the New York Mets and the Kansas City Royals.[4][17] Brett Bannister pitched for the USC Trojans and played one season in the minors after being drafted by the Mariners.[18] Cory Bannister pitched at Stanford.[19] Bannister was teammates with future brother-in-law Greg Cochran at Arizona State. Cochran later reached Triple-A.[20][16]

Bannister manages Brian's professional photography studio in Phoenix.[4] He has also has an indoor training facility in a commercial building he owns in Phoenix.[16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Floyd Bannister Stats". Baseball Reference. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  2. ^ Ringer, Sandy (May 29, 2003). "Seasons in the sun: Prep athletes who have left indelible marks". The Seattle Times.
  3. ^ "3rd Round of the 1973 MLB June Amateur Draft". Baseball Reference. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Lindbergh, Ben; Sawchik, Travis (June 7, 2019). "How MLB Washout Brian Bannister Became the Red Sox' Pitching Guru". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  5. ^ "Sun Devil Hall of Fame (Baseball)". Sun Devil Athletics. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  6. ^ "ASU Legends Eddie Bane and Floyd Bannister inducted into College Baseball Hall of Fame". East Valley Tribune. July 7, 2008. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  7. ^ "1st Round of the 1976 MLB June Amateur Draft". Baseball Reference. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  8. ^ Chass, Murray (December 9, 1978). "Carew Rejects Offer; Twins Get Koosman". The New York Times. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  9. ^ "White Sox get Bannister". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 14, 1982. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  10. ^ "Royals Get Bannister". The New York Times. December 11, 1987. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  11. ^ "Floyd Bannister Minor & Japanese Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  12. ^ "Bannister signs with Angels". Deseret News. December 13, 1990. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  13. ^ "Bannister stars in Sox win". Chicago Tribune. May 13, 1985. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  14. ^ a b "Sox again warm up their Rolls-Royce of pitchers". Chicago Tribune. March 23, 1986. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  15. ^ "Seattle Mariners Top 50 Career Pitching Leaders". Baseball Reference. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  16. ^ a b c Raley, Dan (June 6, 2006). "Where Are They Now? Floyd Bannister, pitcher". Seattle PI. Archived from the original on October 26, 2015.
  17. ^ "Brian Bannister Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball Reference. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  18. ^ "Brett Bannister - Minor League, College Baseball Statistics". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  19. ^ "Player Bio: Cory Bannister". Stanford Cardinal. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  20. ^ "Greg Cochran - Minor League, College Baseball Statistics". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  • "...Floyd Bannister Named To National College Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2008" link
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