Today in Sports History: August 14

In 1991, Minnesota Twins right fielder, Dave Winfield,  hit 400 home runs. He became the 23rd athlete to reach the MLB milestone.

As the overall fourth pick within the 1973 Major League Baseball Draft, Winfield was drafted by the San Diego Padres. From 1973 until 1980 Winfield played with the Padres before being granted free agency. In 1981, he was picked up and signed by the New York Yankees and played until 1990 before being traded to the California Angels in exchange for Mike Witt. 

Winfield played for the Angels for two seasons until he was granted free agency again in 1991. He was signed by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1992 and played one season before becoming a free agent again. In 1993, he was signed by the Minnesota Twins and played two seasons before being granted free agency once again. In 1995, Winfield was signed by the Cleveland Indians and played one season which finished out his career.  

Throughout his 22-year career, he had a total of 11,003 At-Bats, 3,110 Hits, 1,669 Runs, and 465 Home Runs. He also had a total of 1,833 Runners Batted In and 223 Stolen Bases. His batting average was .283 with an on-base percentage of .353 and an on-base plus slugging percentage of .828. 

Winfield was a 12-time All-Star, seven-time Rawlings Gold Glove winner, six-time Silver Slugger, a five-time recipient of the Twins Dick Sibert Player of the Year Award, and 1992 World Series Champion. He also won the Most Valuable Player (MVP)  with the Padres in 1978 and 1979, the Babe Ruth Award in 1992, and the Roberto Clemente Award in 1994.

He was the first active professional athlete to create a charitable foundation which then inspired many others to do the same. His charity for over 20 years, the Winfield Foundation, has provided healthcare services, nutritional counseling, scholarships, computer literacy, and holiday dinners to families and children in need. 

Once retired after the 1995 season, in 2001, the San Diego Padres retired his jersey number, 31, to honor his incredible career. He was also inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame for his outstanding accomplishments. 

During retirement, Winfield was an MLB Studio Analyst for Fox Sports from 1996 until 1998, in 2008 he was New York Times best-selling author and a Baseball Tonight Analyst for ESPN from 2009 through 2012. He also served as the Executive Vice President/Senior Advisor for the San Diego Padres from 2001 until 2013. 

In 2013, he accepted a position as the Advisor to the Executive Director for the Major League Baseball Player Association where he currently plays an active role in advising athletes about their benefits, rights, and protections. 

He currently is a well-respected businessman, executive advisor, advocate, professional speaker, and author who travels between both offices in New York and Los Angeles. He continues to work with his charity, the Winfield Foundation, and work within the MLB Players Association.