Tim Wallach

Wallach made his major league debut at the age of 22 on September 6, 1980, against the San Francisco Giants after replacing Ron LeFlore at left field. In his first plate appearance in the top of the 5th inning, he was walked, but in his second plate appearance in the 8th, he hit a home run. Wallach and Brett Pill (September 6, 2011) are the only two players from Cal State Fullerton to hit a home run in their first at bat. Wallach appeared in four other games in that season. He appeared in 71 games in the following season, hitting .236 with 4 home runs and 13 RBIs in 71 games. He appeared in the Expos’ only postseason run while in Montreal, appearing in five games. In Game 1 of the 1981 National League Division Series, he went 1-for-2 with a double and a walk while scoring a run. In the other four games that he appeared in, he went hitless.

1982 was Wallach’s first full-time season, when he hit .268 with 28 home runs, 31 doubles, and 97 RBIs in 158 games. He slightly regressed the following year, hitting .269 with 33 doubles, 19 home runs, and 70 RBIs in 156 games. Wallach earned his first All-Star Game honors in 1984 and 1985; in the latter season he earned his first Gold Glove and the Silver Slugger awards. He regressed a bit the next season, playing in 134 games while having 112 hits, 22 doubles, 18 home runs and 71 RBIs with a .233 batting average, although he led the league in being hit by pitch with 10.

In 1987, Wallach was named to the All-Star Game once again while winning his second Silver Slugger Award and finishing fourth in Most Valuable Player voting, doing so in 153 games while setting career highs with a .298 batting average, 123 RBIs and 42 doubles, with the latter leading the major leagues. He regressed a bit the next season, hitting .257 with 32 doubles, 12 home runs and 69 RBIs in 159 games, although he did win his second Gold Glove. He rebounded in 1989, being named to the All-Star Game, playing in 154 games and hitting .277 with 42 doubles, 13 home runs and 77 RBIs. He continued his success in 1990, earning his fourth and final All-Star Game appearance, playing in a career high 161 games and hitting .296 with 37 doubles, 21 home runs and 98 RBIs, as well as winning the Gold Glove for the third and final time. He was named team captain prior to the 1991 season, being the first team captain in franchise history. He regressed in production in his final two seasons with the Expos, playing in 301 combined games while having a total of 250 hits, 51 doubles, 22 home runs and 132 RBIs while hitting under .230 both seasons. On December 24, 1992, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Tim Barker.