Claudell Washington (August 31, 1954June 10, 2020) was an American baseball outfielder who played seventeen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, and California Angels from 1974 until 1990. He batted and threw left-handed. Washington was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Oakland Athletics in 1972 and played for three of their minor league affiliates until 1974, when the Athletics promoted him to the major leagues. He won the World Series that year and was selected as an All-Star in 1975. After spending three seasons with the organization, he was traded to the Texas Rangers. He was subsequently dealt to the Chicago White Sox and the New York Mets. He signed with the Atlanta Braves as a free agent in 1980 and was named an All-Star again in 1984. He later played for the New York Yankees and California Angels. He returned to the Yankees in 1990 and played his last game on June 18 that year. Early life Washington was born in Los Angeles, on August 31, 1954, and was raised in Berkeley. He attended Berkeley High School and also worked as a janitor. He never played for his school's baseball team because the coach wanted him to pitch, while he desired to be an outfielder. He was nonetheless scouted while playing sandlot ball by Jim Guinn, who worked for the Oakland Athletics. Guinn signed Washington as an undrafted free agent to a contract worth US$3,000 (equivalent to approximately $18,500 in 2020) in 1972. Professional baseball career Washington was one of the youngest All-Stars in major league history when he was named to the 1975 American League (AL) All-Star team at the age of 20. He finished fifth in the AL in batting average with a mark of .308 and second in stolen bases with a total of 40. Prior to the 1977 season, Washington was traded to the Texas Rangers for second baseman Rodney Scott and left-handed pitcher Jim Umbarger. Washington was dealt along with Rusty Torres from the Rangers to the Chicago White Sox for Bobby Bonds on May 16, 1978. After struggling in 1978, both before and after the trade, Washington bounced back with a solid 1979 campaign. He was traded once again midway through the following season to the New York Mets for a minor