Willie Aikens | |
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First baseman | |
Born: Seneca, South Carolina, U.S. | October 14, 1954|
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
May 17, 1977, for the California Angels | |
Last MLB appearance | |
April 27, 1985, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .271 |
Home runs | 110 |
Runs batted in | 415 |
Teams | |
Willie Mays Aikens (born October 14, 1954) is an American former professional baseball first baseman who played in Major League Baseball for the California Angels, Kansas City Royals, and Toronto Blue Jays between 1977 and 1985. He had established himself as one of the top sluggers in the game before drugs derailed his career. In 1994, Aikens was sentenced to 20 years in prison on four counts of crack cocaine distribution and one count of use of a firearm during drug trafficking. He was released on June 4, 2008, after changes in federal drug laws, and is sometimes cited as an example of the results of mandatory maximum sentencing in drug-related crimes.