David Keith Stewart (born February 19, 1957), nicknamed "Smoke", is an American professional baseball executive, pitching coach, sports agent, and former starting pitcher. The Los Angeles Dodgers' 16th-round selection in the 1975 MLB draft, Stewart's MLB playing career spanned from 1978 through 1995, winning three World Series championships all with different clubs while compiling a career 3.95 earned run average (ERA) and a 168–129 won–lost record, including winning 20 games in four consecutive seasons. He pitched for the Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, Oakland Athletics, and Toronto Blue Jays.
Stewart was an MLB All-Star and was known for his intimidating pitching style and his postseason performance, winning one World Series Most Valuable Player Award and two League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Awards. After his playing career, he served as a pitching coach for the San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, and Blue Jays and as an assistant general manager (GM). He worked under several GMs, including Sandy Alderson, Kevin Towers, Gord Ash, and Dean Taylor. He later became a sports agent based in San Diego until the Arizona Diamondbacks hired him as general manager at the end of the 2014 season, a position he held until 2016.
Early life Stewart was born in Oakland, California. His father, David, was a longshoreman, and his mother, Nathalie, worked at a cannery. His father didn't want Stewart to play sports, because he felt nobody could make a living hitting a ball, so his older brother taught him how to play. As a kid, Stewart spent many days at the East Oakland Branch of the Oakland Boys Club.
Stewart attended St. Elizabeth High School in Oakland, where he earned All-American honors in both baseball (where he played catcher) and in football (where he was a linebacker and tight end). He also averaged 16 points per game as a small forward on the basketball team. He was offered 30 college scholarships to play football, but turned them all down to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who selected him in the 16th round of the 1975 Major League Baseball draft.
Professional career
Los Angeles Dodgers The Dodgers decided to turn Stewart into a pitcher because of his strong arm. He made his professional debut with the Bellingham Dodgers of the short-season single-A Northwest League. He had a 0–5 win–loss record with a 5.51 earned run average (ERA) in 22 games pitched, five of which were games started, for a Bellingham team that set a record by losing the first 24 games of the season. He was promoted to the Midwest League at the end of the 1976 season and with the Clinton Dodgers in 1977 he had a breakout season: 17–4 with a 2.15 ERA in 24 starts, including 15 complete games and 3 shutouts. Despite his impressive season, he lost out on the Midwest League MVP and Top prospect honors to future Hall of Famer Paul Molitor, then with the Burlington Bees. Stewart was promoted to the AA San Antonio Dodgers of the Texas League for the 1978 season. He was 14–12 with a 3.68 ERA in 28 starts for San Antonio.
Stewart made his major league debut on September 22, 1978, pitching two innings in relief against the San Diego Padres. He allowed only one hit and no runs while striking out one batter (Jim Beswick). That was his only appearance for the Dodgers that season. Stewart spent all of the 1979 and 1980 seasons in AAA with the Albuquerque Dukes. Despite an 11–12 record and 5.24 ERA in 28 games for the Dukes in 1979, Stewart felt he pitched well and was disappointed when he did not receive a September call-up. In 1980, he was 15–10 with a 3.70 ERA for a Dukes team that won the Pacific Coast League (PCL) Championship. He led the PCL in innings pitched (202) and starts (29) and tied for the league lead in wins (15).
Stewart went to spring training with the Dodgers in 1981. Because he was out of options, the Dodgers could not send him back down to the minors without risk of losing him to another team. They initially planned to release him, but eventually cut Don Stanhouse instead. He made the Dodgers opening day roster and pitched in relief that season, appearing in 32 games with a 2.49 ERA and six saves. He got his first Major League win in his first appearance of the season, on April 13 against the San Francisco Giants, when he worked two scoreless innings in relief of Bob Welch. His first save was recorded on August 16 against the Atlanta Braves. When MLB's players went on a two-month long strike on June 12, Stewart was hard-pressed financially and went to work for a Dodger fan that owned a metal fastener business and worked out with a semi-pro team along with teammate Bobby Castillo. The Dodgers made the split-season playoffs and Stewart saw his first taste of post-season action, being credited as the losing pitcher in the first two games of the Division Series against the Houston Astros. He allowed a walk-off homer to Alan Ashby in game one and allowing the winning runs to reach base in the 11th inning of game two. He redeemed himself by not allowing a run in the two games he appeared in for the Dodgers in the 1981 World Series against the New York Yankees, which the Dodgers won in six games.
He spent time as both a starter and a reliever in 1982, appearing in 45 games (starting 14 of them) and was 9–8 with a 3.81 ERA. The Dodgers almost traded Stewart to the Texas Rangers after the 1982 season in a package for catcher Jim Sundberg, however, Sundberg wouldn't waive his no-trade clause and the deal fell apart. In 1983, he appeared in 46 games for the Dodgers, all but one as a relief pitcher, with a 5–2 record and a 2.96 ERA. On July 11, he was part of a play that Dodgers Manager Tommy Lasorda called one of the "craziest" moments he'd ever seen, when three runs scored on a wild pitch.
Texas Rangers
On August 19, 1983, the Dodgers traded Stewart with a player to be named later (Ricky Wright) to the Rangers for Rick Honeycutt. The trade was controversial at the time, with many feeling that Rangers GM Joe Klein had gotten too little in exchange for his team's best pitcher. The Rangers placed Stewart in the starting rotation. He made eight starts down the stretch, going 5–2 with a 2.14 ERA. In 1984, however, Stewart struggled, producing a 7–14 record and a 4.73 ERA in 27 starts before losing his rotation spot. Tom House joined the organization in January 1985 as the team's new pitching coach. He decided that Stewart needed a new pitch and started teaching him a split-fingered fastball.
In 1985, the Rangers used Stewart as a relief pitcher, but his performances out of the bullpen were poor. On May 22 he gave up a three-run homer to Jorge Orta of the Kansas City Royals, giving up the lead. The home fans booed him off the field; after the game, Stewart called the fans "idiots" and challenged them to come on to the field and do his job for him. The team's new general manager, Tom Grieve, fined Stewart $500 for his remarks, but that wasn't enough for Rangers owner Eddie Chiles, who demanded that Grieve trade Stewart. After finding a weak market for him, the Rangers finally managed to trade Stewart to the Philadelphia Phillies on September 13, 1985, for pitcher Rick Surhoff. In 42 games for the Rangers in 1985, Stewart was 0–6 with a 5.42 ERA.
Philadelphia Phillies In the off-season, he negotiated with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball, but they did not agree to terms on a contract so he re-signed with the Phillies.
Stewart appeared in 12 games for the team over parts of the 1985 and 1986 seasons, recording a 6.00 ERA. There were rumors that Stewart had been pitching injured, but the Phillies still released him on May 9, 1986. Stewart later said that the Phillies lied to him, and that they had said if he kept his nose clean he would get somewhere, but instead he was released.
Oakland Athletics Stewart had a try-out with the Baltimore Orioles, but they told him they didn't even have a spot for him in Double-A. He wound up signing a free agent contract with the Oakland Athletics on May 23, 1986. After one game with The Triple-A Tacoma Tigers, Stewart joined the A's roster. In a game on July 1, he punched Pat Corrales, the manager of the Cleveland Indians, during a game, which initiated a bench-clearing brawl. He was suspended four games and fined for his actions. Also in 1986, Stewart developed a forkball to supplement his fastball and slider. He pitched in 29 games for the Athletics in 1986, with 17 starts. He was 9–5 with a 3.74 ERA.
Stewart signed a two-year $500,000 contract with the Athletics prior to the 1987 season. He won 20 games in 1987, while posting a 3.68 ERA and striking out 205 batters. He credited pitching coach Dave Duncan with helping improve his pitches. In 1988, he won his first eight games and claimed the Major League Baseball Pitcher of the Month Award. He went 21–12 with a 3.23 ERA, while leading the American League (AL) with 14 complete games and innings pitched. No MLB pitcher has thrown more innings since Stewart in 1988. Stewart started two games in the A's four-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox in the 1988 American League Championship Series. After the series, his manager Tony La Russa said he had "never met a player or person of higher quality." Stewart was the starting pitcher in game one of the 1988 World Series against the Dodgers. Prior to the game, he told Dodgers' second baseman Steve Sax that he was going to hit him in the neck during the game. He came close, drilling Sax in the left shoulder and glaring at him. He allowed three runs in eight innings and was in line for the win before Kirk Gibson's walk-off homer off closer Dennis Eckersley gave the game to the Dodgers. Working on three days rest, Stewart was not as good in game four, allowing four runs (only two earned) and leaving the game with one out in the sixth to pick up the loss. The Dodgers finished off their championship with a win in Game five.
In 1989, Stewart was 21–9 with a 3.32 ERA in 36 starts. His manager, La Russa, was also the manager of the American League team at the All-Star Game and picked Stewart to start for the AL team over fan favorite Nolan Ryan. He allowed two runs to score in his one inning of work in the game. He finished second in the voting for the American League Cy Young Award to Kansas City Royals pitcher Bret Saberhagen.
In the 1989 American League Championship Series, Stewart won both of the games he pitched with a 2.81 ERA. In the World Series, Stewart pitched a complete-game shutout in the first game against the San Francisco Giants. The series was interrupted when an earthquake struck the Bay Area just prior to the start of Game 3. When the series resumed, 10 days later, Stewart started game three for the A's, and picked up his second win of the series when he allowed three runs in seven innings. The A's swept the series in four games and Stewart was selected as the MVP of the series going 2–0 with a 1.69 ERA. Stewart signed a new two-year $7 million contract extension with the Athletics after the season. This was the largest contract ever in baseball at the time.