Razor Shines didn't give up on self, made 4 ML seasons

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Razor Shines 1991 Indianapolis Indians baseball card

In his six pro season, having yet to make the majors, Montreal Expos farmhand Razor Shines not only continued playing, but he continued playing all out, The Memphis Commercial Appeal wrote.

And Expos brass took notice, according to The Commercial Appeal.

"Razor hasn't lost one bit of enthusiasm from the day we signed him," Expos farm director Bob Gebhard told The Commercial Appeal that July.

The Expos soon took notice enough to make him a September call-up. Eventually, Shines would see the majors over four seasons, all with Montreal.

Shines' career began in 1978, taken by the Expos in the 18th round of the draft out of Louisburg College in North Carolina.

Shines' given name was Anthony Shines. He got his nickname Razor at Louisburg, as a line drive of his cut the shin of a fielder, The Commercial Appeal wrote.

Shines started at short-season Jamestown. He made single-A West Palm Beach in 1979, AA Memphis in 1981 and then AAA Wichita and major league Montreal in 1983.

Shines got into three games for the Expos that September in 1983. He went 1 for 2.

Shines returned to Montreal for 12 games in 1984. That spring, he told The Palm Beach Post he was ready for the bigs.

"A lot of people were ready to give up on me," Shines told The Post. "A lot of people. But I didn't give up on myself. That's what counts."

Shines then saw 47 games with the Expos in 1985. He hit .120 in 50 at bats. He saw his final major league time in 1987. He got six games and went 2 for 9.

Along the way, Shines played at AAA Indianapolis, first in 1984. He soon became a fan favorite. From 1984 to 1993, he played at Indianapolis in nine of 10 seasons. He played 42 games with the Pirates at AAA Buffalo in 1990.

In 2024, Indianapolis later retired Shines' number.

"I'm not looking back on my career and saying I didn't accomplish what I wanted to accomplish," Shines told The Lafayette Journal and Courier in July 1993. "I went as hard as I could go and that's all I could do."

Shines later served as a minor league manager and hitting coach. He's also credited as a base coach for the White Sox in Chicago in 2007  and the Mets in 2009 and 2010. Most recently, he's credited as managing at AA Tulsa in 2015.

Razor Shines 1991 Indianapolis Indians baseball card


1990 Minor League Tally 
Players/Coaches Featured:4,500
Made the Majors:1,431-31.8%-X
Never Made Majors:3,069-68.2%
5+ Seasons in the Majors:581
10+ Seasons in the Minors:357

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