The 2000 season will probably be considered the year when age finally caught up with Harold Baines. He'd had one of his most productive seasons in '99 when at age 40 he hit .312 w/25 HRs and 103 RBIs in 135 games for the O's and Indians, and hopes were high that Harold would be able to cheat Father Time for at least one more go around. He was signed during the off season to once again be the Orioles' DH, mostly batting 5th in the line-up behind Albert Belle.

But Baines got off to a slow start -- hitting just .233 with 9 extra base hits in the first two months of the season. He didn't really start to swing the bat well until July. Of course, by then the Orioles' season was basically over. With the trade deadline approaching at the end of the month, the White Sox took Baines as a part of the Charles Johnson trade. He'd begun his career in Chicago all the way back in 1980, and it felt right for him to go back to the Windy City for one last hurrah. Harold didn't exactly distinguish himself in his stint for the Sox, however. In his final two months, he hit just .213 w/1 HR and posted an OPS of .638. He finished the 2000 season with a .254 BA, 11 HRs, with 39 RBIs and an OPS of .755.

When the trade was made, there was speculation in Baltimore that the Orioles might try to bring Harold back in '01, but with their youth movement in full swing, he ended up signing a non-guaranteed deal with the White Sox.

Notes: hit just .192 (.442 OPS) against lefties -- 71 points beneath his career average…has a career .306 BA at Camden Yards with an OPS of .900… Has a career .333 BA against Greg Maddux and an OPS of 1.11