The Mets selected him
first overall in the
1984 MLB draft. When Abner signed with the Mets, his $150,500 (equivalent to $441,000 in 2023)[8] signing bonus was the highest in the history of baseball.[9]
Professional career
On December 11, 1986, the Mets traded Abner,
Kevin Mitchell,
Stan Jefferson, Kevin Armstrong, and Kevin Brown to the
San Diego Padres for
Kevin McReynolds,
Gene Walter, and Adam Ging.[10] Abner made his debut on September 8, 1987, in a loss to the Braves. Abner entered in the top of the eighth inning as a pinch hitter for
Lance McCullers and flied out to center field in his first major league at bat.[11]
The light-hitting Abner played sparingly over the next five seasons for San Diego, used mostly as a reserve
outfielder. He was traded to the
California Angels in 1991 and signed by the
Chicago White Sox in 1992. His season with the White Sox was probably his best, as he attained a .279
batting average over 97 games.[2]
Abner injured his knee the following season playing basketball before a Triple-A game for the
Omaha Royals,[12] and never played in the majors again. While playing in MLB, Abner stood at 6 feet 1 inch (185 cm) and weighed 190 pounds (86 kg). He batted and threw right-handed. In 392 career games, Abner had a
batting average of .227 with 191
hits, 11
home runs, and 71
runs batted in.[2] Abner is widely-considered a
draft bust.[13][14][15][16]
On August 28, 2019, Shawn was charged with
animal cruelty for leaving his 14 year old
husky alone at home, for over a month, resulting in the dog's death. Shawn failed to ask anyone to care for the dog while he was away.[18] He pleaded guilty to
felony aggravated animal cruelty and was sentenced in January 2020 to 4.5–23 months in prison.[19]
References
^Graham, Steve (June 5, 1984).
"Wait is Not Over". The Sentinel. p. b-1 – via Newspapers.com.
^
abc"Shawn Abner". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 10, 2021.