At the University of Houston, Paciorek was a defensive back, drafted in the ninth round by the Miami Dolphins, and a NCAA All-American outfielder who set school hitting records. In 1971 at Albuquerque, he was named Minor League Player of the Year, but in the majors he was tagged as a part-time platoon player and was never given a chance to play regularly until he signed as a free agent with Seattle in 1978. Finally blossoming with the Mariners, he hit .326 in 1981 and was named an All-Star. Traded to the White Sox the next season, he twice more topped .300. Paciorek was once picked by a Chicago newspaper as the second-best-looking ML ballplayer, runner-up to Jim Palmer. His brother John owns a 1.000 career BA and is the only one to do it with three hits. His brother Jim also played in the ML.
