Honeycutt began his roller-coaster major-league career as a bright young prospect for the Mariners, then was traded to the Rangers in an 11-player deal before the 1981 season. He collapsed from 11-6, 3.30 in 1981 to 5-17, 5.27 in 1982, but won the AL Comeback of the Year award in 1983, leading the AL in ERA even though he finished the season with the NL Dodgers.
A control pitcher, Honeycutt enjoyed three solid seasons in Los Angeles before beginning the 1987 season 2-12 and being traded to Oakland for Tim Belcher. He reestablished himself as a set-up man in the A’s bullpen, and in 1988 he won Game One of the LCS and Game Two of the WS in relief. Honeycutt spent the next five years in Oakland, never posting an ERA above 3.69.
Honeycutt was an All-American first baseman at the University of Tennessee and hit .301 in his first pro season while playing first base and shortstop in addition to pitching. In 1980 he was ejected from a game when an umpire found a tack inside a bandage on his finger.
