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Mick Kelleher

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Mick Kelleher
Kelleher in 2013
Infielder
Born: (1947-07-25) July 25, 1947 (age 77)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 1, 1972, for the St. Louis Cardinals
Last MLB appearance
October 3, 1982, for the California Angels
MLB statistics
Batting average.213
Hits230
Runs batted in65
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
As player

As coach

Career highlights and awards

Michael Dennis Kelleher (born July 25, 1947) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, and California Angels. He coached for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Tigers, and the New York Yankees.

Playing career

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St. Louis Cardinals

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Kelleher was taken out of the University of Puget Sound by the St. Louis Cardinals in the third round of the 1969 MLB Draft.[1] As a minor leaguer with the Tulsa Oilers in 1972, Kelleher set an American Association record for shortstops with a .979 fielding percentage.[2] He spent four years in the minors, stuck behind incumbent middle infielder Dal Maxvill. When Maxvill was traded on August 30, 1972, Kelleher was called up the following day and started the remainder of the season.[3][4]

Houston Astros

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Kelleher's contract was sold by the Cardinals to the Houston Astros on October 26, 1973.[5] He spent most of the season in the minors with the Denver Bears, but had two stints with the big league club that year.[6]

St. Louis Cardinals (second stint)

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After the 1974 season, the Cardinals purchased him back from the Astros.[7]

Chicago Cubs

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On December 22, 1975, the Chicago Cubs acquired Kelleher for Vic Harris.[8] His most notable moment as an active major-league player happened in the second inning of a 9–4 Cubs win over the San Diego Padres in the second game of a doubleheader at Wrigley Field on August 7, 1977. The 5–9, 170-pound Kelleher fought 6–6, 210-pound Dave Kingman who had successfully broken up a double-play attempt with a hard slide after being hit by a Steve Renko pitch. The ensuing bench-clearing brawl resulted in the ejections of both Kelleher and Kingman.[9] The two became teammates the following season, after Kingman signed with the Cubs as a free agent.

Detroit Tigers

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On April 1, 1981, the Detroit Tigers purchased Kelleher from the Cubs.[10]

California Angels

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On April 21, 1982, the California Angels purchased Kelleher from the Tigers. He was a member of the 1982 AL Western Division Champions, playing mostly shortstop and hitting .163 in 49 at-bats. He did not appear in the playoffs. After the season, Kelleher was released by the Angels.[11]

Playing in 622 games, Kelleher recorded a career .213 batting average in 1,081 at bats. He is the most recently retired non-pitcher to have more than 1,000 at-bats and no home runs.

Coaching career

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Kelleher continued to work in major league baseball after his playing career ended, becoming a minor league coach and scout. He served as first base, base running, and infield coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1986, but was dismissed after the season.[12][13]

In 2001, Kelleher was a roving infield instructor with the New York Yankees. During this time, he worked with an 18-year-old Robinson Canó, who had just transitioned to second base.[14] He served as first base coach for the Detroit Tigers from 2003 to 2005.[15] He left after manager Alan Trammell was fired and replaced by Jim Leyland.[16]

He was hired to serve as first base coach and infield coordinator for the major league team before the 2009 season.[17] Kelleher worked extensively with Eduardo Nunez to improve his throws to first base and cut down on errors.[18][19]

Kelleher spent six seasons with the team, and was a member of their coaching staff during the 2009 World Series. On October 10, 2014, the Yankees announced Kelleher would not return for the 2015 season.[20][21] He subsequently retired from baseball on October 20.[22][23]

Personal life

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Kelleher is an avid tennis fan. After retiring in 1982, he took up tennis and played in competitive leagues during the offseason. He also attends the US Open every year.[24]

References

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  1. ^ "1969 St. Louis Cardinals Draft Class - The Baseball Cube". TheBaseballCube.com. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  2. ^ Vass, George (March 1973). "Exclusive Scouting Reports on 1973 Major League Rookies". Baseball Digest. p. 90.
  3. ^ Shpigel, Ben (February 27, 2010). "Blocked by Jeter, a Backup Finds Other Work". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  4. ^ Donovan, Loretta. "Dal Maxvill". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  5. ^ "Cards, Red Sox Confirm Trade of Wise for Smith". The New York Times. October 27, 1973. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  6. ^ Kraczkowski, Kevin (November 4, 2023). "Everystros Countdown: Chapter XI". The Crawfish Boxes. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  7. ^ "1974 Major League Baseball Transactions". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  8. ^ "Pro Transactions". The New York Times. December 23, 1975. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  9. ^ "Cubs Gain Split With San Diego". The Washington Post. August 7, 1977. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  10. ^ "BASEBALL TRADES". The New York Times. April 2, 1981. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  11. ^ "1982 Major League Baseball Transactions". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  12. ^ "The Pittsburgh Pirates have hired Tommy Sandt as the..." UPI. October 16, 1986. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  13. ^ "Transactions". The New York Times. October 8, 1986. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  14. ^ Shpigel, Ben (June 15, 2010). "Piling Up Hits, Cano Is as Good Erasing Them". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  15. ^ Price, Ed (November 5, 2008). "Kelleher could join Yankees' coaching staff". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  16. ^ "Tigers pounce quickly, hire Leyland to manage". ESPN.com. October 4, 2005. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  17. ^ Kepner, Tyler (November 7, 2008). "Yankees Shuffle Their Coaching Staff". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  18. ^ Shpigel, Ben (June 20, 2011). "Nunez Fills In for Jeter With Hits, Errors, Hope". Bats. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  19. ^ Kerasotis, Peter (March 8, 2014). "Once Heir Apparent at Shortstop, Nunez Joins Crowd at Second and Third". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  20. ^ Martin, Dan (October 10, 2014). "Yankees fire hitting coach Kevin Long". New York Post. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  21. ^ "The Yankees have fired hitting coach Kevin Long and first base coach Mick Kelleher". Sports Illustrated. October 10, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  22. ^ Kuty, Brendan (October 20, 2014). "Ex-Yankees coach Mick Kelleher retiring". NJ.com. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  23. ^ Gleeman, Aaron (October 20, 2014). "Fired by the Yankees, Mick Kelleher is retiring". NBC Sports. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  24. ^ Waldstein, David (October 6, 2012). "A Graceful Swing That Bears Resemblance to Federer's". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
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Sporting positions
Preceded by New York Yankees First Base Coach
2009–2014 		Succeeded by
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