| Greg Colbrunn | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Colbrunn with theRockford Exposc. 1988 | |
| First baseman | |
| Born: (1969-07-26)July 26, 1969 (age 55) Fontana, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 9, 1992, for the Montreal Expos | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 28, 2004, for the Arizona Diamondbacks | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .289 |
| Home runs | 98 |
| Runs batted in | 422 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
As player
As coach | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Gregory Joseph Colbrunn (born July 26, 1969) is an American formerMajor Leaguebaseball player andhitting coach. Primarily afirst baseman during his active career, theFontana, California, native played in the Major Leagues for 13 seasons (1992–2004) and seven different teams. He threw and batted right-handed and was listed at 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and 190 pounds (86 kg). He served as theBoston Red Sox hitting coach during the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
Colbrunn graduated fromFontana High School and was selected by theMontreal Expos in the sixth round of the1987 Major League Baseball draft, turning down a scholarship fromStanford University to begin hisprofessional baseball career.[1] Despite missing the entire 1991 season with an injury, he rose through the Montrealfarm system and made his MLB debut with the Expos on July 9, 1992, andsingled in his firstat bat offFrancisco Oliveras of theSan Francisco Giants.[2]
After his debut with Montreal, Colbrunn would also play for theFlorida Marlins,Minnesota Twins,Colorado Rockies,Atlanta Braves,Arizona Diamondbacks andSeattle Mariners. Hebatted over .300 five times during his Major League career, and had his most successful seasons with the Marlins and Diamondbacks, exceeding the 100-games played mark in1995,1996 and2000. He set personal bests inhome runs (23) andruns batted in (89) for the1995 Marlins, and amassed 146hits for the Marlins in both1995 and1996. He batted .310 in 334 career games with the D-Backs, with a career-high .333 mark during part-time duty in2002. Hehit for the cycle on September 18, 2002, against theSan Diego Padres.[3]
Colbrunn was part of the Diamondbacks' victorious2001 World Series team, starting at first base in Game 6 and collecting two singles in five at bats, with abase on balls, tworuns scored and one RBI, in Arizona's 15–2 thrashing of theNew York Yankees.
In his 13-season MLB career, Colbrunn batted .289; his 801 career hits included 155doubles, 12triples and 98 homers.
After his playing career ended in 2005, Colbrunn became a coach in the Yankees' organization, serving as the hitting instructor for theCharleston RiverDogs of the Single-ASouth Atlantic League from 2007 to 2009 and 2011 to 2012.[4] In 2010, Colbrunnmanaged the RiverDogs to a 65–74 (.468) record.[5]
Then, following the2012 season, Colbrunn joined the coaching staff of new Red Sox managerJohn Farrell as primary batting instructor. Under his guidance, the2013 Red Sox led the Major Leagues in runs scored (853), runs per game (5.27),slugging percentage (.446),on-base percentage (.349),on-base plus slugging (.795),total bases (2,521) andextra-base hits (570).[1] The Red Sox won theAmerican League East Division title, theAmerican Leaguepennant and the2013 World Series.
Colbrunn returned to Farrell's staff for2014. On June 4, he was compelled to take a medical leave of absence after he suffered acerebral hemorrhage during the Red Sox' road trip toCleveland, Ohio, and was hospitalized in theCleveland Clinic.[6] He returned to his duties on a part-time basis on June 30.[7] However, the2014 Red Sox struggled offensively all season long, finishing at or near the bottom of the American League in almost every category, including runs scored (12th, with 634).[8] After the 2014 season concluded, Colbrunn stepped down from his position with the Red Sox and declined another assignment within the organization.[8]
Colbrunn, a resident of nearbyMount Pleasant, South Carolina,[1] then returned to the Yankees' organization and theCharleston RiverDogs as their batting coach for 2015–16.[9] In2017, the Yankees promoted him to roving minor league hitting coordinator, but he returned to being the hitting coach for the 2019 Charleston team, in order to be closer to his family.[10]
| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Hitting for the cycle September 18, 2002 | Succeeded by |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by | Boston Red Soxhitting coach 2013–2014 | Succeeded by |