| Jeff Newman | |
|---|---|
_-_Modesto_A%2527s_-_1988.jpg) Newman in 1988 | |
| Catcher /First baseman /Coach | |
| Born: (1948-09-11)September 11, 1948 (age 77) Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 30, 1976, for the Oakland A's | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 7, 1984, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .224 |
| Home runs | 63 |
| Runs batted in | 233 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| As player As manager As coach | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Jeffrey Lynn Newman (born September 11, 1948) is an American former professional baseballcatcher andfirst baseman. Newman was drafted by theCleveland Indians in the 26th round of the1970 Major League Baseball Draft. He made hisMajor League Baseball (MLB) debut in 1976 and was an All-Star in 1979. He later served as the interim manager of theOakland Athletics in 1986.
Newman was born inFort Worth, Texas, and is Jewish.[1][2] He attendedPaschal High School, where he played baseball and basketball.[3] He later lived inDanville, California.[3]
Newman is a convert toJudaism, having in 1970converted in anOrthodox ceremony.[4][5][6][3] His son, Ryan, was aninfielder for three years in thePittsburgh Pirates' organization before becoming a coach for the 2005Gulf Coast League Pirates.
Newman was a History major atTexas Christian University, where he earned a B.S. in Education and also earnedAll-America honors as a third baseman in1968.[3][7] In his sophomore year after batting .350 he was All-Southwest Conference First Team and AllNCAA All-District First Team as well as NCAA All American Third Team, and in 1969 as a junior he batted .345, set university records in RBIs (44) and hits (57), and was All-Conference and All-District First Team.[7]
Newman was drafted by theCleveland Indians in the 26th round of the1970 Major League Baseball Draft.[3][7] Originally, Newman played first, third and theoutfield. He played for theGCL Indians of theGulf Coast League in 1970 (batting .313, leading the league in RBIs with 55, and tying for the league lead in home runs with six, while playing primarily first base), for theReno Silver Sox of theCalifornia League in 1971 (hitting 16 home runs in 234 at bats, while playing primarily outfield) and 1972 (hitting 20 home runs and 84 RBIs), and for theSan Antonio Brewers of theTexas League in 1972.[8][7] In 1974 he played for theOklahoma City 89ers of theAmerican Association and theSalt Lake City Angels of thePacific Coast League (batting .303), in 1975 he played for Salt Lake City and for theToledo Mud Hens of theInternational League, and in 1975 he again played for Toledo.[8]
He didn't begin catching until1972 with the Reno Silver Sox. He spent six seasons in the Indians'farm system,batting .259 with 73home runs and 333runs batted in when the Oakland A's purchased his contract in October1975.
Newman was called up to the majors in June1976, when he was 27 years old, and spent the rest of the season backing upGene Tenace behind the plate.[6] He backed upManny Sanguillén in1977, a season in which he threw out 51.8% of attempted base-stealers, third-best of all catchers in theAmerican League.[2] He then moved into aplatoon withJim Essian from1978 through1980, while also backing upDave Revering atfirst base.
He was batting .229 with 16 home runs and 52 RBIs when he was selected by ALmanagerBob Lemon as Oakland's sole representative at the1979 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.[9] For the season, he hit 22 home runs and drove in 71runs, both career highs.[2] He also threw out 46.8% of attempted base-stealers, fourth-best of all catchers in the American League.[2]
Newman was involved in the first of two bench-clearing brawls withLenny Randle and theSeattle Mariners on April 19,1981.[10] The A's won the first half of thestrike shortened season with a 37–23 record to return to the postseason for the first time since1975. In 1981 he also threw out 46.4% of attempted base-stealers, fifth-best of all catchers in the American League.[2] In his only career trip to the postseason, Newman wenthitless in nineplate appearances in theAmerican League Westdivision series andALCS.[2]
At the start of the December1982Winter Meetings, the A's sent Newman andoutfielderTony Armas to theBoston Red Sox forCarney Lansford,Garry Hancock, and minor leaguer Jerry King.[11]
When the Red Sox originally acquired Newman in 1982, it was with the intent that he would be the back-up toRich Gedman behind the plate. However, he soon fell to third in the depth chart behindGary Allenson. He was released duringspring training in April1985.[2]
Newman had perhaps his greatest hitting success againstWayne Garland, against whom he was 13–18 (.722) with two home runs, sixdoubles and awalk. He made his only appearance on the mound on September 14, 1977. Hepitched one scorelessinning, though hehit the first batter he faced (Hal McRae) with a pitch.[12]
| Seasons | Games | PA | AB | Runs | Hits | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | Avg. | Slg. | OBP | OPS | Fld% | CS% |
| 9 | 735 | 2290 | 2123 | 189 | 475 | 85 | 4 | 63 | 233 | 7 | 116 | 369 | .224 | .357 | .264 | .620 | .981 | 39% |
As soon as his playing days ended, Newman returned to the Oakland A's as managerJackie Moore'sbullpen coach. When Moore was fired as A's manager on June 28,1986, Newman was named interim manager prior to the hiring ofTony La Russa.[13] The A's went 2–8 under Newman. Through 2018, he was one of eight Jewish managers in MLB history.[14] The others wereGabe Kapler,Bob Melvin,Brad Ausmus,Norm Sherry, Harold “Lefty” Phillips,Lou Boudreau, andLipman Pike.[14] He remained a coach and manager with the A's at the minor league level through1991, being named theSouthern League's Manager of the Year in1989 while managing theHuntsville Stars to a win–loss percentage of .573.[8]
He wasMike Hargrove's third base coach with theCleveland Indians from1992–1999, and served as theBaltimore Orioles'bench coach in2000. He began wearing a tie for the first time in his career in2002, serving as a field assistant for the Commissioner's Office of Major League Baseball until joining theSeattle Mariners as third base coach in2005.[15] An August 2005Achilles injury requiring surgery prematurely ended his coaching career in Seattle.[16]