| Bob Henley | |
|---|---|
_(51102629630)_(cropped).png) Henley with the Nationals in 2021 | |
| San Diego Padres | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: (1973-01-30)January 30, 1973 (age 53) Mobile, Alabama, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 19, 1998, for the Montreal Expos | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 26, 1998, for the Montreal Expos | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .304 |
| Home runs | 3 |
| Runs batted in | 18 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Robert Clifton Henley (born January 30, 1973) is an American professionalbaseballcatcher,coach, andmanager. He currently serves as the third base coach for theSan Diego Padres ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). A longtime member of theWashington Nationals organization, he was promoted to Major League third-base coach on the staff of new Nationals' managerMatt Williams on November 19, 2013.[1]
During his active career (1993–1999; 2002), Henley threw and batted right-handed; he stood 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall and weighed 190 pounds (86 kg). He graduated fromMobile County High School inGrand Bay, Alabama, and was selected in the 26th round by theMontreal Expos (predecessors to the Nationals) in the1991 Major League Baseball draft.[2] Fighting persistent injuries, Henley broke into pro baseball in 1993, then progressed through the Montrealfarm system,batting over .300 twice.
In1998, he saw his only Major League service. He spent the early part of the season on thedisabled list, and then appeared in 50 minor league games with theTriple-AOttawa Lynx and the Single-AJupiter Hammerheads before making his MLB debut as a defensive replacement in the eighthinning of a 6–1 loss to thePittsburgh Pirates on July 19 atOlympic Stadium. Hewalked in his first MLBplate appearance,[3] and, the following day, when he started against thePhiladelphia Phillies, hesingled offCurt Schilling in his first officialat bat.[4]
Henley would appear in 41 games, starting 30 at catcher, for the1998 Expos, as he andMike Hubbard backed up regularChris Widger. He amassed 35hits and 11 walks in 132 plate appearances, batting .304 and collecting three homers (offPedro Astacio,Kirt Ojala andBobby Jones) and eightdoubles. On September 25, his penultimate appearance of the season, Henley went 4-for-4 with two doubles and threeruns batted in against theSt. Louis Cardinals.[5]
But 1998 would be his only Major League season, and his last full season as an active player. Beset by elbow miseries, he played in only two minor league games in 1999 and missed the 2000 and 2001 campaigns completely. Released by the Expos, he got into one minor league game with the Single-AHickory Crawdads, aPittsburgh Pirates affiliate, in 2002 before retiring from the field.
Henley rejoined the Montreal system in2003 as manager of the rookie-levelGulf Coast League Expos, and remained in the organization after the Expos relocated to Washington, D.C., in2005, managing at the Rookie and Single-A levels through 2009, and serving as the Nationals' field coordinator of minor league instruction from 2010 to 2013, leading to his promotion to Williams' staff.[6] He was fired with Williams and the rest of the coaching staff after the 2015 season,[7] but was rehired to serve under new managerDusty Baker.[8] His contract expired after the 2017 season,[9] but Henley was again rehired as third base coach, becoming the only holdover from Baker's coaching staff to join the new staff headed by managerDave Martinez.[10] On October 10, 2021, Henley was removed from his major league role but remained in the organization in a player development role.[11]
On July 8, 2025, following the firing of Martinez, Henley was re-hired to the Nationals' coaching staff as the team's major league field coordinator.[12]
On December 9, 2025, theSan Diego Padres hired Henley to serve as the team's third base coach under new managerCraig Stammen.[13]
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | GCL Expos manager 2003 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Savannah Sand Gnats manager 2004 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Potomac Nationals manager 2005 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | GCL Nationals manager 2006-2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Washington Nationals third base coach 2014–2019 2021 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Washington Nationals first base coach 2020 | Succeeded by |