| John Tamargo | |
|---|---|
Tamargo with theLansing Lugnuts in 2012 | |
| Catcher /Coach | |
| Born: (1951-11-07)November 7, 1951 (age 74) Tampa, Florida, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 3, 1976, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 5, 1980, for the Montreal Expos | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .242 |
| Home runs | 4 |
| Runs batted in | 33 |
| Stats atBaseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| As player As coach | |
John Felix Tamargo (born November 7, 1951) is an American former professional baseballcatcher, coach, and long-timeminor leaguemanager. He played all or part of five seasons in the majors from1976 until1980. He currently serves as the Latin America Field Coordinator for theSeattle Mariners organization.[1]
Tamargo was drafted out ofTampa Catholic High School by theNew York Yankees in1969, but did not sign, choosing instead to attendGeorgia Southern University. He was drafted three more times in the next two years, but did not sign with a team until being drafted by theSt. Louis Cardinals in the 6th round of the1973 Major League Baseball draft. He made his major league debut with the Cardinals on September 3, 1976. He played in just 20 games with St. Louis from 1976 to 1978.
In July, 1978,San Francisco Giants catcherMike Sadek was injured, and they acquired Tamargo from the Cardinals as a replacement. He spent the rest of the season with the Giants, splitting time with starting catcherMarc Hill. He started the 1979 season with the Giants, but was traded to theMontreal Expos on June 13. He was initially assigned to the minor leagueDenver Bears, but returned to the majors in August, but appeared in just 12 games over the remainder of the season.
Tamargo spent the entire 1980 season with the Expos, the only full season he spent in the major leagues. Serving as backup to future Hall of FamerGary Carter, he appeared in 37 games, batting .275. The following season he spent the entire season back with the Bears, his last season as a player.
Following his playing career, Tamargo has had a lengthy career as a minor league manager, starting in1982 with the independentMiami Marlins. He then joined theNew York Mets organization, for which he worked from1983 until1996 in various capacities. In1994, he managed theBinghamton Mets to the championship of theEastern League.
In1997, Tamargo moved theHouston Astros organization, managing theKissimmee Cobras. The next season,1998, he won his second championship as a manager with theNew Orleans Zephyrs of thePacific Coast League. From1999 until2004, he was a coach for the MLBHouston Astros. In2005 and2007, he managed theBrevard County Manatees in theMilwaukee Brewers organization, and in2006 he managed theDurham Bulls, a farm team of theTampa Bay Devil Rays.
On January 13,2009, Tamargo was named the manager of theEverett AquaSox in theSeattle Mariners organization.[2] He was named manager of the Class-AClinton LumberKings of theMidwest League after the '09 season.[3] During the2010 season, his sonJohn Jr. served as hitting coach of theLansing Lugnuts, which played in the same league. The two managed against each other in one game when John Jr. served as the Lugnuts acting manager.[4] His son was promoted to manager of the Lugnuts before the 2012 season, and was named hitting coach of theDunedin Blue Jays prior to the 2015 season.[5]
Tamargo was named to his current position as Latin America Field Coordinator after the 2010 season.
| Preceded by | Binghamton Mets Manager 1994–1996 | Succeeded by |