Michael Aloysius Kozicky (January 13, 1889 – July 9, 1971) was a major league baseball player and scout and a minor league manager.
Kozicky had a very brief major league career with the Cincinnati Reds. During the 1909 season, he was called up for two games and was used as a catcher. In the 1910 campaign, he saw action in a single game as a shortstop. In total, Kozicky had two hits in eight at bats for the major league club with a double, a run batted in and a walk.
Kozicky had a long minor league career with his best seasons coming at Reading. Playing first base for the Reading Coal Barons of the International League in 1919, he had a .335 batting average for the season. The newly renamed Reading Marines of 1920 were helped by Kozicky's stellar campaign. Now playing as a catcher, he hit .336 with 94 runs, 33 doubles, 11 triples, 22 home runs and a .575 slugging percentage.
Kozicky did some managing later in his minor league career including stints with the Virginia League Kinston Eagles and the New York–Penn League Binghamton Triplets.
Kozicky was a scout for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1961 to 1971.
Richard Benjamin Ferrell was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout, and executive. He played for 18 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1929 through 1947 for the St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox, and Washington Senators. His brother, Wes Ferrell, was a major league pitcher for 15 seasons, and they were teammates from 1933 through part of 1938 on the Red Sox and Senators. Following his three seasons in minor league baseball, he appealed to the Commissioner of Baseball to become a free agent, claiming that he was being held in the minors though he deserved promotion. The Commissioner agreed, and he was granted free agency; he signed with the St. Louis Browns.
Charles Leo "Gabby" Hartnett, also nicknamed "Old Tomato Face", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played almost his entire career in Major League Baseball as a catcher with the Chicago Cubs, from 1922 to 1940. He spent the final season of his career as a player-coach with the New York Giants in 1941. After his playing career, Hartnett continued his involvement in baseball as a coach and as a minor league manager.
Ted Lyle Simmons is an American former professional baseball player and coach. A switch-hitter, Simmons was a catcher for most of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the St. Louis Cardinals (1968–1980), the Milwaukee Brewers (1981–1985) and the Atlanta Braves (1986–1988). Although he was often overshadowed by his contemporary, Johnny Bench, Simmons is considered one of the best hitting catchers in MLB history. While his power numbers paled in comparison to Bench, Simmons still managed to hit for a higher batting average despite playing home games in a notoriously tough hitter's park.
Forrest Harrill "Smoky" Burgess was an American professional baseball catcher, pinch hitter, coach, and scout, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1949 to 1967. Burgess was selected as an All-Star in six seasons. He became known, later in his career, for his abilities as an elite pinch hitter, setting the MLB career record for career pinch-hits with 145. He stood 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) tall, weighing 245 pounds (111 kg). Burgess batted left-handed and threw right-handed. A statue of Burgess was unveiled in his hometown on November 9, 2024.
Bruce Edwin Benedict is an American former professional baseball player, coach and scout. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Atlanta Braves from 1978 to 1989.
Virgil Lawrence "Spud" Davis was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Davis' .308 career batting average ranks fourth all-time among major league catchers.
John Lester Moss was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the St. Louis Browns for the most significant portion of his career, and was a backup catcher almost all his career.
John David Wathan is an American former professional baseball catcher, manager, and coach. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals from 1976 to 1985. Wathan was a member of the world champion 1985 Kansas City Royals team.
James Wren "Zack" Taylor was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher with the Brooklyn Robins, Boston Braves, New York Giants, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, and again with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Although Taylor was not a powerful hitter, he sustained a lengthy career in the major leagues due to his valuable defensive abilities as a catcher. After his playing career, he became better known as the manager for the St. Louis Browns owned by Bill Veeck. His baseball career spanned 58 years.
Manuel De Jesus Sanguillén Magan is a Panamanian former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher in 1967 and from 1969 through 1980, most notably as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates teams that won five National League Eastern Division titles in six years between 1970 and 1975 and won the World Series in 1971 and 1979, twice over the Baltimore Orioles. He also played one season for the Oakland Athletics.
Harry Thomas Smith, was an English professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1901 to 1910.
Leron Lee is an American former professional left fielder. He played eight seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians and San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He then played eleven seasons in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball for the Lotte Orions, where he was a four-time All-Star and a four-time Best Nine Award-winner. His nephew Derrek Lee also played in the MLB.
John Hardin Stearns, nicknamed "Bad Dude", was an American professional baseball catcher and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the New York Mets from 1975 to 1984 after playing a single game for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1974.
Milton Scott May is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1970 to 1984 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, and San Francisco Giants.
Philip Anthony Roof is an American former professional baseball player, coach and minor league manager. He played for 15 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball in 1961 and from 1964 to 1977, most notably for the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics and the Minnesota Twins. Although Roof did not produce impressive offensive statistics, he excelled defensively as a catcher which enabled him to sustain a lengthy career in the major leagues due to his valuable defensive abilities. He was the first player acquired by the expansion Toronto Blue Jays.
John Beverley Gooch was an American professional baseball player, coach, minor league manager and scout. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1921 to 1933, most prominently for the Pittsburgh Pirates where he was a member of the 1925 World Series winning team. He also played for the Brooklyn Robins, Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox. After his playing career ended, Gooch continued to work as a baseball coach and minor league manager. In 1972, Gooch was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.
Christopher Michael Bando is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the 1980s, spending most of his career with the Cleveland Indians before playing for the Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics. He managed the Texas AirHogs of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball.
Kevin Patrick Pasley is a retired professional baseball player whose career spanned 12 seasons. For parts of four seasons, Pasley, a catcher, played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Seattle Mariners (1977–78). Over his career in the majors, he compiled a .254 batting average with eight runs scored, 31 hits, seven doubles, one home run, and nine runs batted in (RBIs). Pasley hit his only career major league home run in his final at-bat in the majors on October 1, 1978.
Alfred Chester Todd was an American professional baseball player, manager and scout. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1932 to 1943 for the Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Brooklyn Dodgers and Chicago Cubs. Todd threw and batted right-handed; he was listed as 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and 198 pounds (90 kg).
Charles Frederick "Boots" Day is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, and Montreal Expos. Day was bench coach for the Evansville Otters of the Frontier League.