Ron Karkovice | |
---|---|
Catcher | |
Born: Union Township, Union County, New Jersey, U.S. | August 8, 1963|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
August 17, 1986, for the Chicago White Sox | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 26, 1997, for the Chicago White Sox | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .221 |
Home runs | 96 |
Runs batted in | 335 |
Stats at Baseball Reference | |
Teams | |
Ronald Joseph Karkovice (born August 8,1963) is an American former professional baseball catcher.
Drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 1st round of the 1982 MLB amateur draft,Karkovice would make his Major League Baseball debut with the Chicago White Sox on August 17,1986,and appeared in his final game on September 26,1997. Based on Karkovice's great defensive prowess in throwing out baserunners attempting to steal bases,White Sox broadcaster Ken "Hawk" Harrelson nicknamed him "Officer Karkovice," jokingly warning opponents that the catcher would catch them stealing. [1]
When Karkovice was seven years old,his family moved to Florida after his father,who worked for United Airlines,was transferred. [2] He began playing baseball in Little League at age eight. Karkovice later attended Boone High School in Orlando,where he first started catching at 14, [3] and was teammates with Joe Oliver. [4] He was named to the 1982 ABCA/Rawlings High School All-America First Team. [5] Karkovice was inducted into Boone's Hall of Fame in 2004. [6]
Karkovice was one of the best fielding catchers in the Major Leagues during his time with the White Sox. For his career,he threw out 41% of base stealers. In 1993,he threw out 54% of them.
On August 30,1990,Karkovice hit an inside-the-park grand slam off of Minnesota Twins pitcher David West at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. [7] [8]
In 2001 Karkovice managed the Gulf Coast League Royals. He then coached the First Academy baseball team in Orlando in an assistant capacity,before moving on as head coach for Pine Castle Christian Academy. [9] From 2009 to 2011,Karkovice served as hitting coach for the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. [10] In 2012,Karkovice was named bench coach for the Camden Riversharks,another Atlantic League team. [11] He was promoted to manager of the club the next year. [12]
He is married to Kimberly Fuller Karkovice.[ citation needed ]
In the 1990s,Karkovice was an early investor in Stix Baseball,a baseball bat manufacturer that was eventually bought by Easton. [13]
Karkovice opened Ronnie's Big League Deli in Orlando in November 2003. [4]
Professional baseball pitcher Jake Brigham is Karkovice's nephew. [14]
This article needs to be updated.(April 2023) |
Robert Raymond Boone is an American former catcher and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) who was a four-time All-Star.
John Sherman Lollar Jr. was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1946 to 1963, most prominently as a member of the Chicago White Sox where he was a perennial All-Star player and was an integral member of the 1959 American League pennant-winning team.
Paul Henry Konerko is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman from 1997 to 2014, most prominently as a member of the Chicago White Sox, where he was a six-time American League All-Star and team captain for the 2005 World Series winning team. Konerko began his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds. In 2014, Konerko was named the recipient of the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award.
Jon Steven Garland is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. After being drafted by the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB) in 1997, Garland played for the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Colorado Rockies.
Toby Jason Hall is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2000 to 2008, primarily with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Listed at 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) and 205 pounds (93 kg), he batted and threw right-handed.
Christopher Jon Widger is an American professional baseball coach and former catcher who is currently the manager for the Sussex County Miners of the Frontier League. He played for the Seattle Mariners, Montreal Expos (1997-2000), New York Yankees (2002), St. Louis Cardinals (2003), Chicago White Sox (2005-2006), and Baltimore Orioles (2006).
Alberto Terrero Castillo is a Dominican former professional baseball catcher. Castillo was born in San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic. Between 1995 and 2007, Castillo played for the New York Mets (1995–1998), St. Louis Cardinals (1999), Toronto Blue Jays (2000–2001), San Francisco Giants (2003), Kansas City Royals (2004–2005), Oakland Athletics (2005), and Baltimore Orioles (2007). He batted and threw right-handed.
Joseph Melton Oliver is an American former professional baseball catcher. During a 19-year professional playing career, Oliver played parts of 13 seasons in MLB for seven different teams during 1989–2001, and was a member of the World Series-winning 1990 Cincinnati Reds. He later managed in Minor League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox organization from 2014 through 2020, and in collegiate summer baseball in 2021 and 2022. As a player, Oliver was listed at 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) and 215 pounds (98 kg); he batted and threw right-handed.
Geovany Soto is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher. He played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), most prominently as a member of the Chicago Cubs, where he appeared in the MLB All-Star Game and was named the National League Rookie of the Year in 2008. He also played for the Texas Rangers, the Oakland Athletics, the Los Angeles Angels and the Chicago White Sox.
Michael Brent Abernathy is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2001 to 2003 for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Kansas City Royals, and again in 2005 for the Minnesota Twins.
José Guillermo Morales is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher. He played stints in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Minnesota Twins and Colorado Rockies between 2007 and 2011. He played for the Camden Riversharks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.
Kevin Michael Walker is an American former relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, and Chicago White Sox. The native of Irving, Texas, was listed as 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) tall and 190 pounds (86 kg) during his pitching career; he threw and batted left-handed. He most recently served as bullpen coach for the Boston Red Sox.
Cole Tyler Flowers is an American former professional baseball catcher. Flowers was drafted by the Braves in the 33rd round of the 2005 MLB draft. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox from 2009, when he made his MLB debut, to 2015 and for the Atlanta Braves from 2016 to 2020.
William Patrick McGuire is an American former professional baseball catcher for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Alexander Thomas Avila is an American former professional baseball catcher. Between 2009 and 2021 he played for the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks and Minnesota Twins and Washington Nationals. Avila is the son of former Tigers general manager Al Avila.
Leury García is a Dominican professional baseball utility player who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox. While primarily used as an infielder and center fielder, Garcia has experience at every position except catcher and first base.
Pedro Orlando Grifol is an American former professional baseball catcher and coach. He is the former manager for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He also served in various coaching roles for the Kansas City Royals in both their minor league system and at the MLB level.
Yoán Manuel Moncada Olivera is a Cuban professional baseball third baseman who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox. He made his MLB debut for the Red Sox in 2016, and was traded to the White Sox during the 2016–2017 offseason. He is one of the first active MLB players to represent the Cuban national team in international competition.
Adam Donald Haseley is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox. The Phillies selected him with the eighth overall selection in the first round of the 2017 MLB draft. Haseley made his major league debut in 2019 and played for the Phillies through 2021.
Adley Stan Rutschman is an American professional baseball catcher for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the Oregon State Beavers. He was named the Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year in 2019. The Orioles selected Rutschman with the first overall selection in the 2019 MLB draft, and he signed for $8.1 million, at the time the highest MLB draft signing bonus ever. Rutschman made his MLB debut in 2022 and is a two-time All-Star.