Scott Cooper | |
---|---|
Third baseman | |
Born: St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | October 13, 1967|
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
Professional debut | |
MLB: September 5, 1990, for the Boston Red Sox | |
NPB: March 30, 1996, for the Seibu Lions | |
Last appearance | |
NPB: August 8, 1996, for the Seibu Lions | |
MLB: September 28, 1997, for the Kansas City Royals | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .265 |
Home runs | 33 |
Runs batted in | 211 |
NPB statistics | |
Batting average | .243 |
Home runs | 7 |
Runs batted in | 27 |
Stats at Baseball Reference | |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
Scott Kendrick Cooper (born October 13,1967) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox,St. Louis Cardinals,and Kansas City Royals,and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Seibu Lions.
Cooper attended Pattonville High School in nearby Maryland Heights,Missouri,where he was a standout at baseball, [1] and played on their 1986 state championship team. [2] He was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the third round of the 1986 MLB draft.
Cooper rose through the Red Sox minor league system,playing for the Elmira Pioneers (1986),Greensboro Hornets (1987),Lynchburg Red Sox (1988),New Britain Red Sox (1989),and Pawtucket Red Sox (1990–1991).
Cooper made his major league debut with the Red Sox on September 5,1990,as the Red Sox hosted the Oakland Athletics at Fenway Park. Appearing for Carlos Quintana as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning of a 10–0 A's win,Cooper struck out looking,which was his only MLB at bat that season. [3]
Appearing in 14 games with Boston in 1991,Cooper hit .457 (16-for-35) with seven RBI. His first MLB hit came September 12,1991,as a pinch hitter for Jody Reed,singling off New York Yankees pitcher Rich Monteleone in the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium. [4] He picked up the first of his 33 career home runs on September 4,1992,hitting a solo shot off A's star Dave Stewart in Oakland. [5]
With future Hall of Fame third baseman Wade Boggs playing for the Red Sox,Cooper struggled to find time on the active roster and in ballgames. In 1992,Cooper played 62 games at first base;in 123 total games that season,he hit .276 with five home runs and 33 RBI over 337 at bats. When Boggs signed with the Yankees as a free agent in the offseason,Cooper became the starting third baseman and was selected to two All-Star teams.
Cooper's Red Sox career —the most productive seasons of his career —ended when he and reliever Cory Bailey were traded to the St. Louis Cardinals on April 9,1995,for pitcher Rhéal Cormier and outfielder Mark Whiten.
On April 12,1994,Cooper hit for the cycle in a 22–11 victory over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. [6] Batting seventh and playing third base,Cooper hit a two-run double off Kevin Appier in the first inning,homered in the third inning,tripled off Hipólito Pichardo in the fifth inning (Cooper was called out at the plate trying to stretch it into an inside-the-park home run),reached on an error in sixth inning,hit another two-run double in the seventh inning off Jeff Montgomery,and singled in the ninth inning off infielder-turned-pitcher David Howard. [7] Cooper hit the 18th cycle in Red Sox history,and was the first player to do so since Mike Greenwell in 1988. [8]
In 1993 and 1994,Cooper was the lone Red Sox player named to the American League All-Star teams.
In 1993,Cooper entered the game as a replacement for former teammate Wade Boggs at third base in the sixth inning of the All-Star game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Cooper went 0-for-2,hitting a flyout to left field off Steve Avery in the sixth inning and striking out against Rod Beck in the seventh inning. [9]
In 1994,Cooper again came into the game for Boggs in the sixth inning of the Midsummer Classic,which was played at Three Rivers Stadium that year. Cooper went 1-for-2 with a run scored and a RBI in the exhibition game. In the seventh inning,Cooper hit a RBI double off Danny Jackson in the seventh inning and grounded out to second base off reliever Randy Myers in the ninth inning. [10]
Cooper went 1-for-4 with a double,a run scored and a RBI in his two All-Star game appearances.
Cooper's Cardinals career got off to a good start when he made his debut with St. Louis on April 26,1995,in a 7–6 Cards win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Busch Stadium. [11] Hitting in the cleanup spot,Cooper went 3-for-5 in his Cardinals debut and hit a two-run walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to secure the St. Louis victory. [12] He finished the day with one run scored and four RBI. He continued to hit well early in the season,having a .302 average on May 25 only to finish the year with a .230 average,three homers,40 RBI and 29 runs over 118 games. While he struggled in 1995,Cooper was paid a career-high $1,525,000 for the season.
Cooper filed for free agency at the end of the season but found himself without a job in MLB for 1996,instead signing a one-year deal with the Seibu Lions in Japan.
Unable to find a job in Major League Baseball in 1996,Cooper signed on with the Seibu Lions of the Pacific League in Japan. [13] [14] Appearing in 81 games with the Lions,Cooper hit .243 with seven home runs,27 RBI and 27 runs scored. It was with the Lions that he was given the nickname "Super Duper Cooper Scooper" in recognition of his tremendous defense.
On December 16,1996,Cooper signed with the Kansas City Royals,earning $375,000 for the season. In 1996,the Royals had finished last in American League Central division at 75–86,24 games behind the Cleveland Indians. Cooper was signed just three days after the Royals traded incumbent third baseman Joe Randa and three other players to the Pittsburgh Pirates for infielders Jay Bell and Jeff King. Cooper went to spring training as a non-roster invitee, [15] and made the team.
Cooper hit just .201 with three home runs,15 RBI and 12 runs over 159 at bats in 75 games for the 1997 Royals. By the end of the season,Cooper was primarily a defensive replacement and pinch hitter. In the last two games of his career,he appeared as a defensive replacement at third base without getting an at bat. His final MLB at bat came September 26,1997,at Comiskey Park,striking out as a pinch hitter against Chicago White Sox lefty Jim Abbott.
A free agent at season's end,Cooper signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers, [16] but was released in March 1998, [17] without appearing in a game with the club.
In 1999,Cooper was named head coach of the Fontbonne College baseball team. [18] He led the team for several seasons,and was named coach of the year for the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) in 2003. [19] In 2005,Cooper became part-owner of a baseball training facility in the St. Louis area. [20] In 2007,Cooper joined the staff of the St. Louis Gamers,a baseball program for 10 to 18 year-old players. [21]
Édgar Enrique Rentería Herazo,nicknamed "the Barranquilla Baby",is a Colombian former professional baseball shortstop. He threw and batted right-handed. He played for the Florida Marlins,St. Louis Cardinals,Boston Red Sox,Atlanta Braves,Detroit Tigers,San Francisco Giants,and Cincinnati Reds.
Richard Leo Gedman is an American professional baseball coach and former catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox (1980–1990),Houston Astros (1990–1991),and St. Louis Cardinals (1991–1992). He currently serves as hitting coach with the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox of the International League. Listed at 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) and 210 pounds (95 kg),he batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
The following are the baseball events of the year 2004 throughout the world.
The 1967 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1967 season. The 64th edition of the World Series,it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Boston Red Sox and the National League (NL) champion St. Louis Cardinals. In a rematch of the 1946 World Series,the Cardinals won in seven games for their second championship in four years and their eighth overall. The Series was played from October 4 to 12 at Fenway Park and Busch Memorial Stadium. It was the first World Series since 1948 that did not feature the Yankees,Dodgers,or Giants.
The 1946 World Series was played in October 1946 between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox. This was the Red Sox's first appearance in a World Series since their championship of 1918.
The following are the baseball events of the year 2002 throughout the world.
Fernando Gabriel Tatís Medina Sr. is a Dominican former professional baseball third baseman who is the manager of the Estrellas Orientales of the Dominican Professional Baseball League. Over his 11-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career,Tatís played for the Texas Rangers,St. Louis Cardinals,Montreal Expos,Baltimore Orioles,and New York Mets. He holds the major league record for runs batted in (RBI) in an inning,a feat that he achieved by hitting two grand slams in one inning during a game on April 23,1999,becoming the only player in MLB history to do so. His son,Fernando Jr.,plays for the San Diego Padres.
James Leroy Thomas was an American first baseman and right fielder,coach and front-office executive in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for six teams from 1961 to 1968,most notably the Los Angeles Angels,then went on to a successful tenure as general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. Traded to the Angels one month after the expansion franchise began play in 1961,he tied for third in Rookie of the Year voting after batting .285 with 24 home runs and 70 runs batted in (RBI),primarily playing in the outfield. The following year,he was named to the American League (AL) All-Star team after shifting to first base,and appeared in both All-Star games played that year as a pinch hitter and late-inning defensive replacement. He finished the year with career highs in batting (.290),home runs (26) and RBI (104),but a sharp decline in 1963 led to his being traded to the Boston Red Sox in mid-1964,the first of four trades before the 1968 season.
Brandon Douglas Moss is an American former professional baseball outfielder and first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox,Pittsburgh Pirates,Philadelphia Phillies,Oakland Athletics,Cleveland Indians,St. Louis Cardinals,and Kansas City Royals.
Brandon Emil Phillips is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians,Cincinnati Reds,Atlanta Braves,Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox. At 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) and 211 pounds (96 kg),Phillips batted and threw right-handed.
The following are the baseball events of the year 2007 throughout the world.
George Michael "Catfish" Metkovich was an American outfielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox (1943–46),Cleveland Indians (1947),Chicago White Sox (1949),Pittsburgh Pirates (1951–53),Chicago Cubs (1953) and Milwaukee Braves (1954). Born in Angels Camp,California,to Croatian parents,Metkovich earned his nickname when he stepped on a catfish during a fishing trip and cut his foot;the injury and ensuing infection caused him to miss several games.
The 1985 Boston Red Sox season was the 85th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished fifth in the American League East with a record of 81 wins and 81 losses,18+1⁄2 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays.
Julio Cesar Lugo was a Dominican professional baseball shortstop. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros,Tampa Bay Devil Rays,Los Angeles Dodgers,Boston Red Sox,St. Louis Cardinals,Baltimore Orioles,and Atlanta Braves. He was the elder brother of pitcher Ruddy Lugo.
The 1960 Major League Baseball season was played from April 12 to October 13,1960. It was the final season contested by 16 clubs and the final season that a 154-game schedule was played in both the American League and the National League. The AL began using the 162-game schedule the following season,with the NL following suit in 1962.
Glen David"Rip"Russell was an American infielder in Major League Baseball,playing mainly as a first baseman for two different teams between the 1939 and 1947 seasons. Listed at 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and 180 pounds (82 kg),Russell batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Los Angeles,California.
Mitchell Austin Moreland,nicknamed "2-Bags",is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers,Boston Red Sox,San Diego Padres,and Oakland Athletics. Moreland attended Mississippi State University and was drafted by the Rangers as a first baseman and outfielder in the 17th round of the 2007 MLB draft. Listed at 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) and 230 pounds (100 kg),Moreland both batted and threw left-handed.
The 2013 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2013 season. The 109th edition of the World Series,it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Boston Red Sox and the National League (NL) champion St. Louis Cardinals;the Red Sox won,4 games to 2 to win their eighth championship. The Red Sox had home field advantage for the series,based on the AL's win in the 2013 MLB All-Star Game on July 16. This was the first World Series since 1999 to feature both number one seeds from the AL and NL. The Series started on October 23,2013,ending with Game 6 on October 30,2013.
Rafael Devers Calcaño is a Dominican professional baseball third baseman for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2017. Devers won the 2018 World Series in his first full season with the Red Sox. He has also won the Silver Slugger Award in 2021 and 2023 and was an All-Star in 2021,2022,and 2024.
Ramón Francisco Urías Figueroa is a Mexican professional baseball infielder for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2020.