Andy Etchebarren
Andrew Auguste Etchebarren
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 1", Weight 197 lb.
- High School La Puente High School
- Debut September 26, 1962
- Final Game April 20, 1978
- Born June 20, 1943 in Whittier, CA USA
- Died October 5, 2019 in Santee, SC USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Andy Etchebarren had a long career in the majors, playing no position other than catcher in his 15 seasons. All of his career came in the American League, and most of it was with the Baltimore Orioles, who won the 1966 World Series and 1970 World Series as well as reaching the 1969 and 1971 World Series.
Playing Career[edit]
After a couple seasons in the minors, the Basque-American broke into the majors at age 19, one of the youngest players in the league, for a couple games. After some more seasoning in the minors, he was named to the All-Star team in 1966 and 1967, when he was 23 and 24 years old. Etchebarren suffered broken right metacarpals in both 1966 and 1968. When Clay Dalrymple joined the Orioles in 1969, he got Andy to switch mitts and avoid reaching in with his right hand while receiving.
Etchebarren and platoon partner Elrod Hendricks both excelled when it came to working with the great Baltimore pitching staffs. His lifetime batting average of .235 seems low until one realizes that it was compiled during the heart of the second dead-ball era. For example: in 1968, when he hit .233, the team average was .225, the league average was .230, and the Orioles won 91 games. He also knew how to draw a walk, with a lifetime on-base percentage 71 points higher than his batting average.
The California Angels purchased the contract of Etchebarren from the Orioles in early 1975. He was a player/coach with the Angels in 1977 before playing 4 games with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1978.
There is a story that he once saved Frank Robinson's life in 1966, during Frank's Triple Crown year. Robinson was attending a lively party and fell into the pool but didn't know how to swim, so Etchebarren pulled him out.
His first baseball card appearance was in the 1966 Topps set.
Coaching Career[edit]
Etchebarren returned via coaching in 1982, as he became the Brewers minor league catching instructor, a position he held until 1984. He was promoted to the Brewers big league club, as he was named first base coach in 1985, a position he also held in 1986 and 1987. Etchebarren later became the bench coach under manager Tom Trebelhorn in 1988, where he worked with then-catcher B.J. Surhoff, then returned to coaching first base from 1989 to 1991.
Etchebarren became manager of the Bluefield Orioles in 1993, leading them to a first-place tie. He led Bluefield to a second-place finish in 1994. The success continued in 1995 as Etchebarren led the team back to first place. He was promoted to the Baltimore Orioles to become the bench coach, a position he held in 1996 and 1997, working with former teammate Davey Johnson, who was the team's manager.
Etchebarren returned to the Bluefield Orioles as manager in 1998, going 33-34. He was promoted to the Class A Frederick Keys, leading them to a 67-71 in 1999. The Orioles promoted Etchebarren once again, naming him manager of the Double A Bowie Baysox where he spent 2000. Once again, Etchebarren was promoted to the Triple A Rochester Red Wings, serving as their manager in 2001 and 2002. The Orioles named Etchebarren their roving minor league catching instructor in 2003, a position he held until 2006.
He once again returned to managing, as the Orioles named him the 2005 manager of the Class A Aberdeen Ironbirds. The Orioles fired him after the 2007 season, after which he left organized baseball. He was a coach for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in 2008-2009, then became a manager in the Atlantic League for the York Revolution.
The Revolution announced that Etchebarren had passed away on October 5, 2019 in Santee, SC. He was 76. He had settled in South Carolina in his later years, but some sources mistakenly listed the better-known town of Santee, CA as his place of death.
Notable Achievements[edit]
- 2-time AL All-Star (1966 & 1967)
- Won two World Series with the Baltimore Orioles (1966 & 1970)
Year-by-Year Managerial Record[edit]
Sources[edit]
- 2007 Orioles Information And Record Book
We're Social...for Statheads
Every Sports Reference Social Media Account
Site Last Updated:
Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction?
Subscribe to our Free Email Newsletter
Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREE
Your All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database
Do you have a sports website? Or write about sports? We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Find out more.