Bob Geren
Robert Peter Geren
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 3", Weight 221 lb.
- High School Clairemont High School
- Debut May 17, 1988
- Final Game July 26, 1993
- Born September 22, 1961 in San Diego, CA USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Bob Geren has had a long baseball career as a major and minor league player, and as a major league coach and minor league manager and was most recently the manager of the Oakland Athletics.
Born in San Diego, CA, Geren was San Diego's High School Baseball Player of the Year as a senior. He was signed as a first-round draft pick by his hometown San Diego Padres and scout Bob Fontaine Jr. in the 1979 amateur draft, and was later traded to the the St. Louis Cardinals. He didn't break into the majors until he was 26, making his big league debut with the New York Yankees in 1988.
Geren played with the Yankees at a time when the Yankees were not very competitive. His best year was 1989, when he hit .288 in 205 at-bats with 9 home runs. The following season, 1990, he was the Yankees' primary catcher but only hit .213.
Geren was back in the minors in 1992 in the Boston Red Sox organization, and then played in 1993 with the San Diego Padres. Although he had only 5 seasons in the majors, his professional playing days lasted 15 years.
After his playing career ended, Geren managed in the Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics farm systems. In 1999, he was California League Manager of the Year. His lifetime minor league managerial record is 452-390, although he never won a post-season series (his team had a 1st round bye in 1999). Geren was also the Red Sox minor league roving catching instructor in 1994 and 1997.
He became an A's coach in 2003. He was bullpen coach until 2005, and bench coach in 2006. Geren was promoted to manager of the Athletics for the 2007 season. The A's never finished with a record better than .500 during his 4+ seasons at the helm, in spite of some good pitching performances. He was dismissed on June 9, 2011 with the club in last place and was replaced by veteran manager Bob Melvin. After his firing, he was criticized by a number of current and former players, such as closers Huston Street and Brian Fuentes, for his lack of communications.
In 2012, he was named bench coach for the New York Mets, staying until their appearance in the 2015 World Series. He then moved on to the Los Angeles Dodgers as bench coach starting in 2016 and until 2022. In 2023, his title was major league field coordinator.
Geren also has some international coaching experience. He managed Tigres del Licey during the 2001/2002 Dominican League season. In 2005/2006 he led the Leones del Escogido squad until he was fired on January 3, 2006. The Dominican is very much a "what have you done for me lately" place to manage.
His main teammates were Steve Sax, Roberto Kelly, Jesse Barfield, Don Mattingly, Lee Guetterman, Alvaro Espinoza and Mel Hall.
Notable Achievements[edit]
Preceded by Ken Macha |
Oakland Athletics Manager 2007-2011 |
Succeeded by Bob Melvin |
Year-by-Year Managerial Record[edit]
Year | Team | League | Record | Finish | Organization | Playoffs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | Utica Blue Sox | New York-Penn League | 33-40 | 11th | Boston Red Sox | |
1996 | GCL Red Sox | Gulf Coast League | 24-36 | 14th | Boston Red Sox | |
1998 | Sarasota Red Sox | Florida State League | 76-61 | 5th | Boston Red Sox | |
1999 | Modesto A's | California League | 88-52 | 1st | Oakland A's | Lost in 2nd round |
2000 | Sacramento River Cats | Pacific Coast League | 90-54 | 2nd | Oakland A's | Lost in 1st round |
2001 | Sacramento River Cats | Pacific Coast League | 75-69 | 5th | Oakland A's | Lost in 1st round |
2002 | Sacramento River Cats | Pacific Coast League | 66-78 | 14th | Oakland A's | |
2007 | Oakland Athletics | American League | 76-86 | 3rd | Oakland Athletics | |
2008 | Oakland Athletics | American League | 75-86 | 3rd | Oakland Athletics | |
2009 | Oakland Athletics | American League | 75-87 | 4th | Oakland Athletics | |
2010 | Oakland Athletics | American League | 81-81 | 2nd | Oakland Athletics | |
2011 | Oakland Athletics | American League | 27-36 | -- | Oakland Athletics | Replaced by Bob Melvin on June 9 |
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