Dave Stockstill

David Alvin Stockstill

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.
• School John Brown University
• High School Hurley High School

• Born August 4, 1957 in Springfield, MO USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Dave Stockstill played 14 straight seasons in AAA without ever making the majors. He later was a manager and coach in the minors before going into the Baltimore Orioles' front office. His brother John Stockstill also has been involved in baseball for many years.

Amateur career and Cubs system

Stockstill was all-state in both baseball and basketball in high school. In college, he made NAIA All-American twice while playing for Wally Moon. He began his pro career in the Chicago Cubs chain in 1978, appearing for the GCL Cubs (11 for 34, 5 walks, 2 doubles, 9 runs in 9 games) and the Pompano Beach Cubs (.250/.358/.356 in 58 G).

Dave starred for the 1979 Wausau Timbers with 88 runs, 27 home runs, 101 RBI, 84 walks and a batting line of .283/.393/.540. He also had 20 assists to tie for the lead among Midwest League outfielders. He led the MWL in both total bases (248) and RBI and was second to Thomas Anderson in homers, three off the pace. He joined Mitch Webster and Mark Gilbert as the MWL's All-Star outfielders and won MVP honors.

The Springfield native split 1980 between the Midland Cubs (.272/.373/.4231 in 103 G) and Wichita Aeros (.293/.328/.448 in 17 G). At age 23, he was up to AAA and doing okay, a promising sign; unfortunately, he would get no further. In '81, started off horridly with the Iowa Oaks, going just 9 for 51 with a double, a homer and seven walks.

Texas farmhand

Moving to the Texas Rangers chain for the remainder of 1981, David batted .276/.357/.446 for the Tulsa Drillers. He split '82 between Tulsa (.288/.373/.495 as a 1B-OF) and the Denver Bears (0 for 3). He spent his first full year in AAA with the 1983 Oklahoma City 89ers, hitting .230/.307/.347 in 88 games, unimpressive numbers for a player manning hitters' positions.

In 1984, Dave improved to .282/.395/.483 in 102 games for Oklahoma City, with 16 home runs and 67 walks to 24 strikeouts. He was 27 years old by season's end, though, not a prospect anymore, though his numbers might reasonably have earned him a September call-up. Dave slumped to .257/~.386/.393 with only 3 homers for the 89ers in 1985.

Mexico

His US career over for the most part, Stockstill would spend most of the next eight seasons in the Mexican League. Coming to the circuit just after they adopted the high-flying Commando bill, Dave did very well in the offense-friendly environs. In 1986, he hit .358/.454/.653 for the Puebla Parrots with 121 runs, 103 RBI, 78 walks and 30 strikeouts in 430 AB.

Stockstill split 1987 between Puebla (.325/.430/.539, 21 HR, 84 BB, 92 R in 123 G) and the Phoenix Firebirds (8 for 47, 2B, 3B, 2 HR). In 1988, he batted .356/.449/.549 for the Charros de Jalisco, with 121 runs, 30 doubles and 82 walks to 39 strikeouts. He was 6th in the LMB in average and led the circuit in runs scored.

Dave found a new home in 1989 with the Torreon Cotton Dealers, posting a batting line of .301/.412/.503 with 88 walks to 40 strikeouts, 20 home runs and 98 runs. He hit .341/.427/.530 with 30 doubles, 109 RBI and 72 walks his second year with the club. He led the Liga in RBI, was 9th in average and tied for the most sacrifice flies (9).

Stockstill hit a career-best .384/.474/.643 for the 1991 Torren club, with 30 doubles, 22 home runs and 95 RBI. He was 3rd in the LMB in average behind Rich Renteria and German Rivera. He also spent his last season in the US as a player, hitting .240/.309/.520 in 18 games for the Indianapolis Indians.

With the 1992 Cotton Dealers, the Missouri native batted .338/.435/.476. He was second on the club in average behind Eddie Williams but failed to make the Liga's top 10. He also cracked only eight home runs, the lowest total of his Mexican career. He wrapped up in 1993 by batting .335/.432/.449 with 83 walks for Torreon. He also managed Torreon for part of 1992 and all of 1993, going 61-70 the latter year.

Overall, Dave had a batting line of .341/.438/.540 in 968 games in Mexico, with 620 walks to 320 strikeouts, 146 homers and 714 runs. For his minor league career, he hit .309 with 1,890 hits, 242 home runs and over 1,000 walks. He had easily more walks than strikeouts in his career. Through 2000, he ranked 9th in Mexican League history in average among players with 3,000+ AB.

Coaching, Managing, Front Office

Stockstill managed the Algodoneros de Torreon in the Mexican League for part of 1992 and all of 1993.

He was the roving hitting instructor in the Baltimore Orioles organization from 1994-2001. He began 2002 as Minor League Field Coordinator before replacing Dave Cash as manager of the Bowie Baysox, for whom he was 26-26.

Dave was Minor League Field and Hitting Coordinator for the O's in 2003-2004, then was named Director of Minor League Operations. In 2008, the title was changed to Director of Player Development. In 2010, he traded jobs with his brother, Baltimore's Director of International Scouting.

Notable Achievements

• 1979 Player of the Year Midwest League Wausau Timbers