Doug Dascenzo

Douglas Craig Dascenzo

• Bats Both, Throws Left
• Height 5' 8", Weight 160 lb.
• School Oklahoma State University
• High School Brownsville (PA) High School
• Debut September 2, 1988
• Final Game September 29, 1996
• Born June 30, 1964 in Cleveland, OH USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Doug Dascenzo was an outfielder who played seven seasons in the big leagues, mostly with the Chicago Cubs. He was on the division-winning 1989 team, but had most of his at-bats in the period 1990-1992. His highest batting average was .255, and he usually added some stolen bases to the mix. He pitched in four ballgames, with an ERA of 0.00, briefly earning the nickname "The Terminator" for his pitching performances. A defensive specialist, at one time he held the record for most consecutive games played as an outfielder without an error. Many (possibly most) of his games were just a few innings long when he came in as a defensive replacement.

Once, a Chicago newspaper at the season's all-star break asked the players on both local teams to give themselves a grade based on how they played so far on the year. Dascenzo gave himself an A+. He may have been the only player on either team to do so. He said he was doing exactly what the team wanted him to do. He once laid down a bunt single against Rob Dibble, causing the angry Dibble to whip the ball at Dascenzo's back as he ran to first. Dibble received a suspension for that.

He was at Oklahoma State University at the same time as Pete Incaviglia. The two were very different players, as Incaviglia had tremendous power, whereas Dascenzo hit a total of 7 homers in his 540 major league games.

Dascenzo was a player/coach for the Mobile BayBears in 1998. He spent 1999-2005 as the San Diego Padres' Minor League Outfield/Baserunning Instructor. He spent the next six years managing in the Padres system starting with the Eugene Emeralds of the Northwest League in 2006. Dascenzo had considerable success as a manager. In 2009, he was tabbed by Baseball America as the Midwest League's Best Manager Prospect after leading the Class-A Fort Wayne TinCaps to its first championship in franchise history and a 94-46 finish, the best record in all of Minor League Baseball that season. Two seasons later, his San Antonio Missions club also completed the season with a 94-46 record, posting the most wins in the minor leagues in 2011 and the second-most in franchise history, second only to the 1908 team that won 95 games. Dascenzo also led his team to the Texas League Championship, en route to being named the Texas League Manager of the Year and Baseball America's AA Manager of the Year. The Atlanta Braves hired Dascenzo in 2012 to serve as their Minor League Outfield/Baserunning Coordinator, a role he repeated in 2013. In 2014, Dascenzo was appointed third base coach of the major league Braves, but stayed only one year.

In October 2014, the Chicago Cubs hired Dascenzo to be the Cubs first base coach in 2015. In early December, however, new manager Joe Maddon hired Dave Martinez to be his bench coach which provoked a game of musical chairs within the coaching staff. Dascenzo proved to be the odd man out. As a consolation prize, the Cubs named Dascenzo their Outfield & Baserunning Coordinator for both the major league team and the organization's minor league affiliates. In 2016 the major league portion of the position was dropped and Dascenzo served as the Cubs' Minor League Outfield & Baserunning Coordinator from 2016-2024. The baserunning responsibilities may have been removed in 2024.

His son, Zachary Dascenzo, was drafted in the 2008 amateur draft.

Year-By-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs
2006	Eugene Emeralds	Northwest League	43-33	3rd	San Diego Padres
2007	Fort Wayne Wizards	Midwest League	55-84	13th	San Diego Padres
2008	Fort Wayne Wizards	Midwest League	71-69	10th	San Diego Padres
2009	Fort Wayne TinCaps	Midwest League	94-46	1st	San Diego Padres	League Champs
2010	San Antonio Missions	Texas League	68-72	6th	San Diego Padres
2011	San Antonio Missions	Texas League	94-46	1st	San Diego Padres	League Champs