Jeff Cook (minors01)

Jeffrey Dion Cook

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 195 lb.
• School Phillips University

• Born December 17, 1965

BR minors page

Biographical Information

OF Jeff Cook was drafted in the 10th round of the 1985 amateur draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He played in the Pirates chain from 1985 to 1990, making appearances at AAA in 1989-1990. Cook returned to pro ball in independent leagues in 1996-1998.

Cook was the third college outfielder Pittsburgh took in the 1985 draft - the first two were Barry Bonds (1st round) and Tommy Gregg (7th round). Cook was assigned to the GCL Pirates and hit .263/.320/.299 with 19 steals in 27 tries and 32 runs in 46 games. In 1986, he batted .301/.371/.364 with 43 swipes in 55 attempts for the Prince William Pirates, while scoring 86 times. He led Prince William team in steals, 3 ahead of Felix Fermin and 6 ahead of Page Odle, and also in runs. He tied Gregg Jefferies for 7th in the Carolina League in stolen bases, was 7th in runs and 7th in average (between Sherwin Cijntje and Craig Worthington). He hit only two home runs, but they came in the same game from opposite sides of the plate. Additionally, he had 17 outfield assists.

In 1987, the fleet-footed flyhawk started red-hot for the Salem Buccaneers (.339/~.392/.406, 39 SB in 69 G) and ended cold with the Harrisburg Senators (.228/.262/.259 in 53 G). For the year, he stole 50 bases. Cook would have led the Carolina League in average had he qualified. In 1988, he spent a full year with Harrisburg, posting a .257/.324/.290 line with 45 steals in 60 attempts. He was third in the Eastern League in steals, trailing Ced Landrum and Rich Amaral, and tied for third in times caught stealing. His 13 assists tied Oscar Azocar and Eddie Zambrano for second among EL outfielders, behind only Landrum, and his four double plays led the league's outfielders.

Cook split 1989 between Harrisburg (.286/.375/.333, 7 SB, 0 CS in 18 G) and the Buffalo Bisons (.248/.304/.302, 21 SB, 8 CS in 97 G). He was with the same two clubs in '90, performing poorly (.220/.260/.298 in 53 G for Buffalo, 8 for 43 with 5 walks and no extra-base hits for Harrisburg), though he still had his speed (17 steals, 3 times caught). A knee injury that summer ended his run in Organized Baseball.

In 1996, Cook made his comeback with the Adirondack Lumberjacks, hitting .266/?/.305. While he was now over 30, he still had wheels, stealing 28 bases. The next year, he improved to .290/?/.342 and stole 16 for the Amarillo Dillas. He wrapped up with the 1998 Dillas, at .281 with a .372 slugging and only ten steals.

Overall, he hit .274 and stole 256 bases in 821 games as a professional baseball player.

Sources

• 1986-1987 Baseball America Statistics Reports
• 1988, 1997-1999 Baseball Almanacs
• 1989 Baseball Guide
• The Greatest 21 Days blog