Scott Coolbaugh

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Scott Robert Coolbaugh

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Biographical Information[edit]

Scott Coolbaugh saw action in four big league seasons.

Brother of the late Mike Coolbaugh, Scott was named to the 1987 College World Series All-Tournament team and signed as the third round pick of Doug Gassaway, Sandy Johnson and the Texas Rangers in 1987. In 1987, he hit .275 with 21 doubles in 66 games, then .270 with 13 homers and 75 RBI while with the Tulsa Drillers in 1988. He was an American Association All-Star in 1989 when he hit .260 with 18 homers and 74 RBI. Scott came up for a looky loo that September, ultimately playing 167 games between 1989 and 1994 with a .215/.281/.310 line and 8 home runs. It has been noted Coolbaugh hit exactly two home runs in each of his four major league seasons, apparently a record for the most seasons to hit the same number of homers over a complete career (not counting players who had no home runs). His brother, Mike, hit two home runs in 2001.

In 1998, Coolbaugh hit .317/.395/.568 for the Hyundai Unicorns, finishing 4th in the KBO in batting average, the only foreign player in the top eight. His 97 RBI were five behind Seung-yeop Lee and six behind leader Tyrone Woods. Coolbaugh and Woods were clearly the top foreign players in the league's first year to allow non-Japanese foreign performers. Coolbaugh homered twice in the 1998 Korean Series to help Hyundai win the title; he was the first American to hit a home run in a Korean Series. Five years later, Coolbaugh's brother would play in Korea, making them the first brother duo to play in the majors and the KBO.

Scott was the hitting coach of the El Paso Diablos in 2002. He spent four years as a minor league manager (2000-2001, 2003-2004) and from 2007-2008 was the hitting coach of the Frisco Rough Riders. From 2009-2010, he was the hitting coach of the Oklahoma City RedHawks. After an affiliation switch, Coolbaugh was the hitting coach of the Round Rock Express at the start of 2011, then on June 8th was promoted to the parent Texas Rangers, replacing Thad Bosley as hitting coach. He held the job through the 2012 season, then moved down to the Round Rock Express in 2013 in the same role. In 2015, he was named hitting coach of the Baltimore Orioles, staying until the end of the 2018 season. He moved to the Los Angeles Dodgers' chain as hitting coach of the Oklahoma City Dodgers in 2019. In 2020, he was named assistant hitting coach of the Chicago White Sox but stayed for only one season. In 2021, he was named hitting coach of the Detroit Tigers. He was let go at the end of the 2022 season. In 2023, he was one of two assistant hitting coaches with the San Diego Padres, along with Oscar Bernard, with no one having the title of hitting coach on the team.

Year-By-Year Minor League Managerial Record[edit]

Year Team League Record Finish Organization Playoffs
2000 High Desert Mavericks California League 48-92 10th Arizona Diamondbacks
2001 Lancaster JetHawks California League 61-79 8th (t) Arizona Diamondbacks
2003 El Paso Diablos Texas League 67-73 7th Arizona Diamondbacks
2004 El Paso Diablos Texas League 49-89 8th Arizona Diamondbacks

Related Sites[edit]