Bob Geren

Robert Peter Geren (born September 22, 1961) is an American former professional baseball catcher and manager, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (–) and San Diego Padres (). Geren managed the Oakland Athletics from through . He served in various coaching capacities for the A's and New York Mets, and is currently the Los Angeles Dodgers’ bench coach.

Playing career

Geren was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the first round with the 24th pick of the 1979 draft. After spending 10 years in the minor leagues, he made his major league debut for the New York Yankees in 1988, playing with New York through 1991.

He spent the first two seasons backing up Don Slaught. In 1990, he had his statistically best season as the starting Yankees' catcher. In 110 games, he had a .213 batting average with 8 home runs and 31 runs batted in.

On July 1 of that year, he was the catcher when Andy Hawkins no-hit the Chicago White Sox but lost 4–0, the White Sox scoring all four runs in the eighth courtesy of three Yankee errors. (With the change of the definition of a no-hitter the following year, this no-hitter would be taken off the record books.)

After spending 1992 in the minors with the Pawtucket Red Sox, he played his final season of baseball in 1993 with the San Diego Padres, the team that originally drafted him.

Coaching career

Minor League manager

Geren was hired by then Boston Red Sox director of player development Bob Schaefer to manage in the Red Sox minor league system. He managed for the Red Sox from 1995 to 1998 at the Rookie and Class A levels before leaving to join the Oakland Athletics' organization. Geren managed the Athletics' Single-A affiliate Modesto A's during the 1999 season.

He next was named the first-ever manager of the Oakland Athletics' Triple-A affiliate Sacramento River Cats. Geren managed the River Cats for three seasons (2000–2002). During his managing in the Athletics' minor league system, Geren worked under A's General Manager Billy Beane, a longtime friend and former high school baseball opponent. Under Geren's management, the Rivercats won Pacific Coast League division titles in 2000 and 2001.

During the winter, Geren managed the Tigres del Licey in the Dominican Baseball League, winning the league championship in the 2001–2002 season. In February 2002, Geren led Licey to a second-place finish in the 2002 Caribbean Series held in Caracas, Venezuela. The 2002 Dominican Republic team included notable MLB players Vladimir Guerrero, Miguel Tejada, and Odalis Perez. Geren later returned to the Dominican Republic in the winter of 2005 to manage the Leones del Escogido.

Geren was called to the major leagues in 2003 where he first served as the bullpen coach for the Oakland Athletics. Geren was eventually promoted to bench coach, a position he held through 2006.

Oakland Athletics manager

On November 17, 2006, Geren was promoted from his previous position as Athletics bench coach to become the 28th manager in Oakland Athletics franchise history. He replaced Ken Macha, who was fired after disagreements with players and general manager Billy Beane. In 2007, Geren led the A's to a 76–86 record. In 2008, the Athletics finished the season with a 75-86 record.

In March 2009, the A's and Geren agreed to a contract extension for one year, with an additional options year. During the 2010 season, the A's finished with an even .500 winning percentage (81-81 record). On September 11, 2010, MLB.com announced that Oakland had exercised Geren's option for 2011, assuring him another season in the green and gold.

In May 2011, Geren's managerial style came under scrutiny by Bay Area press when reliever Brian Fuentes criticized Geren's communication style after he was replaced as the A's closer amid poor performance in the role. Fuentes later apologized to Geren for going public with his comments, and A's owner Lew Wolff endorsed Geren as the A's manager. Geren's last game as manager was June 9, 2011; he was subsequently fired and replaced with Bob Melvin.

New York Mets

On October 14, 2011, the New York Mets hired Geren to be the team's new bench coach replacing former bench coach Ken Oberkfell. During the 2015 season, the Mets won the National League Championship Series and played in the World Series against the Kansas City Royals. The Royals eventually won the 2015 World Series in five games. During his time with the Mets, Geren was praised for his "statistical aptitude" and "strong working knowledge of advanced analytics." Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson also complimented Geren for being "tuned into analytics."

Los Angeles Dodgers

On December 2, 2015, it was reported that the Los Angeles Dodgers hired Geren to be the team's new bench coach serving under new manager Dave Roberts and replacing former bench coach Tim Wallach. Geren said his decision to leave the Mets for Los Angeles was fueled by a desire to be closer to his family in Southern California. During the 2016 season, his first with the Dodgers, Geren coached under manager Dave Roberts, who would go on to win the 2016 National League Manager of the Year Award. In 2017, the Dodgers won the National League Championship Series and played against the Houston Astros in the World Series. In 2018, the Dodgers appeared in their second straight World Series and played against the Boston Red Sox. Geren won his first World Series in the 2020 season, as the Dodgers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in six games.

Personal life

Geren and his wife, Pam, reside in Southern California. Geren has two sons, Bobby and Brett, who both played NCAA Division I baseball at Princeton University.

Geren's personal life has been featured on several episodes of Spectrum SportsNet LA's television show "Backstage: Dodgers." In 2019, the program featured Geren's longtime hobby of racing cars and included footage of Geren's ride along with former racing driver Mario Andretti before the 2019 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. In 2016, Geren, known as an avid cyclist, was interviewed while riding his bicycle to work at Dodger Stadium for a Dodgers home game.

While with the Yankees, he appeared on the CBS daytime version of ''Family Feud'' hosted by Ray Combs with other members of his family late in 1988.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iASrrGehfgY Geren's Family Feud appearance

Managerial record

See also

References

External links

Bob Geren
at Baseball Almanac
:

{{DEFAULTSORT:Geren, Bob

1961 births
Living people
Minor league baseball managers
Oakland Athletics managers
Oakland Athletics coaches
Major League Baseball catchers
San Diego Padres players
New York Yankees players
Walla Walla Padres players
Reno Silver Sox players
St. Petersburg Cardinals players
Springfield Cardinals players
Louisville Redbirds players
Arkansas Travelers players
Albany-Colonie Yankees players
Columbus Clippers players
Winter Haven Red Sox players
Pawtucket Red Sox players
Baseball players from San Diego
Major League Baseball bullpen coaches
Major League Baseball bench coaches
New York Mets coaches
People from Danville, California
Los Angeles Dodgers coaches
American expatriate baseball people in the Dominican Republic