Douglas Craig Dascenzo (born June 30, 1964) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. The former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

played for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

, Texas Rangers, and

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

, where he began his coaching career. He spent 2014 as a third base coach for the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

, and is currently a coach for the Chicago Cubs affiliate

Tennessee Smokies The Tennessee Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Kodak, Tennessee, a suburb of Knoxville. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They play at Smokies Stadium, directly off Int ...

Playing career

As a player, Dascenzo was a

switch hitter In baseball, a switch hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed, usually right-handed against left-handed pitchers and left-handed against right-handed pitchers. Characteristics Right-handed batters generally hit better aga ...

who threw

left-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

; he stood tall and weighed . He is an alumnus of

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

and a graduate of

Brownsville Area High School Brownsville Area High School is a small, rural public high school serving students in southwestern Pennsylvania, near the Monongahela River. It serves students living in the Borough of Brownsville and Brownsville Township, Luzerne Township an ...

Brownsville, Pennsylvania Brownsville is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, first settled in 1785 as the site of a trading post a few years after the Sullivan Expedition, defeat of the Iroquois enabled a post-Revolutionary war ...

. Drafted by the

in the 12th round of the 1985

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

amateur draft, Dascenzo would make his

debut with the

on September 2, 1988, and appear in his final game on September 29, 1996. Dascenzo began his Major League career by playing in a then-National League record 241 consecutive games without making an error. The streak spanned from his debut in 1988 to the 1991 season when he committed his first error in a game on August 25. He finished his career with a .990

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

playing at all three outfield positions, committing only eight errors in 792

total chances In baseball statistics, total chances (TC), also called ''chances offered'', represents the number of plays in which a defensive player has participated. It is the sum of putouts plus assists plus errors. ''Chances accepted'' refers to the total ...

. During the 1990 and 1991 seasons with the Chicago Cubs, Dascenzo made a total of four appearances as a relief pitcher. He pitched for a total of five innings, giving up three hits, two bases on balls, and achieving two strike outs.

Coaching career

Dascenzo ended his career as a member of the

organization after the 1996 season and took a job with the team as a roving minor league instructor. He made his managerial debut with the Padres'

Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Pacific Northwest, Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Maj ...

affiliate, the

Eugene Emeralds The Eugene Emeralds (nicknamed the Ems) are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Eugene, Oregon. The Emeralds are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the San Francisco Giants. Eugene plays their ...

, in 2006 where he guided the Ems to a 43-33 finish. He was promoted to manage the

Fort Wayne Wizards A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

in the

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

in 2007. In 2009, the Wizards became the

Fort Wayne TinCaps The Fort Wayne TinCaps are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They are located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and play their home games at Parkview Field. They won their lone Midwest Le ...

which he led to the Midwest League championship in the 2009 season, after they swept the

Burlington Bees The Burlington Bees are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Burlington, Iowa, and have played their home games at Community Field since 1947. Founded in 1889, the Bees played in Minor League Basebal ...

, 3–0. On December 1, 2009, Dascenzo was named the manager of the Double-A

San Antonio Missions The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They are located in San Antonio, Texas, and are named for the Spanish missions around which the city was founded. ...

of the

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

. He was named

Texas League Manager of the Year The Texas League Manager of the Year Award is an annual award given to the best manager in Minor League Baseball's Texas League based on their regular-season performance as voted on by league managers. Broadcasters, Minor League Baseball executiv ...

(2011) after leading the Missions to the Texas League Championship. In October 2011, Doug accepted a position with the

as their minor league base running and outfield coordinator. On October 14, 2013, Dascenzo was promoted from the Minor Leagues to the Majors, given the position of third base coach due to

Brian Snitker Brian Gerald Snitker (born October 17, 1955) is an American professional baseball coach and former player who is the manager of the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). Snitker has been in the Braves organization in different roles si ...

being promoted to the manager of the Braves Triple-A club. He was fired by the Braves at the end of the 2014 season and was replaced by

Bo Porter Marquis Donnell "Bo" Porter (born July 5, 1972) is a former MLB player. He is also a coach who was most recently a special assistant to the Braves GM and former third base/outfield and base running coach for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Ba ...

. On October 9, 2014, Dascenzo was hired by the Chicago Cubs to serve as an outfield and first base coach. In 2016, he was the outfield coach only.

References

External links

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Dascenzo, Doug Baseball players from Cleveland 1964 births Living people Atlanta Braves coaches Baseball players from Pennsylvania Charlotte Knights players Chicago Cubs coaches Chicago Cubs players Eugene Emeralds managers Geneva Cubs players Iowa Cubs players Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball third base coaches Mobile BayBears players Norfolk Tides players Oklahoma City 89ers players Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball players People from Fayette County, Pennsylvania Pittsfield Cubs players St. Paul Saints players San Antonio Missions managers San Diego Padres players Texas Rangers players Winston-Salem Spirits players FSC Jacksonville Blue Wave baseball players