Glenn Dee Hubbard (born September 25, 1957) is a former

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

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 ...

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 second baseman in

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), ...

(MLB) who played from 1978 to 1989. Hubbard played his first ten seasons with the

and his last two with the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

Playing career

Hubbard attended Wheatland High School, just outside

Beale AFB Beale Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located approximately east of Marysville, California. It is located outside Linda, about east of the towns of Marysville and Yuba City, and about north of Sacramento. The host ...

, California, where his father was stationed. He finished high school at Ben Lomond High School when his father moved to Hill Air Force Base near

Ogden, Utah Ogden is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the US Census Bureau, making it Utah's eighth ...

. Out of high school, he was a 20th round selection in the 1975 MLB draft and was promoted to the major leagues in 1978. Hubbard hit his first major league

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

on September 23, . Hubbard's career with the Braves lasted from 1978 to 1987. Hubbard signed as a free agent with the Oakland Athletics and played with them in 1988 and 1989. In 1983, Hubbard had his best season; he hit .263 with 14 home runs and 70 RBI as he earned his only All-Star Game appearance. During his 7th inning at-bat, announcers

Vin Scully Vincent Edward Scully (November 29, 1927 – August 2, 2022) was an American sportscaster. He was best known for his 67 seasons calling games for Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers, beginning in 1950 (when the franchise was located ...

and

Joe Garagiola Joseph Henry Garagiola Sr. (February 12, 1926 – March 23, 2016) was an American professional baseball catcher, later an announcer and television host, popular for his colorful personality. Garagiola played nine seasons in Major League Basebal ...

made numerous light-hearted comments,even calling him Old Mother Hubbard,about his full beard, as beards were not in fashion at the time. Hubbard got a single when he hit a hard grounder to another first-time All-Star,

Cal Ripken Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr. (born August 24, 1960), nicknamed " The Iron Man", is an American former baseball shortstop and third baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles (1981–2001). One of his posit ...

. The ball took a wicked hop that Ripken couldn't handle. Norton Hubbard

Hubbard was known more for his fielding than his hitting. His willingness to stand in while turning a double play with a runner coming at him and his steady glove made him very valuable for the Braves. He holds Braves' team fielding records for second basemen in all categories. He was also an excellent bunter and in 1982 he led the National League in sacrifice hits. Hubbard's most notable trading card is the 1984 Fleer version in which he has an eight-foot boa constrictor draped around his neck. In 1,354 games over 12 seasons, Hubbard posted a .244

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

(1084-for-4441) with 545 runs, 214 doubles, 22 triples, 70

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

, 448 RBI, 35

stolen bases In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

and 539

bases on balls A base on balls (BB), also known as a walk, occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls '' balls'', and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The base on balls is defined in Se ...

. He recorded a .983

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 ...

; on defense, he appeared only at second base. In seven postseason games, he hit .238 (5-for-21) with 3 runs, 1 RBI and 1 walk.

Coaching career

Hubbard was the Braves' first base coach from 1999 to 2010 under manager

Bobby Cox Robert Joe Cox (born May 21, 1941) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). Cox played for the New York Yankees and managed the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays. He is a member of ...

. When

Fredi Gonzalez Fredi may refer to: * Fredi (Valencian pilota) (born 1957), retired Valencian pilota professional player * Fredi Bobic (born 1971), German football striker * Fredi González (born 1964), Cuban current manager of the Atlanta Braves * Fredi Walker, A ...

was hired as the Braves manager on October 13, 2010, Hubbard was not offered a position on his staff. The previous hitting coach,

Terry Pendleton Terry Lee Pendleton (born July 16, 1960) is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played primarily for the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves, but he also spent time with the Florida Marlins, Cincinnati Reds, and Kansas C ...

, replaced him. The

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

organization hired Hubbard in 2011. As of the 2015 season Hubbard is now bench coach for the

Lexington Legends The Lexington Legends are an American professional baseball team based in Lexington, Kentucky. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league" of Major League Baseball. The Legends have ...

who operate as the Royals class A team. On June 24, 2016, the Legends held a promotional giveaway with a Glenn Hubbard

bobblehead A bobblehead, also known by common silly nicknames such as nodder, wobbler, or wacky wobbler, is a type of small collectible action figure. Its head is often oversized compared to its body. Instead of a solid connection, its head is connected to ...

featuring him in a Legends uniform with a

boa constrictor The boa constrictor (scientific name also ''Boa constrictor''), also called the red-tailed boa, is a species of large, non-venomous, heavy-bodied snake that is frequently kept and bred in captivity. The boa constrictor is a member of the family B ...

draped across his neck, an image made popular by his

Fleer The Fleer Corporation, founded by Frank H. Fleer in 1885, was the first company to successfully manufacture bubble gum; it remained a family-owned enterprise until 1989. Fleer originally developed a bubble gum formulation called ''Blibber-Blub ...

baseball card.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
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Pelota Binaria (Venezuelan Winter League)
:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hubbard, Glenn 1957 births Living people Atlanta Braves coaches Atlanta Braves players Cardenales de Lara players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Greenwood Braves players Kingsport Braves players Major League Baseball first base coaches Major League Baseball players from Germany Major League Baseball second basemen Minor league baseball coaches National League All-Stars Oakland Athletics players Richmond Braves players Savannah Braves players