James Rodger "J. R." House (born November 11, 1979) is an American former

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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

and current

third base coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisio ...

for the Cincinnati Reds of

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). A two-sport star in baseball and football in high school, House pursued a professional baseball career after being selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 5th round of the 1999 amateur draft. House left baseball for one year in 2005 to try college football. He enrolled at

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State Coll ...

and made the team as a backup

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

, but returned to professional baseball after playing sparingly for the Mountaineers.

Early life

A top high school football player at

Nitro Nitro may refer to: Chemistry *Nitrogen, a chemical element and a gas except at very low temperatures, with which many compounds are formed: **Nitro compound, an organic compound containing one or more nitro functional groups, -NO2 **Nitroalkene, ...

, J.R. House set a national high school record with 10 touchdown passes in the 1998 West Virginia state championship game against Morgantown. He was the West Virginia high school football player of the year and also set a national record with 14,457 career passing yards. House is now fourth all-time behind

Maty Mauk Mathew Richard Mauk (born June 13, 1993) is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He played college football for the Eastern Kentucky Colonels. He previously played for the Missouri Tigers. He is the younger brother o ...

(18,932), Maty's older brother Ben Mauk (17,364) and Chris Leak (15,593). During his high school years, he spent fall semesters playing football at Nitro and spring semesters playing baseball at

Seabreeze High School Seabreeze High School is a public high school located in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. The school was named a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence in 1989. Notable alumni * Duane and Gregg Allman, of The Allman Brothers Band, class of 196 ...

Ormond Beach, Florida Ormond Beach is a city in central Florida in Volusia County. The population was 43,080 at the 2020 census. Ormond Beach lies directly north of Daytona Beach and is a principal city of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, FL Metropolita ...

; he moved each winter with his father, who owns automobile dealerships in the Charleston and Daytona Beach areas. J.R House currently holds the West Virginia prep football records for Total Offensive Points in a Season (402 in 1998), Total Offensive Yards in a Season (5,763 in 1998, Total Offensive Yards in a Career (14,170 in 1995 - 1998), Pass Completions in a Game (43 in 1998 WV AAA Title Game), Pass Completions in a Season (425 in 1998), Pass Completions in a Career (1,103 in 1995 - 1998), Pass Attempts in a Season (610 in 1998), Pass Attempts in a Career (1,725 in 1995 - 1998), Passing Yards in a Game (594 in 1998 WV AAA Title Game), Passing Yards in a Season (5,526 in 1998), Passing Yards in a Career (14,457 in 1995 - 1998), Touchdown Passes in a Game (10 in 1998 WV AAA Title Game), Touchdown Passes in a Season (65 in 1998), Touchdown Passes in a Career (145 in 1995 - 1998).

Professional career

House got his pro career off to a good start by hitting over .300 combined in Rookie League and short-season class A in 1999. In 2000, he batted .348 with 23 homers, sharing the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

MVP with

Josh Hamilton Joshua Holt Hamilton (born May 21, 1981) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from to , most prominently as a member of the Texas Rangers teams that won two consecutive Americ ...

. House was plagued by illness and injuries during his time in the Pittsburgh Pirates' organization. He missed a month of the 2000 season due to mononucleosis. In 2001, he was twice on the disabled list with bruised ribs. A year later, he had surgery three times - for an abdominal hernia, a torn muscle and Tommy John surgery. He was limited to 35 games in 2002 and 41 in 2003. Despite the missed playing time in 2003, House made his major league debut by appearing in one late-season game for Pittsburgh. After batting .288 in 92 AAA games in 2004, he made it back to the big leagues, getting into five games for the Pirates. But after his sixth season in the Pirates' organization, House was not deemed a top prospect anymore by the Pittsburgh Pirates, who had high hopes for other young catchers

Ryan Doumit Ryan Matthew Doumit (born April 3, 1981) is an American former professional baseball catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played the first seven years of his career for the Pittsburgh Pirates, then two for the Minnesota Twins, and one fo ...

Humberto Cota Humberto Cota (born February 7, 1979) is a Mexican former professional baseball catcher. He played with the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). Career Cota was signed as an amateur free agent by the Atlanta Braves on December 22, . ...

Ronny Paulino Ronny Leonel Paulino (born April 21, 1981) is a Dominican former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Florida Marlins, New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles. Career Pittsburgh Pirate ...

and

Neil Walker Neil Martin Andrew Walker (born September 10, 1985) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates (2009–2015), New York Mets (2016–17), Milwaukee Brewers ( ...

. Additionally, his throwing ability was limited in 2004 by an injured right arm, requiring rotator cuff surgery. He was subsequently released by the Pirates. After his baseball career apparently ended, House enrolled at

, where he was the third-string quarterback for one season. In 2005, House completed 2 of 4 passes for 38 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He also had 2 rushes for 16 yards with a long of 13 yards and no touchdowns. Deciding to return to baseball in 2006, House signed with the Houston Astros. Assigned to their

Corpus Christi Hooks The Corpus Christi Hooks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team is owned by ...

Class AA minor league team, he had two hitting streaks of over 15 games in the first two months of the year and by June 3 was leading 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 ...

in batting average. Soon thereafter, House moved up to the AAA

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...

. On August 21, 2006, he played his last game with Round Rock and was called up to the majors. He saw action in four games for the Astros, going hitless in nine at-bats. On November 14, 2006, House was signed by the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

. House played for the

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...

, their AAA affiliate, for the first three months of the baseball season. House was recalled by the Orioles on August 13, 2007. IMG 3459 J

House hit his first career

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 ...

off

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

starting pitcher Jesse Litsch on August 18, 2007. House saw action in 19 games with Baltimore, batting .211 with three home runs. With the conclusion of the regular season, he was outrighted to the minor leagues on October 3. He declined the assignment and elected free agency on October 12. House returned to the Astros' organization the next season, signing a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training on January 10, 2008. House did not make the Astros' 2008 opening day roster and on March 19, 2008 was sent back to the AAA

in the Pacific Coast League. He was brought up by the Astros on August 16 and appeared in three games, going hitless in three at-bats. In 2010, House started the season with the

Newark Bears The Newark Bears were an American minor league professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They were a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and, later, the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball. T ...

of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, playing in 16 games. On May 14, he was signed by the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

. He reported to the Mets' Triple A affiliate, the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen ...

. He played in 67 games for the Bisons, batting .253 with four home runs and 29 runs batted in. On February 9, 2011, he signed a contract with the Long Island Ducks.Transactions
House managed the

Hillsboro Hops The Hillsboro Hops are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, located in Hillsboro, Oregon, a city in the Portland metropolitan area. The Hops are members of the Northwest League as an affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. ...

to the

Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the 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 Major League Basebal ...

championship in 2014. House spent the 2015 and 2016 seasons with the Class A Advanced

Visalia Rawhide The Visalia Rawhide are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Visalia, California, and have played their home games at Valley Strong Ballpark since thei ...

, earning California League Manager of the Year honors in 2015. He served as the field coordinator of instruction for the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

in . After the season was hired by the Cincinnati Reds as 3rd Base and catching coach.

References

External links

West Virginia University athletics profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:House, J. R. 1979 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Altoona Curve players American football quarterbacks Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from West Virginia Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Cincinnati Reds coaches Corpus Christi Hooks players Gulf Coast Pirates players Hickory Crawdads players Houston Astros players Long Island Ducks players Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball third base coaches Minor league baseball managers Nashville Sounds players Newark Bears players Nitro High School alumni Norfolk Tides players Omaha Royals players Pittsburgh Pirates players Players of American football from West Virginia Round Rock Express players Seabreeze High School alumni Sportspeople from Charleston, West Virginia West Virginia Mountaineers football players Williamsport Crosscutters players Gigantes del Cibao players