John Thomas Krol (July 5, 1936 – May 30, 1994) was an American
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 ...
and
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
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), ...
.
Primarily a
second baseman and
shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...
, the
right-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 ...
hitting and throwing Krol never reached the Major Leagues during his playing career (1954–66). The native of
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
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, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, spent most of that period in the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...
farm system
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...
, and became a playing manager in 1966 with the
Rock Hill, South Carolina
Rock Hill is the largest city in York County, South Carolina and the fifth-largest city in the state. It is also the fourth-largest city of the Charlotte metropolitan area, behind Charlotte, Concord, and Gastonia (all located in North Carolina, ...
, franchise of the Class A
Western Carolinas League
file:John Henry Moss.png, Portion of plaque displaying likeness of John Henry Moss at Municipal Stadium, Hagerstown, Maryland
The Western Carolinas League was a Class D (1948–52; 1960–62) and a low Class A (1963–79) full-season league in Am ...
.
By 1972 he was managing at the
Triple-A level in the St. Louis system, and received his Major League baptism as a Cardinals coach in 1977, working on the Redbirds' staff through 1980 and twice served as interim manager (in 1978 and 1980), winning one game and losing two.
Krol then joined the
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 ...
as a Major League coach (1981–86) and was a member of the staff of
Dick Williams
Richard Hirschfeld Williams (May 7, 1929 – July 7, 2011) was an American left fielder, third baseman, manager, coach and front-office consultant in Major League Baseball. Known especially as a hard-driving, sharp-tongued manager from 1967 to 1 ...
when the
1984 Padres won the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
pennant. Next, Krol was a
minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...
manager (1987–90) in the San Diego organization.
Krol returned to the Cardinals as manager of the Triple-A
Louisville Redbirds
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
...
in 1992–93. Over his 17-year minor league managerial career, he won 1,160 games and lost 1,139 (.503) and won three championships.
He died at age 57 due to
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...
. In his memory, the Padres created the Jack Krol Award, which annually honors the club's top player development personnel.
See also
*
List of St. Louis Cardinals coaches
The St. Louis Cardinals, based in St. Louis, Missouri, are a professional baseball franchise that compete in the National League of Major League Baseball (MLB). The club employs coaches who support – and report directly to – the manager. Co ...
References
*Howard M. Balzer, ed. ''The Baseball Register'', 1980 edition. St. Louis:
The Sporting News
The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krol, Jack
1936 births
1994 deaths
Ardmore Cardinals players
Baseball players from Illinois
Burlington Senators players
Charlotte Hornets (baseball) players
Deaths from cancer in North Carolina
Fresno Cardinals players
Lancaster Red Roses players
Las Vegas 51s managers
Louisville Redbirds managers
Major League Baseball third base coaches
Memphis Chickasaws players
Portsmouth-Norfolk Tides players
Rock Hill Cardinals players
St. Louis Cardinals coaches
St. Louis Cardinals managers
San Diego Padres coaches
Sportspeople from Chicago
Winston-Salem Red Birds players
York White Roses players