John Nicklaus Hoover (December 22, 1962 – July 8, 2014) was the
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), ...
No. 25 draft choice in the first round in 1984 (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 ...
), after having led the nation in strikeouts in college baseball, pitching 205 strikeouts for Fresno State in his senior year. Also in 1984 Hoover was a starting pitcher for the United States Olympic baseball team, winning the opening game and helping the US to win the silver medal for baseball. His teammates on the Olympic team included
Mark McGwire
Mark David McGwire (born October 1, 1963), nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball first baseman who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 to 2001 for the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Card ...
,
Barry Larkin
Barry Louis Larkin (born April 28, 1964) is an American former professional baseball player. He played shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 to 2004.
He briefly played in the minor leagues before making h ...
,
Will Clark
William Nuschler Clark Jr. (born March 13, 1964) is an American professional baseball first baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 through 2000. He played for the San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, an ...
, and
Oddibe McDowell
Oddibe McDowell (born August 25, 1962) is an American former center fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played from 1985 to 1994 for the Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, and Atlanta Braves.
His first name is pronounced "owed a bee" or " ...
.
In 1983, Hoover pitched the opening game at the IX
Pan American Games, for an 8-0 victory over the Dominican Republic, helping to win the bronze medal for the United States team.
Hoover signed with the Orioles while still at the
Summer Olympics on August 3, 1984. He played for the Texas Rangers in the 1990 season, but had a shortened pro-baseball career due to injuries sustained as a college player. He died on July 8, 2014 apparently of natural causes.
Prior to attending
Fresno State
California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...
, he attended
Fresno High School
Fresno High School is a four-year secondary school located in Fresno, California. Fresno High is the oldest high school in the Fresno metropolitan area and one of the few International Baccalaureate schools. As of 2021, Linda Laettner is the 29th a ...
, graduating in 1980 and
Cooper Junior High School in Fresno, graduating in 1977.
John Hoover
in the Cooper Junior High School yearbook, ''Visions 1977'', page 45.
References
External links
John Hoover
at SABR
The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a membership organization dedicated to fostering the research and dissemination of the history and record of baseball primarily through the use of statistics. Established in Cooperstown, New ...
(Baseball BioProject)
1962 births
2014 deaths
Texas Rangers players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Baseball players from California
Rochester Red Wings players
Charlotte O's players
Hagerstown Suns players
Miami Marlins (FSL) players
Jacksonville Expos players
Tulsa Drillers players
Oklahoma City 89ers players
Indianapolis Indians players
Fresno State Bulldogs baseball players
Baseball players at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Baseball players at the 1983 Pan American Games
Pan American Games medalists in baseball
Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States
All-American college baseball players
Medalists at the 1983 Pan American Games
Anchorage Glacier Pilots players
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