John William Russell (born January 5, 1961) is an American former
catcher and
outfielder in
Major League Baseball (MLB), and former
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 ...
of the
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
. He played 10 seasons from 1984 to 1993 with the
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
,
Atlanta Braves and
Texas Rangers, mostly as a
platoon or reserve player.
Playing career
Born in
Oklahoma City, Russell attended
Norman High School in Norman,
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
, and played
college baseball for the
University of Oklahoma after being selected by the
Montreal Expos in the 4th round (88th overall) of the 1979
MLB Draft. In 1982 he was selected by the Phillies in the 1st round and the 13th overall pick in the draft. In May 1984, Russell was one of three ejections in a minor league game. On May 27, 1984, Portland Beavers manager
Lee Elia, angered over a call, was ejected by umpire
Pam Potesma. Elia tossed a folding chair onto the field before leaving the dugout. Beavers bat boy Sam Morris refused instructions of Potesma to remove the chair and the bat boy himself was ejected. John Russell sprinted in from the outfield to come to the defense of the fourteen year old Morris and Russell himself was ejected for his efforts. Both Elia and Russell were fined by the league $25, as was standard for players and coaches ejected from a minor league game. An exception was made for the bat boy and he was not fined. Russell made his major league debut with the Phillies on June 22, , and stayed with the team through the 1988 season. After spending most of his first two seasons as a backup
left fielder, he was the team's principal catcher in 1986 due to
Darren Daulton suffering a year-ending injury, and
batted .241 with 13
home runs and 60
runs batted in. It was the Phillies' only winning season in his five years with the team, but they finished a distant second place in the
division behind
division rival and
eventual champion New York Mets. He saw very little playing time in the next two years. He spent 1989 with the Braves, who purchased his contract in spring training. When the Braves released him at the beginning of the 1990 season he moved on to the Rangers, for whom he played until his retirement in 1993. While with the Rangers he caught
Nolan Ryan's 6th career no-hitter on June 11, 1990. He ended his career with a .225 batting average, 34 home runs and 129 RBI in 448 games.
Coaching career
Early positions
Upon his retirement as a player, he became 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 for the
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...
. In 1999 he was named as the best Double-A managerial prospect by
Baseball America
''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...
. He left the Twins organization after the 2000 season; he interviewed with the Phillies for their vacant managerial spot, but the job went to
Larry Bowa. Eventually he re-joined the Minnesota Twins as manager of the
Edmonton Trappers. In 2002 Russell led Edmonton to a
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
title, and was again honored by Baseball America, being named the best managerial prospect in the minors. The following year he was named the Pirates third-base coach, a job he held from 2003 to 2005. Russell was unpopular among some Pirates fans because of the frequency of runners he waved home that were thrown out at the plate. He was eventually fired, along with the rest of
Lloyd McClendon's coaching staff, in 2005. After being fired Russell was named as manager of the Phillies AAA team, the
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the ...
, a position he held through 2006, until the Phillies switched affiliates to the
Ottawa Lynx in 2007, with Russell still at the helm.
Pittsburgh Pirates manager
Prior to the 2007 season, Russell interviewed for the Texas Rangers managerial vacancy; the position ultimately went to longtime
Oakland A's third-base coach
Ron Washington.
On November 5, , he was introduced as the Pirates manager, replacing
Jim Tracy.
[ In February 2009, the Pirates extended his contract through the 2010 season. During the 2010 season, the Pirates announced that Russell's contract had been extended through the 2011 season; though the extension occurred during the previous off season, the Pirates waited until June to announce the new contract, a move unpopular with many fans. On October 4, 2010, Russell was fired as the Pirates manager after a 105-loss season and an overall record of 186–299.
]
Baltimore Orioles coach
On November 15, 2010, Russell was hired as the third base coach of the Baltimore Orioles. Due to ongoing knee issues, he traded coaching positions with Willie Randolph and became Bench Coach in June 2011. Russell's contract expired after the 2018 season.
Managerial record
Personal life
Russell is married to wife Jamie. He has three sons: Stone, Brooks and Steel. The Orioles drafted Steel Russell in 2012. He spent parts of four seasons in the Orioles system and one with the Perth Heat of the Australian Baseball League.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, John
1961 births
Living people
Major League Baseball catchers
Philadelphia Phillies players
Atlanta Braves players
Texas Rangers players
Reading Phillies players
Portland Beavers players
Maine Guides players
Oklahoma City 89ers players
Tulsa Drillers players
Louisville Redbirds players
Baseball players from Oklahoma
Baseball managers
Pittsburgh Pirates coaches
Pittsburgh Pirates managers
Baltimore Orioles coaches
Oklahoma Sooners baseball players
Sportspeople from Oklahoma City
World Games gold medalists
Competitors at the 1981 World Games
Anchorage Glacier Pilots players
American expatriate baseball people in Venezuela