Jeffrey Lynn Newman (born September 11, 1948) is an American former

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 ...

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 ...

. Newman was drafted by the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

in the 26th round of the

1970 Major League Baseball Draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1970 Major League Baseball draft. ''*'' Did not sign Other notable Selections ''*'' Did not sign References External links Complete draft list from ''The Basebal ...

. He made his MLB debut in 1976. He was an All Star in 1979. He served as the interim manager of 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 ...

in .

Early and personal life

Newman was born in Forth Worth, Texas, and is Jewish.Jeff Newman Stats , Baseball-Reference.com
/ref> He attended Paschal High School, where he played baseball and basketball.''The Big Book of Jewish Baseball'' - Peter S. Horvitz, Joachim Horvitz
/ref> He later lived in

Danville, California The Town of Danville is located in the San Ramon Valley in Contra Costa County, California. It is one of the incorporated municipalities in California that use "town" in their names instead of "city". The population was 43,582 at the 2020 censu ...

. Newman is a convert to

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

, having in 1970 converted in an Orthodox ceremony.Jeff Newman – Jewish Baseball Museum
/ref> His son, Ryan, was an

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

for three years in 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 Associ ...

' organization before becoming a coach for the 2005 Gulf Coast League Pirates.

College

Newman was a History major at

Texas Christian University Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the Add-Ran Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disci ...

, where he earned a B.S. in Education and also earned

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

honors as a third baseman in .''The Big Book of Jewish Baseball'' - Peter S. Horvitz, Joachim Horvitz
/ref> In his sophomore year after batting .350 he was All-

Southwest Conference The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference included schools from Oklahoma ...

First Team and All

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleg ...

All-District First Team as well as NCAA All American Third Team, and in 1969 as a junior he batted .345, set university records in RBIs (44) and hits (57), and was All-Conference and All-District First Team.

Minor leagues

Newman was drafted by the

in the 26th round of the

. Originally, Newman played first, third and the

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In cricket, baseball ...

. He played for the GCL Indians of the

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the lo ...

in 1970 (batting .313, leading the league in RBIs with 55, and tying for the league lead in home runs with six, while playing primarily first base), for the Reno Silver Sox of the

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Le ...

in 1971 (hitting 16 home runs in 234 at bats, while playing primarily outfield) and 1972 (hitting 20 home runs and 84 RBIs), and for the San Antonio Brewers of 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 1972.Jeff Newman Minor Leagues Statistics & History , Baseball-Reference.com
/ref> In 1974 he played for the Oklahoma City 89ers of the American Association and the Salt Lake City Angels of the

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 level, which is one grade below Major League Ba ...

(batting .303), in 1975 he played for Salt Lake City and for the

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played i ...

of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ( ...

, and in 1975 he again played for Toledo. He didn't begin catching until with the Reno Silver Sox. He spent six seasons in the Indians'

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 highe ...

batting Batting may refer to: * Batting (baseball), the act of attempting to hit a ball thrown by the pitcher with a baseball bat, in order to score runs *Batting (cricket) In cricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the ball with a bat to s ...

.259 with 73

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 ...

and 333

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batting (baseball), batter for making a play that allows a run (baseball), run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error (baseball), ...

when the Oakland A's purchased his contract in October .

Major leagues

Oakland Athletics

Newman was called up to the majors in June , when he was 27 years old, and spent the rest of the season backing up Gene Tenace behind the plate. He backed up Manny Sanguillén in , a season in which he threw out 51.8% of attempted base-stealers, third-best of all catchers in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league b ...

. He then moved into a

platoon A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may range ...

with Jim Essian from through , while also backing up

Dave Revering David Alvin Revering (born February 12, 1953) is an American former professional baseball player. He appeared in 557 games as a first baseman, designated hitter and pinch hitter in Major League Baseball from 1978 to 1982 for four American Leag ...

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 major ...

. He was batting .229 with 16 home runs and 52 RBIs when he was selected by AL

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 ...

Bob Lemon Robert Granville Lemon (September 22, 1920 – January 11, 2000) was an American right-handed pitcher and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). Lemon was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976. Lemon was raised in California wh ...

as Oakland's sole representative at the 1979 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. For the season, he hit 22 home runs and drove in 71 runs, both career highs. He also threw out 46.8% of attempted base-stealers, fourth-best of all catchers in the American League. Newman was involved in the first of two bench-clearing brawls with

Lenny Randle Leonard Shenoff Randle (born February 12, 1949) is a former Major League Baseball player. He was the first-round pick of the Washington Senators in the secondary phase of the June 1970 Major League Baseball draft, tenth overall. Early years Born ...

and the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion t ...

on April 19, . The A's won the first half of the strike shortened season with a 37–23 record to return to the postseason for the first time since . In 1981 he also threw out 46.4% of attempted base-stealers, fifth-best of all catchers in the American League. In his only career trip to the postseason, Newman went hitless in nine

plate appearances In baseball statistics, a player is credited with a plate appearance (denoted by PA) each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the Official Baseball Rules, a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runne ...

in the

American League West The American League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The division has five teams as of the 2013 season, but had four teams from 1994 to 2012, and had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams curr ...

division series The Division Series is the quarterfinal round of the Major League Baseball playoffs. Four series are played in this round, two each for both the American League and the National League. 1981 season The first use of the term "Division Series" date ...

and ALCS. At the start of the December

Winter Meetings Representatives of all 30 Major League Baseball teams and their 120 Minor League Baseball affiliates convene for four days each December in the Winter Meetings to discuss league business and conduct off-season trades and transactions. Attendees i ...

, the A's sent Newman and

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

Tony Armas to the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's ei ...

for Carney Lansford, Garry Hancock, and minor leaguer Jerry King.

Boston Red Sox

When the Red Sox originally acquired Newman in 1982, it was with the intent that he would be the back-up to Rich Gedman behind the plate. However, he soon fell to third in the depth chart behind

Gary Allenson Gary Martin Allenson (born February 4, 1955) is an American former Major League Baseball catcher and coach and minor league manager. In , he spent a second stint as manager of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats of the Double-A Eastern League, after ...

. He was released during

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

in April .

Career stats

Newman had perhaps his greatest hitting success against Wayne Garland, against whom he was 13–18 (.722) with two home runs, six doubles and a walk. He made his only appearance on the mound on September 14, 1977. He pitched one scoreless

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other te ...

, though he hit the first batter he faced (

Hal McRae Harold Abraham McRae (; born July 10, 1945) is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Reds (1968, 1970–72) and Kansas City Royals (1973–87). Utilized as a designated hitter for most of his career, McRae ...

) with a pitch.

Coaching and managerial career

As soon as his playing days ended, Newman returned to the Oakland A's as manager Jackie Moore's

bullpen 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 ...

. When Moore was fired as A's manager on June 28, , Newman was named interim manager prior to the hiring of

Tony La Russa Anthony La Russa Jr. (; born October 4, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and manager. His MLB career has spanned from 1963 to 2022, in several roles. He is the former manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland At ...

. The A's went 2–8 under Newman. Through 2018, he was one of eight Jewish managers in MLB history.Ryan Lawrence (October 31, 2017)
">"Who is Gabe Kapler? A Dozen Fun Facts about the new Phillies manager,"
''PhillyVoice''. The others were Gabe Kapler,

Bob Melvin Robert Paul Melvin (born October 28, 1961) is an American former professional baseball player and coach, who is the manager of the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has been named Manager of the Year three times. Selected in ...

Brad Ausmus Bradley David Ausmus (; born April 14, 1969) is an American former professional baseball manager and catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). In his 18-year MLB playing career, Ausmus played for the San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astro ...

, Norm Sherry, Harold “Lefty” Phillips,

Lou Boudreau Louis Boudreau (July 17, 1917 – August 10, 2001), nicknamed "Old Shufflefoot", "Handsome Lou", and "The Good Kid", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 15 seasons, primarily as ...

, and Lipman Pike. He remained a coach and manager with the A's at the minor league level through , being named the Southern League's Manager of the Year in while managing the

Huntsville Stars The Huntsville Stars were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Huntsville, Alabama, from 1985 to 2014. They competed in the Southern League as the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics from 1985 to 1998 and Mi ...

to a win–loss percentage of .573. He was Mike Hargrove's third base coach with the

from –, and served as 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 ...

bench 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 ...

in . He began wearing a tie for the first time in his career in , serving as a field assistant for the Commissioner's Office of Major League Baseball until joining the

as third base coach in . An August 2005

Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus ( grc-gre, Ἀχιλλεύς) was a hero of the Trojan War, the greatest of all the Greek warriors, and the central character of Homer's '' Iliad''. He was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Pele ...

injury requiring surgery prematurely ended his coaching career in Seattle.

References

External links

Jeff Newman
at Baseball Almanac
Jeff Newman
at Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Professional Baseball League) {{DEFAULTSORT:Newman, Jeff 1948 births Living people American League All-Stars Baltimore Orioles coaches Baseball players from Texas Boston Red Sox players Cleveland Indians coaches Converts to Judaism Gulf Coast Indians players Jewish American baseball managers Jewish American baseball players Jewish Major League Baseball players Major League Baseball bench coaches Major League Baseball catchers Oakland Athletics coaches Oakland Athletics managers Oakland Athletics players Oklahoma City 89ers players Reno Silver Sox players Salt Lake City Angels players Salt Lake City Gulls players San Antonio Brewers players Seattle Mariners coaches Sportspeople from Fort Worth, Texas TCU Horned Frogs baseball players Texas Christian University alumni Tigres de Aragua players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Toledo Mud Hens players Tucson Toros players 21st-century American Jews