Kimera Anotchi Bartee (July 21, 1972 – December 20, 2021) was an American

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 ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

. Bartee played 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), ...

(MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, and Colorado Rockies from 1996 to 2001. He coached in the minor leagues and returned to MLB as a coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2017. He later coached for the Philadelphia Phillies, before rejoining the Tigers as first base coach in 2021.

Early life

Bartee was born in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

, and is an alumnus of

Omaha Central High School Omaha Central High School, originally known as Omaha High School, is a fully accredited public high school located in downtown Omaha, Nebraska, United States. It is one of many public high schools located in Omaha. As of the 2015-16 academic year ...

. The first graduate of Omaha Central to play major league baseball, he was inducted into the

Omaha Public Schools Omaha Public Schools (OPS) is the largest school district in the state of Nebraska, United States. This public school district serves a diverse community of about 52,000 students at over 80 elementary and secondary schools in Omaha. Its district ...

Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018.

College career

Bartee attended

Creighton University Creighton University is a private Jesuit research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In 2015 the university enrolled 8,393 graduate and undergra ...

, where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

for the

Creighton Bluejays The Creighton Bluejays, or Jays, are the athletic teams that represent Creighton University, a Jesuit/Catholic University in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. They compete in NCAA Division I in the Big East Conference. Sports sponsored Baseba ...

. He appeared with Creighton in the 1991 College World Series. In 1992, he played collegiate summer baseball with the

Hyannis Mets The Hyannis Harbor Hawks, formerly the Hyannis Mets, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Hyannis, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Harbor Hawks play ...

of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Professional playing career

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 ...

selected Bartee in the 14th round of the 1993 MLB Draft. The Orioles traded Bartee to the Minnesota Twins on September 19, 1995, as the

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

in a trade for pitcher

Scott Erickson Scott Gavin Erickson (born February 2, 1968) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Yankees over 15 seasons. He was a membe ...

. He returned to the Orioles when he was selected from the Twins in the Rule 5 draft on December 4, 1995. He was claimed off waivers by the Detroit Tigers from the Orioles during the subsequent spring training on March 13, 1996. He made his major league debut with the Tigers three weeks later on April 3, 1996. Over the following few seasons, he played for the Tigers as well as 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 in ...

at triple-A. In 1997, he was named by '' Baseball America'' the fastest baserunner and best defensive outfielder in the International League. He was traded in 1999 from Detroit to the Cincinnati Reds, where he spent most of 2000 with the triple-A Louisville RiverBats. Bartee joined the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

as a free agent the following season, when a bulging disk in his lower back landed him in Class-A

Rancho Cucamonga Rancho Cucamonga was a Mexican land grant in present-day San Bernardino County, California, given in 1839 to the dedicated soldier, smuggler and politician Tiburcio Tapia by Mexican governor Juan Bautista Alvarado. The grant formed parts of pr ...

for a rehabilitation assignment. On July 13, 2001, he was traded by the Angels to the Colorado Rockies for future All-Star

Chone Figgins Desmond DeChone Figgins (; ; born January 22, 1978) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Seattle Mariners, and Los Angeles Dodgers ...

. Rockies general manager

Dan O'Dowd Dan O'Dowd was the General Manager (baseball), General Manager of the Colorado Rockies from September 20, 1999 to October 8, 2014. Before being hired by the Rockies, he spent 15 years working for the Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Indians, workin ...

described the move as the worst transaction he made in his 12-year term in that position. Bartee went hitless in 15 at bats with the Rockies before his final Major League game on August 3, 2001. In 2003 and 2004, Bartee played outfield for the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, earning All-Star honors and later an Atlantic League championship with the Ducks in 2004.

Coaching career

After retiring as a player, Bartee returned to baseball as a coach, at least in part because the job provided health insurance. Bartee became a coach for the

Delmarva Shorebirds The Delmarva Shorebirds are a Minor League Baseball team based in Salisbury, Maryland. They are members of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. Their home games are played at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium. The Shor ...

and also served as roving instructor for the Pittsburgh Pirates before landing the managerial job for the

State College Spikes The State College Spikes are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in State College, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on the campus of Pennsylvania State University. T ...

. Bartee served as the first base coach and outfielder instructor for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2017 through 2019. In 2020, he served as the roving baserunning and bunting coordinator for the Philadelphia Phillies. Before the 2021 season, the Tigers hired Bartee as their roving outfield and baserunning coordinator. On July 16, 2021, Bartee was named first base coach for the Tigers. The Tigers retained him as their first base coach for the 2022 season.

Personal life and death

Bartee had three children, Andrew, Amari and Taeja. On December 20, 2021, Bartee died after collapsing while visiting his father in Omaha. In the ensuing autopsy, the medical examiner found a large tumor in his brain. He was 49 years old.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartee, Kimera 1972 births 2021 deaths African-American baseball coaches African-American baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Baseball coaches from Nebraska Baseball players from Nebraska Bluefield Orioles players Bowie Baysox players Cincinnati Reds players Colorado Rockies players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Creighton Bluejays baseball players Detroit Tigers coaches Detroit Tigers players Frederick Keys players Gulf Coast Orioles players Hyannis Harbor Hawks players Iowa Cubs players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Long Island Ducks players Louisville RiverBats players Major League Baseball first base coaches Major League Baseball outfielders Minor league baseball coaches Perth Heat players Pittsburgh Pirates coaches Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Rochester Red Wings players Salt Lake Stingers players Saraperos de Saltillo players Sportspeople from Omaha, Nebraska Toledo Mud Hens players Omaha Central High School alumni American expatriate baseball players in Australia 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople