Marcus Christian Jensen (born December 14, 1972) is 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 ...
player 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 ...
. He played as a
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 ...
for the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...
,
Detroit Tigers,
Milwaukee Brewers,
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 ha ...
,
Minnesota Twins,
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 eigh ...
and
Texas Rangers 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) from 1996 through 2002. After retiring as a player, Jensen coached and
managed in the minor leagues. In 2015, he was the coach for the
Oakland Athletics of MLB.
Playing career
Jensen attended
Skyline High School in
Oakland, California
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
.
The
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...
of
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) selected Jensen in the first round, with the 33rd overall selection, of the
1990 MLB Draft
The 1990 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft was held in June 1990. The draft placed amateur baseball players onto major league teams. 1,487 players were distributed to 26 teams. The draft consisted of first round selections, supplemental first ...
. He made his MLB debut in 1996. Though he was labeled the Giants' "catcher of the future", he struggled, and was traded to the
Detroit Tigers in July 1997 in exchange for
Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson (born 5 October 1947) is an English singer and songwriter. In 1980, after the death of Bon Scott, he became the third lead singer of the Australian rock band AC/DC. He and the rest of the band were inducted into the Rock and Rol ...
. He played for the
Milwaukee Brewers in 1998, 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 ha ...
in 1999, the
Minnesota Twins in 2000, 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 eigh ...
and the
Texas Rangers in 2001, and the Brewers in 2002.
Jensen played for the
United States national baseball team
The United States national baseball team represents the United States in international-level baseball competitions. The team is currently ranked 5th in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. Team USA won the Olympic baseball t ...
in the
1999 Pan American Games
The 1999 Pan American Games, officially the XIII Pan American Games or the 13th Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event that was held from July 23 to August 8, 1999, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and surrounding towns and ...
, and the
2000 Summer Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...
.
Jensen also spent time in the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
organization in 2003, the independent
Golden Baseball League
The Golden Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in San Ramon, California, with teams located in the western United States, western Canada and northwest Mexico.
The GBL was not affiliated with Major League Baseball or the orga ...
from 2005 to 2006.
Coaching career
In January 2007, Jensen retired as an active player to become a hitting coach in the
Oakland Athletics organization. From 2009 through 2013, he was the
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 ...
of the
Arizona Athletics
The Arizona Complex League Athletics are a Minor League Baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, which plays as a Rookie-level team in the Arizona Complex League and has served as a farm team for the Oakland Athletics organization since 1988. T ...
of the
Rookie-level Arizona League
The Arizona Complex League (ACL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona, since 1988. Prior to 2021, it was known as the Arizona League (AZL). Along with the Florida Complex League (FCL), it ...
.
Jensen succeeded
Todd Steverson
Todd Anthony Steverson (born November 15, 1971) is an American professional baseball coach, and a former left and right fielder. He played for the Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres and coached for the Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox, al ...
as the Athletics' the minor league roving hitting instructor for Athletics after the 2013 season.
After the 2014 season, he was named the assistant hitting coach on the Athletics' Major League roster.
Personal life
Jensen's son, Marcus Proctor, was chosen by the
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...
in the
2009 MLB Draft.
References
External links
, o
Retrosheet o
o
Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jensen, Marcus
1972 births
Living people
African-American baseball coaches
African-American baseball managers
African-American baseball players
American expatriate baseball players in Mexico
Arizona League Giants players
Baseball players at the 1999 Pan American Games
Baseball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Baseball coaches from California
Baseball players from Oakland, California
Boston Red Sox players
Clinton Giants players
Columbus Clippers players
Detroit Tigers players
Everett Giants players
Indianapolis Indians players
Langosteros de Cancún players
Louisville Redbirds players
Major League Baseball catchers
Major League Baseball hitting coaches
Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Memphis Redbirds players
Mesa Miners players
Milwaukee Brewers players
Minnesota Twins players
Minor league baseball managers
Oakland Athletics coaches
Oklahoma RedHawks players
Olympic gold medalists for the United States in baseball
Pan American Games medalists in baseball
Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States
Pawtucket Red Sox players
Phoenix Firebirds players
Reno Silver Sox (Golden Baseball League) players
Salt Lake Buzz players
San Francisco Giants players
San Jose Giants players
Shreveport Captains players
St. Louis Cardinals players
Texas Rangers players
Tiburones de La Guaira players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Toledo Mud Hens players
Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American sportspeople
Skyline High School (Oakland, California) alumni