Mark Emery Cresse (born September 21, 1951) is an American former professional baseball catcher and Major League Baseball (MLB)

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 ...

, who is best remembered for his 25 years of coaching for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1974–1998). Cresse was born in

St. Albans, New York St. Albans is a residential neighborhood in the southeastern portion of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bordered by Jamaica to the northwest, Hollis to the north, Queens Village to the northeast, Cambria Heights to the east, Laurelton t ...

. He went on to play college baseball for

Golden West College Golden West College (GWC) is a public community college in Huntington Beach, California. Organization Golden West College, Orange Coast College, and Coastline Community College comprise the Coast Community College District (CCCD). The district ...

, before transferring to

California State University, Long Beach California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a public research university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the second largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities i ...

, where he was a member of

Sigma Pi Sigma Pi () is a collegiate fraternity with 233 chapters at American universities. As of 2021, the fraternity had more than 5,000 undergraduate members and over 110,000 alumni. Sigma Pi headquarters are in Nashville, Tennessee. The fraternity ...

fraternity A fraternity (from Latin language, Latin ''wiktionary:frater, frater'': "brother (Christian), brother"; whence, "wiktionary:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal ...

Baseball career

Playing

Cresse was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the third round of the 1971 Major League Baseball draft. He played three seasons of Minor league baseball (MiLB), playing for five lower-level affiliates in the Cardinals' organization.

Coaching

Cresse was released by the Cardinals in 1974 then tried, but failed, to join the

California 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 ha ...

. Later in 1974, he was able to join the Dodgers, as a

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if t ...

catcher and batting practice pitcher — which were (then) non-roster positions. Cresse was (officially) named bullpen coach in 1977 by Tommy Lasorda, making him one of the youngest coaches in professional baseball, at the age of twenty-five. Cresse-Dodgers

Including his time as bullpen catcher, Cresse had a 25-season run as a member of the Dodgers' coaching staff, during which time he was a trusted advisor to the Dodgers' managers. He served on five National League (NL) pennant-winners and two (

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

and

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

) World Series champions.

After coaching

Mark Cresse’s son, Brad, is a former minor league catcher. The Mark Cresse School of Baseball was established in 1984. The list of past students who attended the school — and then went on to play in the big leagues — includes:

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

catcher Mike Piazza;

Freddie Freeman Frederick Charles Freeman (born September 12, 1989) is an American-Canadian professional baseball first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, Freeman played for the Atlanta Braves for 12 seasons. He mad ...

;

Cy Young Award The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall ...

runner-up Gerrit Cole;

Mark Trumbo Mark Trumbo (born January 16, 1986) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim from 2010 through 2013, for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2 ...

; David Fletcher;

Austin Hedges Austin Charles Hedges (born August 18, 1992) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut with the San Diego Padres in 2015 and has also played for the Cleveland I ...

; Jeff Kent;

J. T. Snow Jack Thomas Snow Jr. (born February 26, 1968) is an American former professional baseball player and television sports color commentator. He played as a first baseman in Major League Baseball from to , most notably as a member of the San Franci ...

; Craig Wilson; Michael Young;

Howie Clark Howard Roddy Clark (born February 13, 1974) is an American professional baseball coach and former utility player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays, and Minnesota Twins, and coached for the Ori ...

;

Rocky Biddle Lee Francis "Rocky" Biddle (born May 21, 1976) is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Chicago White Sox and Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian profession ...

and Hank Conger.

References

External links

All-Time Coaches: Los Angeles DodgersMark Cresse School of Baseball
:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cresse, Mark Living people 1951 births Cedar Rapids Cardinals players Gulf Coast Cardinals players Gulf Coast Red Birds players Los Angeles Dodgers coaches Major League Baseball bullpen catchers Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Modesto Reds players St. Petersburg Cardinals players