Marvis Edwin Foley (born August 29, 1953) 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 (A ...

(MLB)

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 cat ...

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 * Coac ...

, and minor league

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 activitie ...

. He played for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

and Texas Rangers in all or part of five seasons between 1978 and 1984, went on to serve as a catching instructor for the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fi ...

, and is the only manager ever to win league championships in all three major Triple-A leagues (

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 ( ...

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

and

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 ...

Playing career

Early career

Foley played college baseball at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

. In 1974 he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Falmouth Commodores The Falmouth Commodores are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Commodores play their home games at Arnie Alle ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

and was named a league all-star. In 1975, the

drafted Foley in the 17th round of the

1975 MLB draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1975 Major League Baseball draft. Many baseball draft experts consider the 1975 draft to be the weakest in MLB history. Other notable selections ''*'' Did not sign N ...

. He was originally assigned to the Class-A

Appleton Foxes Appleton may refer to: People *Appleton (surname) Places Australia * Appleton Dock Canada * Appleton, Newfoundland and Labrador * Appleton, Ontario United Kingdom * Appleton, a deserted medieval village site in the parish of Flitcham wi ...

, but was promoted to the Double-A Knoxville Sox after just six games. He batted .293 at Knoxville in 51 games, and in 1976 he opened the season there again. Foley's statistics declined somewhat in 1976, with his batting average dropping to .251 in his first full professional season. In 1977, Foley split the season between Appleton (48 games), Knoxville (66 games), and the Triple-A Iowa Oaks (10 games). Across all three levels, he batted .282 with 10

home run 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 ...

s. In 1978, he played the whole season at Iowa, batting .275.Marv Foley page at The Baseball Cube

Major league career

White Sox

=1978

= After the Triple-A season ended, Foley was given his first taste of major league action. He made his debut on September 11, 1978, against 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 ...

. He pinch-hit for starting catcher

Mike Colbern Michael Malloy Colbern (April 19, 1955 – March 8, 2019) was an American professional baseball catcher who played in the Major Leagues for the Chicago White Sox in the 1978 and 1979 seasons. Career Colbern was born in Santa Monica, California ...

in the ninth inning, grounding out against pitcher Mike Marshall. He played in a total of 11 games that season, batting .353 in 34

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

=1979

= Foley started the 1979 season with the White Sox, splitting time as their primary catcher with

Bill Nahorodny William Gerard Nahorodny (born August 31, 1953), is a retired professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues from -. A catcher, he played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox, Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, Detroit ...

. On May 27, the White Sox purchased

Milt May Milton Scott May (born August 1, 1950) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from to for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, and San ...

from the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

, and Foley, who was batting .235, was sent down to Iowa. He returned to the White Sox in September, finishing the season with a .247 average, 2 home runs, and 10 RBI.

=1980

= Foley started the season with the White Sox in 1980, but again struggled at the plate, batting just .181 through July 3. He was demoted to the minors, splitting the next two months between Iowa and the Double-A

Glens Falls White Sox The Glens Falls Tigers (formerly the Glens Falls White Sox) were an American minor league baseball team from Glens Falls, New York that played in the Eastern League from 1980 until 1988, the team's ballpark was East Field Stadium. The team was f ...

. For the third season in a row, he returned to the majors in September, and by the end of the season he had brought his average up to .212, and had set new career highs with 4 home runs and 15 RBI.

=1981–83

= In 1981, Foley opened the season in the minor leagues for the first time in three seasons. He spent the full season with the White Sox' new Triple-A affiliate, the

Edmonton Trappers The Edmonton Trappers were a minor league baseball team in Edmonton, Alberta. They were a part of the Triple-A level in the Pacific Coast League, ending with the 2004 season. Their home games were played at Telus Field in downtown Edmonton. T ...

, where he batted .296 and a professional best of 11 home runs. In 1982, Foley was back in the majors, but as the White Sox' third-string catcher behind

Carlton Fisk Carlton Ernest Fisk (born December 26, 1947), nicknamed "Pudge" and "The Commander", is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1969 to 1993 for the Boston Red Sox (1969, 1971–1980) a ...

and

Marc Hill Marc Kevin Hill (born February 18, 1952) aka "The Booter" is a former Major League Baseball catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals (-), San Francisco Giants (-), Seattle Mariners (1980), and Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an Amer ...

. He appeared in 27 games, with 36 at bats, in which he batted .111 with one RBI. In 1983, it was back to Triple-A, again with a new White Sox affiliate, the

Denver Bears Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

. This time, he had what would be his best batting average in a full Triple-A season at .319, and he hit double digits in home runs with 10. However, after the season ended, he was allowed to become a minor league free agent.

Rangers

A month later, Foley signed a contract with the Texas Rangers. In 1984, Foley played a full season in the majors for the second time, splitting time at catcher with

Donnie Scott Donald Malcolm (Donnie) Scott (born August 16, 1961) is an American former professional baseball catcher. From through , Scott played a role as backup and part-time catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariner ...

and

Ned Yost Edgar Frederick Yost III (; born August 19, 1954) is a former Major League Baseball catcher and manager of the Milwaukee Brewers and Kansas City Royals. He played for the Brewers, Texas Rangers, and Montreal Expos. Early life Yost was born o ...

. On the last day of the season, in the first game of a doubleheader against 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 ...

, he made the final out of

Mike Witt Michael Atwater Witt (born July 20, 1960) is a former American professional baseball pitcher. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball between 1981 and 1993, and threw the 11th perfect game in MLB history in 1984. Amateur career Prior to ...

perfect game Perfect game may refer to: Sports * Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners * Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game * Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New York ...

. Pinch-hitting for Curtis Wilkerson, he grounded out to second to end the game. It turned out to be his last at bat in the major leagues. While he batted .217 in 1984, he established personal major-league bests with 6 home runs and 19 RBI. After the season, he was released by the Rangers.

Back in the minors

Foley signed on with the

shortly after his release, but never played for them at any level. Instead, he wound up back with the White Sox. He split the next two seasons between Double-A and Triple-A in their organization before his playing career ended following the 1986 season at age 32.

Post-playing career

White Sox organization

During his final two seasons in the minors, Foley served as a player-coach. In 1987, he was named manager of the Peninsula White Sox, and in 1988 he was promoted to the High-A Tampa White Sox. That season, he was named

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A followi ...

Manager of the Year after leading Tampa into the playoffs, where they lost in the first round. In 1989, Foley was again promoted, this time to Triple-A, with yet another new White Sox' affiliate, the

Vancouver Canadians The Vancouver Canadians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadians play their home games at Nat Bailey Stadium. ...

of the

. This time, he led the team to the league championship, defeating the

Albuquerque Dukes The Albuquerque Dukes were a minor league baseball team based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. History The first Dukes team was formed in 1915 as part of the Class D Rio Grande Association. The team finished in third place with a 32-25 record. Fra ...

in the finals. Foley managed the next season at Vancouver as well, but after starting the 1991 season with a 24–39 record, he was replaced by

Moe Drabowsky Myron Walter Drabowsky (July 21, 1935 – June 10, 2006) was an American professional baseball pitcher, best-remembered for throwing scoreless innings of relief to win Game 1 of the 1966 World Series. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for ...

on May 15.

Cubs organization

Prior to the 1992 season, Foley was hired by the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

to manage their Double-A affiliate, the

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...

. He managed the team into the playoffs, but lost in the first round. In 1993, he was moved up to the Triple-A

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. The ...

of the

. After finishing the season in first place with an 85–59 record, the I-Cubs won the league championship over the

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

—yet ''another'' new Triple-A affiliate of the White Sox.1993 American Association page at minors.baseball-reference.com
In 1994, Foley returned to the majors, serving as the Cubs' bullpen coach.

Orioles organization

Following the 1994 season, Foley moved on to 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) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

organization, and once again was managing in the minor leagues. He started out the 1995 season with the Triple-A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field ...

of the

, and the team made the playoffs in each of Foley's first three seasons as manager. In 1997, Foley would achieve what no other minor league manager has achieved before or since when the Red Wings won the

championship, winning in the finals over the

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, mercha ...

. The win gave Foley championships in all three major Triple-A leagues. To date, he is the only manager to do so, and since the American Association ceased to exist after the 1997 season, he may remain so indefinitely. Foley managed the Red Wings again in 1998, but the team finished in fourth place, out of the playoffs. In 1999, Foley had his second stint as a coach in the majors, coaching at first base for the Orioles. He returned to manage Rochester in 2000, this time finishing fifth, before spending a season as the Orioles' roving minor league catching instructor.

Rockies organization

After being let go by the Orioles, Foley spent a season in the independent leagues, managing the

Newark Bears The Newark Bears were an American minor league professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They were a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and, later, the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball. T ...

of the Atlantic League in 2002, guiding the team to the league championship. He was hired by the

to manage their Double-A team, the

Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club. Stadium The Drillers play at ONEOK Field (pronounc ...

, prior to the 2003 season. After one season in Tulsa, he managed the next two seasons for the Triple-A

Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A affiliate of the major league Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado Rockie ...

. Since 2006, Foley has served as the Rockies' minor league catching coordinator.

References

Sources

Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)
:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foley, Marv 1953 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Appleton Foxes players Baltimore Orioles coaches Baseball coaches from Kentucky Baseball players from Kentucky Birmingham Barons players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chicago Cubs coaches Chicago White Sox players Colorado Springs Sky Sox managers Denver Bears players Edmonton Trappers players Falmouth Commodores players Fort Myers Sun Sox players Glens Falls White Sox players Iowa Cubs managers Iowa Oaks players Kentucky Wildcats baseball players Knoxville Sox players Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball first base coaches People from Stanford, Kentucky Rochester Red Wings managers Texas Rangers players Tigres de Aragua players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela University of Kentucky alumni