Robert William Derksen (January 12, 1960 – June 16, 2004) was an American professional baseball pitcher,

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 ...

, manager and

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

, who also was an influential figure in international baseball. Derksen was the head coach of the

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

Australia Olympic baseball team, the 2000 Guam national baseball team, and, at the time of his death, the

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

Greece Olympic baseball team. Derksen was born in Hales Corners, Wisconsin, and attended Thomas More High School, where he played under Coach Joseph Zolecki, a member of the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, before attending the University of Wisconsin. Drafted by his hometown

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

in the 16th round of the 1982 Major League Baseball draft, he spent almost 15 years in the Brewers'

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 higher ...

as a right-handed pitcher, pitching coach and

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

manager. A right-handed batter, Derksen stood tall and weighed . He compiled a won/lost mark of 11–6 with an earned run average of 3.18 in all or parts of five seasons at the Class A level, but by his fourth playing season, 1985, Derksen had become a part-time pitcher and a full-time pitching coach. He later managed in the Milwaukee system with the

Beloit Snappers The Beloit Sky Carp are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Beloit, Wisconsin, and play their home games at ABC Supply Stadium. They previously played at Harry C ...

of the Class A Midwest League (1990–1991), then returned to working as a pitching coach for the Brewers' Double-A El Paso Diablos affiliate. After the 1996 Summer Olympics, he joined the Boston Red Sox for one season (1997) as manager of their

Sarasota Red Sox Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sout ...

farm in the Class A

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 following ...

. His managerial record was 205–205, an even .500. Later in his career, in between Olympic and international baseball assignments, he was a scout for the Baltimore Orioles. Derksen died from a heart attack at age 44 in New York City. When he was stricken, he was on a scouting trip to

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

for the Greek Olympic team eight weeks prior to the 2004 Summer Games. According to ESPN.com, more than 600 attended his funeral and children from his youth league team were his pallbearers. "He was so good for baseball", pitcher A. J. Brack, a member of the 2004 Greek Olympic Team, said. "He loved the game, and he just wanted it to do well."The Deadball Era
/ref>

References

External links

*
Mazarakis, Tom, ''The History of Baseball in Greece''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Derksen, Rob 1960 births 2004 deaths Baltimore Orioles scouts Baseball coaches from Wisconsin Baseball players from Wisconsin Beloit Brewers players Minor league baseball managers National baseball team managers Olympic baseball managers People from Hales Corners, Wisconsin Sportspeople from Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Stockton Ports players Wisconsin Badgers baseball players

See also

References

External links