Timothy Michael Corcoran (born March 19, 1953), is a former

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

player who played nine years 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 1977 to 1986, principally as a first baseman and right fielder. He began his career with 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 ...

(

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

–

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

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 ...

(

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 ...

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

( 1983–

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

), and

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

(

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

). Over the course of his 9-year big league career, Corcoran played at

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

(183 games),

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In cricket, baseball and ...

(174 games), and

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

(14 games).

Early years

Corcoran was born in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

, in 1953. He graduated from Northview High School in

Covina, California Covina is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles, in the San Gabriel Valley. The population was 51,268 according to the 2020 census, up from 47,796 at the 2010 census. The city's slogan, " ...

, and then

Mount San Antonio College Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) is a public community college in southern California, located in Walnut in eastern Los Angeles County. It offers more than 260 degree and certificate programs, 25 support programs, and more than 50 stud ...

and

California State University, Los Angeles California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) is a public university in Los Angeles, California. It is part of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system. Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor's degrees, 122 master's degrees, ...

Professional baseball

Minor leagues

Corcoran was overlooked in the amateur draft and signed with the

in June 1974 as a free agent. He spent several years in the Tigers' minor league organization, playing for the Lakeland Tigers (1974), Bristol Tigers (1974), Montgomery Rebels (1975-1976), and Evansville Triplets (1977). He compiled a .346 batting average at Evansville early in the 1977 season and was promoted to the Tigers in May 1977.

Detroit Tigers

Corcoran made his major league debut with the Tigers on May 18, 1977. He appeared in 55 games for the Tigers in 1977, including 16 games as a starter in the outfield, and compiled a .282 batting average. In 1978, he appeared in a career-high 116 games, including 85 games as the Tigers' starting right fielder. He compiled a .265 batting average and a .322 on-base percentage. Corcoran returned to the minor leagues in 1979, appearing in 87 games for Evansville where he had a .338 batting average and 50 RBIs. Corcoran returned to the Tigers in 1980. He appeared in 84 games for the 1980 Tigers, posting a .288 batting average, .379 on-base percentage, and .405 slugging percentage.

Minnesota Twins

In September 1981, Corcoran was sent to the

as part of an earlier that sent Ron Jackson to the Tigers. Corcoran appeared in 22 games for Minnesota at the end of the 1981 season. He was released by the Twins in March 1982.

Philadelphia Phillies

Corcoran signed as a free agent with the

in April 1982. He spent the 1982 season and most of the 1983 season in the Phillies' minor league organization. He appeared in 120 games for Oklahoma City in 1982 and 128 games for Portland in 1983. He compiled a .311 batting average and had 93 RBIs in helping Portland win the 1983 Pacific Coast League championship. In 1984, Corcoran made the Phillies' lineup, appearing in 102 games, including 34 starts at first base and 16 in the outfield. He compiled a .341 batting average and a .440 on-base percentage in 1984. He remained with the Phillies in 1985, appearing in 103 games (including 59 games at first base), but his batting average dropped 127 points to .214. He was released by the Phillies in December 1985. Corcoran said of his release by the Phillies: "It was a heck of a Christmas present. They told me they needed a roster spot. And I'd just gone out and bought a new truck and a house. It was a shock."

New York Mets

In March 1986, Corcoran signed as a free agent with the

. He appeared in only six games with the Mets. He appeared in his final major league game on June 9, 1986, after which he was released.

Career totals

Corcoran’s career MLB statistical totals include 509 games played, a career

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

of .270, and a .349 on-base percentage. Additionally, he complied 373

total bases In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run. For example, three singles is three total bases, while ...

, 283 hits, 120 runs scored, 128

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

(RBI), 46 doubles, and 12

home runs 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 ...

Later years

Corcoran was hired as a scout by the

Anaheim 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 ...

in 2000. He was assigned to the "Angels Elite" program in 2002.