Timothy Neal Christopher Ireland is a former
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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
player. He played parts of two seasons 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), ...
for the
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
, appearing in 11 games in 1981 and 1982. He has also managed 12 seasons at various levels of the minor leagues.
Ireland was originally selected in the 25th round of the
1973 Major League Baseball draft by the
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...
. He was released by Montreal in April 1975, and over the next four seasons was under contract to five different organizations, ending up with the Royals in May 1977. He spent four more seasons with the Royals organization before making it to the majors in 1981, when he played four games at first base without coming to bat. He did score one run that season as a
pinch runner
In baseball, a pinch runner is a player substituted for the specific purpose of replacing another player on base. The pinch runner may be faster or otherwise more skilled at base-running than the player for whom the pinch runner has been sub ...
. In 1982 he played in 7 additional games, including a pair of starts in right field, going 1-for-7 at the plate. In December, he was released. He then played two seasons for the
Hiroshima Toyo Carp
The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda ...
in Japan, and for the
Fort Myers Sun Sox
The Fort Myers Sun Sox were one of the eight original franchises that began play in the Senior Professional Baseball Association in 1989. The club was managed by Pat Dobson, while Joe Coleman, Dyar Miller, Jerry Terrell and Tony Torchia served as ...
in the
Senior Professional Baseball Association
The Senior Professional Baseball Association, referred to commonly as the ''Senior League'', was a winter baseball league based in Florida for players age 35 and over, with a minimum age of 32 for catchers. The league began play in 1989 and had ei ...
in 1989.
After his playing career, he managed the
Salinas Spurs
Several minor league baseball teams have been based in Salinas, California and played in the California League.
Salinas Spurs
The Salinas Spurs were a California League team that played from 1982 to 1987 and again from 1989 to 1992. Located ...
in the
California League
The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leag ...
in 1989. He then managed from 1992 until 1997 in the
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 ...
farm system, winning league titles with the
Stockton Ports
The Stockton Ports are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Stockton, California, and are named for the city's seaport. The team plays its home games at Ba ...
in the California League in 1992 and with the
El Paso Diablos
"El Paso Diablos" refers to two different professional baseball teams based in El Paso, Texas, in the United States. The most recent Diablos were a member of the South Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, whi ...
in the
Texas League
The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...
in 1994.
He spent the next three seasons as a scout 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 Fie ...
, mostly in the Pacific Rim, signing
Chin-hui Tsao
Chin-Hui Tsao (; born June 2, 1981) is a Taiwanese former professional baseball pitcher. He is the second major league player, and the first major league pitcher from Taiwan. Like the first Taiwanese major league player, former Los Angeles Dodg ...
among other players. In 2001, he returned to minor league managing with the independent
Sonoma County Crushers
The Sonoma County Crushers were a minor league baseball team located in Rohnert Park, California. They were a member of the independent Western Baseball League, and were not affiliated with any Major League Baseball team.
The team was one of the ...
. The following season, he was hired by the
Texas Rangers, and managed in their system until 2004, when he won another league title with the
Frisco RoughRiders
The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Frisco, Texas, and are nam ...
of the Texas League.
In 2005, the Rangers made Ireland their minor league baserunning coordinator. In 2006, he started the season as manager of the
Oklahoma RedHawks
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New M ...
, but was replaced after 33 games by
Mike Boulanger
Michael Boulanger (born August 21, 1949, at Ponca City, Oklahoma) is an American baseball coach and scout. He is scheduled to spend the season as a scout for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball, after working in 2012–2013 as the Oriol ...
.
Sources
, o
Retrosheet o
Pura Pelota (Venezuelan winter league)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ireland, Tim
1953 births
Living people
American expatriate baseball people in Taiwan
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
American expatriate baseball players in Japan
Baseball players from Oakland, California
Chabot College alumni
Chabot Gladiators baseball players
Colorado Rockies scouts
Fort Myers Sun Sox players
Hiroshima Toyo Carp players
Jacksonville Suns players
Jamestown Expos players
Kansas City Royals players
Major League Baseball first basemen
Major League Baseball second basemen
Major League Baseball third basemen
Major League Baseball right fielders
Miami Marlins (FSL) players
Miami Orioles players
Minor league baseball managers
Nippon Professional Baseball second basemen
Nippon Professional Baseball shortstops
Nippon Professional Baseball third basemen
Omaha Royals players
Pompano Beach Cubs players
Québec Carnavals players
Tiburones de La Guaira players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Trois-Rivières Aigles players
Vancouver Canadians players
West Palm Beach Expos players