Jeff Blaine Pickler (born January 6, 1976) is an American

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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

coach. He is the game planning and outfield coach for the Cincinnati Reds of

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). He has also coached for the Minnesota Twins.

Biography

Pickler was born in Garden Grove, California. He attended Foothill High School in Santa Ana, California, where he played for the school's baseball team. He then enrolled at

Cypress College Cypress College is a public community college in Cypress, California. It is part of the California Community Colleges System and belongs to the North Orange County Community College District. It offers a variety of general education (55 associ ...

, where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

for the Cypress Chargers for one season. He then transferred to the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...

to continue his college baseball career with the

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Collegi ...

. In 1997, he played collegiate summer baseball for the

Wareham Gatemen The Wareham Gatemen are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Wareham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Gatemen play their home games at Clem Spillane Fie ...

of the Cape Cod Baseball League, helping to lead the Gatemen to the league title. In 1998, Pickler was named the

Southeastern Conference Baseball Player of the Year The Southeastern Conference Player of the Year is a baseball award given to the Southeastern Conference's most outstanding player. The award was first given following the 1993 season, with both pitchers and position players eligible. After the 2003 ...

. He graduated magna cum laude from Tennessee. The Milwaukee Brewers selected Pickler in the 11th round of the

1998 Major League Baseball draft The 1998 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1998. A total of 1445 players were drafted over the course of 50 rounds. First round selections ...

; he played in Minor League Baseball for the Brewers, Texas Rangers, and Colorado Rockies organizations for eight years. After he retired as a player, Pickler became a scout for the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

. After three years with the Diamondbacks, he spent one year as an assistant coach for the Arizona Wildcats of the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

. He then spent four years as a scout for the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

. Pickler joined the

front office The front office is the part of a company that comes in contact with clients, such as the marketing, sales, and service departments. The term has more specific meaning in different industries. Types General offices The function of front office ...

of the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

in 2014 as a special assistant in professional scouting and player development. The Twins hired Pickler to their major league coaching staff prior to the 2017 season. The Cincinnati Reds hired him before the 2019 season. Pickler's father, Scott, is the coach for the

baseball team and the longtime field manager of the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pickler, Jeff 1976 births Living people People from Garden Grove, California Baseball coaches from California Baseball players from California Cypress Chargers baseball players Tennessee Volunteers baseball players Ogden Raptors players Huntsville Stars players Stockton Ports players Indianapolis Indians players Tulsa Drillers players Oklahoma RedHawks players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players San Diego Padres scouts Arizona Diamondbacks scouts Arizona Wildcats baseball coaches Los Angeles Dodgers executives Minnesota Twins coaches Cincinnati Reds coaches All-American college baseball players Wareham Gatemen players