Mark Berry (born September 22, 1962 in

Oxnard, California Oxnard () is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. On California's South Coast, it is the most populous city in Ventura County and the 22nd-most-populous city in California. Incorporated in 1903, Oxnard lies approximately west ...

) is the former

third base coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisio ...

for the Cincinnati Reds. He spent 27 seasons in the Reds organization as a player, coach, and manager.

Early life

Berry graduated from

Hueneme High School Hueneme High School (HHS) ( ) is a public high school in Oxnard, California. The school is part of the Oxnard Union High School District and serves students in the southern portion of the city of Oxnard and most of Port Hueneme including part of ...

Oxnard Oxnard () is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. On California's South Coast, it is the most populous city in Ventura County and the 22nd-most-populous city in California. Incorporated in 1903, Oxnard lies approximately west ...

in 1981. He played college baseball at Oxnard Junior College and the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

Playing career

The Reds selected Berry in the 6th round of the 1984 draft with the 137th overall pick. He was signed by baseball scout Bill Clark. In his seven seasons as a Reds minor leaguer he, predominantly, played

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 ca ...

, but also played first base,

third base A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

, nine games in the

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 a ...

, and one game at

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

. He was a Pioneer League All-Star catcher in his first season in 1984, then was the Most Valuable Player for the

Tampa Tarpons The Tampa Tarpons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Tampa, Florida. The Tarpons play their home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field, which is ...

in 1986 and was ranked the organization's eight-best prospect in 1985 and 1987. He retired as a player in 1990.

Coaching career

Minor leagues

When Berry retired as a player from the Charleston Wheelers, he stayed with the team as a coach. A month later, he went from Charleston to Plant City of the

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the l ...

as a coach. He spent the 1991 season as the pitching coach for the

Cedar Rapids Reds Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae * Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona ...

. The following year he managed the Cedar Rapids Reds to a

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

championship title. In 1993, he managed the

Winston-Salem Spirit Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...

to the

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

title. In 1996, Berry began his managerial tenure for the

Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...

, the Double-A affiliate of the Reds. The team won the division in his first season, earning him the Southern League Manager of the Year award. In 1997, he was named the Southern League's Best Managerial Prospect by Baseball America. He managed the Lookouts until 1998. He finished his minor league managerial career with a 506-463 record (.522), two league championships, three division titles, and made the post-season four of his seven seasons.

Major Leagues

Berry went to spring training in 1999 scheduled to be the hitting coach for class-AAA Indianapolis, but remained with Cincinnati as the bullpen catcher. He remained the bullpen catcher until July 28, 2003, when he was named the Reds bench coach. The following offseason Berry was named third base coach. As well as being the Reds third base coach, Berry was also the spring training and regular season daily coordinator for the Reds.

References

Baseball Reference (minors)

Reds.com – Roster – Coaches – Mark Berry

The Baseball Cube – People – Coaches – Mark Berry {{DEFAULTSORT:Berry, Mark Billings Mustangs players Cedar Rapids Reds players Arkansas Razorbacks baseball players Oxnard Condors baseball players Tampa Tarpons (1957–1987) players Vermont Reds players Nashville Sounds players Greensboro Hornets players Charleston Wheelers players Chattanooga Lookouts managers 1962 births Living people Cincinnati Reds coaches Sportspeople from Oxnard, California Major League Baseball bullpen catchers Baseball players from California Sportspeople from Ventura County, California