Ronald Allan Wotus (born March 3, 1961) is an American retired

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 professiona ...

player and

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 * Coac ...

. He played 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 (A ...

(MLB) as a

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 ...

and second baseman for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

, and served as

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

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yo ...

. He was drafted in the 16th round of the 1979 Major League Baseball Draft by the Pirates, and made his MLB debut in 1983. He also served as bench coach for the Giants from 1999–2017.

Early life

Wotus grew up in

Colchester, Connecticut Colchester is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 15,555 at the 2020 census. In 2010 Colchester became the first town in Connecticut, and the 36th in the country, to be certified with the National Wild ...

, and attended

Bacon Academy Bacon Academy is a public high school in Colchester, Connecticut, in the United States. In 1800 a prominent Colchester farmer, Pierpont Bacon, died and left an endowment of thirty-five thousand dollars (with buying power equivalent to that of abou ...

, where he played soccer, basketball, and baseball.

Professional career

Draft and minor leagues

He was drafted in the 16th round of the 1979 Major League Baseball Draft by the

Pittsburgh Pirates (1983–1984)

He debuted with the Pirates in 1983 and also played for them in 1984. In the majors, he batted 12-for-58 (.207) in 32 games. He played in 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 ...

organization in 1987 and the

organization in 1988 and 1989, without returning to the majors.

Coaching career

After retiring as a player, Wotus remained in the Giants organization as a minor league manager from 1991 to 1997. He managed the Single-A

San Jose Giants The San Jose Giants are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Located in San Jose, California, the Giants play their home games at Excite Ballpark. Games San Jose Giants ga ...

(1991–92), the Double-A

Shreveport Captains The Shreveport Captains (1971–2000) and Shreveport Swamp Dragons (2001–02) were a professional minor-league baseball team based in Shreveport, Louisiana. They were affiliated with the California Angels (1971–72), Milwaukee Brewers (1973–74 ...

(1993–95), and Triple-A Phoenix Firebirds (1996–97). Wotus was named

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 L ...

Manager of Year in 1991 after leading San Jose to a 92–44 record. In 1997, Wotus was named

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Ba ...

Manager of the Year after the Firebirds finished 88–55, winning 41 of their final 51 games. Wotus became the Giants' third base coach in 1998 under manager

Dusty Baker Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker Jr. (born June 15, 1949) is an American baseball manager and former player who is the manager of the Houston Astros in Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in the MLB for 19 seasons, most notably with the Lo ...

, and served as bench coach from 1999–2017 under managers Baker,

Felipe Alou Felipe Rojas Alou (born May 12, 1935) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder, first baseman, and manager. He managed the Montreal Expos (1992–2001) and the San Francisco Giants (2003–2006). The first Dominican to play regularly in th ...

, and

Bruce Bochy Bruce Douglas Bochy (; born April 16, 1955), nicknamed "Boch" and "Headly", is an American professional baseball manager and former catcher who is the current manager of the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He managed the San Dieg ...

. Wotus said he hoped to manage some day, and interviewed for several major league manager jobs, including the Pirates (2000), Dodgers (2005), Mariners (2013), Rays (2014), and Nationals (2015). Wotus has also coached the Giants' infielders and was in charge of defensive shifts. After the Giants had a disappointing 2017 season, Wotus was reassigned to third base coach, his original coaching position with the Giants, to help stabilize the team. On August 10, 2021, Wotus became the second coach in franchise history along with

John McGraw John Joseph McGraw (April 7, 1873 – February 25, 1934) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player and manager who was for almost thirty years manager of the New York Giants. He was also the third baseman of the pennant-winning 189 ...

to reach 2,000 wins. On August 31, Wotus announced that he would be retiring from full-time coaching following the 2021 season. On January 26, 2022, Wotus came out of retirement and was hired by the Giants to serve as a special assistant for the 2022 season.

Personal life

Wotus married his wife Laurie (a realtor) in 1987. They reside in

Pleasant Hill, California Pleasant Hill is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 34,613 at the 2020 census. It was incorporated in 1961. Pleasant Hill is the home of College Park H ...

References

External links

, o
SF Giants biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wotus, Ron 1961 births Living people Alexandria Dukes players Baseball players from Hartford, Connecticut Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Gulf Coast Pirates players Hagerstown Suns players Hawaii Islanders players Major League Baseball bench coaches Major League Baseball shortstops Major League Baseball third base coaches Minor league baseball managers Nashua Pirates players Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Omaha Royals players Phoenix Firebirds players Pittsburgh Pirates players Portland Beavers players Salem Pirates players San Francisco Giants coaches Shelby Pirates players Sportspeople from Hartford, Connecticut People from Pleasant Hill, California Baseball players from Contra Costa County, California Bacon Academy alumni