Richard Keith "Stubby" Clapp (born February 24, 1973) is a Canadian

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 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 * Co ...

and former second baseman,

left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

, and Triple-A

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

who is the

first 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

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

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 played for 11 years, most notably within the

organization, including a brief stint in MLB with the Cardinals. In his native Canada, he is best remembered for his performance at the

1999 Pan American Games The 1999 Pan American Games, officially the XIII Pan American Games or the 13th Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event that was held from July 23 to August 8, 1999, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and surrounding towns and ...

in Winnipeg, where he hit a bases-loaded single in the 11th inning to beat a more experienced

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

team and put

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in the semifinals. Canada eventually won the bronze medal.

Early life

In his youth, Stubby Clapp could be considered a two-sport athlete, having distinguished himself through the Windsor minor hockey system. After playing Bantam hockey in Windsor, Clapp played an important role for the Windsor Bulldogs (now the LaSalle Vipers) from 1990–1992. In 1991, the Bulldogs clinched first place during the regular season and Clapp scored five goals during the playoffs. For the 1991–1992 season, he was named captain of the team.

Baseball career

Clapp graduated from

Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sy ...

, where he played for the Red Raiders baseball team. He still holds (or shares) the Red Raiders' records for triples in a season (eight), runs in game (five, three times), strikeouts in a game (four) and walks in a season (66), both set during the 1996 season. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 36th round (1,058th overall) of 1996 amateur entry draft. In 1998, when playing for the Double-A

Arkansas Travelers The Arkansas Travelers, also known informally as The Travs, are a Minor League Baseball team based in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The Travelers are affiliated with the Seattle Mariners as members of the Texas League. History The team succeeded ...

, he led the league with 86 walks and 139 games played. He remains popular among Travelers fans to this day. He also played for the Edmonton Cracker Cats. Clapp was also popular in Syracuse, New York, and other cities where he played. In 1999, Clapp was part of the Canadian team at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg. A popular player with his teammates, Clapp became a minor celebrity in Canada after his game-winning, bases-loaded single against the U.S. team. From –, he played for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds. In 2000, he led the team with 138 hits, 89 runs, 80 walks, eight triples, and six sacrifice hits. He is second all-time for the Redbirds for games played (425) and hits (418).Murtaugh, Fran
Memphis Athletes of the Decade: #5 — Stubby Clapp
Memphis Flyer, August 17, 2009 (accessed June 13, 2010) He was noted for doing a backflip every time he went onto the field. In , Clapp played 23 games for the St. Louis Cardinals, during which he had five hits in 25 at-bats, including two doubles and one RBI. Clapp became a popular figure in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, during his four-year stint with the Redbirds. He was often referred to as the "Mayor of Memphis". During the 2002 season, the Clapp was featured on a growth chart for kids sponsored by a Memphis-area medical group. In 911 minor-league games, Clapp had a .270

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 ...

, 48

home run 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 ...

s, 50 triples, 196 doubles, 365 RBI, and 83 steals. Clapp also pitched in three games, pitching a total of innings, giving up two hits and no earned runs. He was part of Team Canada in the 2004 Summer Olympics who finished in fourth place. He also played for Canada in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. In three games, Clapp hit .154, with a

triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * ...

and an RBI. In 2006, Clapp played for Canada in the inaugural

World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major Lea ...

. He was one of two second basemen on the roster and drove in a run. In 2009, he was named one of the Memphis "Athletes of the Decade". In 2010, the club had "Ode to Clapping Night", which included giving away Clapp

bobblehead A bobblehead, also known by common silly nicknames such as nodder, wobbler, or wacky wobbler, is a type of small collectible action figure. Its head is often oversized compared to its body. Instead of a solid connection, its head is connected t ...

Post-playing career

On April 21, 2007, Clapp's jersey #10 became the first number retired by the

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbir ...

, who painted "10" on the wall above their bullpen at

AutoZone Park AutoZone Park is a Minor League Baseball stadium located in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, and is home to the Memphis Redbirds of the International League and Memphis 901 FC of the USL Championship. The Redbirds are the Triple-A affiliate of Ma ...

. Clapp began his coaching career as a hitting coach for the

Lexington Legends The Lexington Legends are an American professional baseball team based in Lexington, Kentucky. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league" of Major League Baseball. The Legends ha ...

, the Houston Astros "A" ball team in the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

. He came out of retirement to represent Canada at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and was named to the roster for the

2009 World Baseball Classic The 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international baseball competition. It began on 5 9 and finished 5 26. Unlike in 2006, when the round-robin format of the first two rounds led to some eliminations being decided by run-difference tie ...

. In November 2010, Clapp became the hitting coach for the

Corpus Christi Hooks The Corpus Christi Hooks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team is owned by ...

, Houston's Double-A affiliate. Clapp managed the

Tri-City ValleyCats The Tri-City ValleyCats (often shortened to Cats) are a professional independent baseball team based in Troy, New York. The Tri-City name refers to the three nearby cities of Albany, Schenectady, and Troy which make up New York State's Capital D ...

, a

Single-A Class A, also known as Single-A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A, Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams classified at the Single-A level, one for each ...

affiliate of the Houston Astros, during the 2011 and 2012 seasons. In January 2013, Clapp was hired as the hitting coach for the

Dunedin Blue Jays The Dunedin Blue Jays are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and are the Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball club. They are located in Dunedin, Florida, and play their home games at TD Ballpar ...

, Toronto's Advanced-A affiliate. On December 19, 2014, the

New Hampshire Fisher Cats The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a Minor League Baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays major league club. During the team's first seaso ...

announced that he would be their new hitting coach. Clapp was third base coach for the gold medal-winning

Canada national baseball team The Canada national baseball team represents Canada in international baseball. They are overseen by Baseball Canada, the governing body of baseball in Canada. Their manager is Ernie Whitt, a former Major League Baseball catcher for the Toront ...

at the

2015 Pan American Games Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music * Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak al ...

in July 2015. On November 30, 2016, the Cardinals named Clapp manager of the Memphis Redbirds. During the 2017 season, Memphis celebrated Clapp's backflipping antics by hosting a bobblehead night featuring Clapp performing his signature move in bobblehead form. On the field, Clapp led the Redbirds to win the 2017 American Conference Southern Division title and was selected as the 2017 PCL Manager of the Year. The Redbirds became the 2017 PCL champions after defeating the

El Paso Chihuahuas The El Paso Chihuahuas are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They are located in El Paso, Texas, and play their home games at Southwest University Park, which opened ...

in five games in the league championship final. '' Baseball America'' named Clapp their Minor League Manager of the Year for 2017, becoming the first Cardinals minor league manager to win the award. In 2018, Clapp again managed Memphis to the PCL title, defeating the

Fresno Grizzlies The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in d ...

in 4 games. The Redbirds went on to defeat the International League champion

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

in the AAA Championship Game. Clapp was also named the 2018 PCL Manager of the Year, making him just the third manager in PCL history to win the award in consecutive seasons. On October 29, 2018, the

announced Clapp will be their first base coach for the 2019 season. There is a Stubby Clapp bobblehead on display at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, depicting him in a Memphis Redbirds uniform (the Triple A affiliate of the Cardinals).

Personal life

Clapp is "Stubby the Third", a nickname passed on from his father (Keith Ezra "Stubby II" Clapp) and grandfather (David Ezra Oscar "Stubby" Clapp). He is married to Chastity (nee Shutt) with a pair of sons, Cooper (nicknamed Stubby IV) and Cannan, and a daughter, Crosbie. Clapp is the oldest of 3 children to Keith (Stubby II) Clapp & Candis (nee Gagnon). He has a sister named Iris (Pomerleau) and a brother named Jay.

References

External links

Richard Clapp on Real Champions
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clapp, Stubby 1973 births Living people Arkansas Travelers players Baseball people from Ontario Baseball players at the 1999 Pan American Games Baseball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Baseball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Canadian baseball coaches Canadian expatriate baseball players in the United States Edmonton Cracker-Cats players Johnson City Cardinals players Major League Baseball first base coaches Major League Baseball players from Canada Major League Baseball second basemen Memphis Redbirds players Memphis Redbirds managers New Hampshire Fisher Cats players Olympic baseball players of Canada Pan American Games bronze medalists for Canada Pan American Games medalists in baseball Paris Dragons baseball players Prince William Cannons players Richmond Braves players St. Louis Cardinals coaches St. Louis Cardinals players Sportspeople from Windsor, Ontario Syracuse SkyChiefs players Texas Tech Red Raiders baseball players World Baseball Classic players of Canada 2006 World Baseball Classic players 2009 World Baseball Classic players Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games