Jeffrey William Datz (born November 28, 1959) is an American former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB)

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 catc ...

and coach who played for the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

in 1989, and who is currently a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

Playing career

A native of

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a City (New Jersey), city in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan region. The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828.Snyder, John P''The Story of ...

, Datz grew up in the Mullica Hill section of Harrison Township, New Jersey and graduated from Clearview Regional High School. He attended

Rowan University Rowan University is a public research university in Glassboro, New Jersey, with a medical campus in Stratford and medical and academic campuses in Camden. Founded in 1923 as Glassboro Normal School on a site donated by 107 residents, the scho ...

. In 1981, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the Chatham A's of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

. He was selected by the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

in the 19th round (485th overall) of the 1982 Major League Baseball draft. Datz signed as a free agent with the

prior to the 1989 season, and appeared in seven games for the team that year.

Coaching career

Datz was manager of the minor league Buffalo Bisons in 1998 and 1999. He led the Bisons to the league championship crown in 1998. On March 19, 2002, Datz was hired as the bench coach for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

under manager Charlie Manuel. In 2003, Manuel was replaced by Eric Wedge, and he moved Datz to first base coach. Datz served on Cleveland's coaching staff until the end of the 2009 season, when general manager Mark Shapiro fired the entire coaching staff. At the 2008

Home Run Derby The Home Run Derby is an annual home run hitting competition in Major League Baseball (MLB) customarily held the day before the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, MLB All-Star Game, which places the contest on a Monday in July. In the context ...

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the home field of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. The stadium opened in April 2009, replacing the Yankee S ...

, Datz pitched for

center fielder Grady Sizemore. On October 29, 2009, Datz was hired as the bench coach for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

. On November 4, 2010, Datz was hired to be third base coach for the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

starting with the 2011 season. The hiring reunited him with Eric Wedge, who had recently been hired as the Mariners' manager. Before a Mariners game against the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

on April 27, 2013, Datz announced that he was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer, and

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, ...

manager Daren Brown was promoted to substitute for Datz. On August 23, 2013, Datz resumed his position on the team as an extra coach.

Scouting career

On November 25, 2013, it was announced that Datz will serve the Mariners as a member of the club's professional scouting staff for the season. Datz later joined the

, where he was listed as a professional scout for the season.

References

External links

"MLB.com Mariners Bio"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Datz, Jeff 1959 births Living people Auburn Astros players Baltimore Orioles coaches Buffalo Bisons (minor league) managers Chatham Anglers players Columbus Astros players Columbus Clippers players Daytona Beach Astros players Detroit Tigers players Cleveland Indians coaches Cleveland Indians scouts Major League Baseball bench coaches Major League Baseball first base coaches Major League Baseball third base coaches New York Yankees scouts Seattle Mariners coaches Seattle Mariners scouts Toledo Mud Hens players Baseball players from Camden, New Jersey People from Harrison Township, New Jersey Baseball players from Gloucester County, New Jersey Rowan Profs baseball players 20th-century American sportsmen