Gene Tenace

From BR Bullpen

Fury Gene Tenace born Fiore Gino Tennaci

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 0", Weight 190 lb.
High School Valley High School (Lucasville)
Debut May 29, 1969
Final Game September 30, 1983
Born October 10, 1946 in Russellton, PA USA

[edit] Biographical Information

Gene Tenace was one of the top catchers of his era. He not only caught nearly 900 games, but also played first base over 600 times. He was well-known for his tendency to draw a lot of walks.

He came up with the Oakland Athletics in the Reggie Jackson and Sal Bando days, and stayed with them from 1969 to 1976. During that time, the A's never finished worse than 2nd in the division, and won the World Series three times straight from 1972 to 1974. In spite of that, sometimes they had trouble filling the stands for a World Series game. Tenace was the World Series MVP in 1972 when he hit four home runs, including two in Game 1, hit .348 and drove in 9 runs against the Cincinnati Reds. This was a complete surprise, as he had not even been a regular player during the 1972 regular season.

From 1973 to 1975 he hit between 24 and 29 home runs each year, with over 100 walks each year. However, his batting average was always modest.

He joined the San Diego Padres as a free agent in 1977, alongside teammate Rollie Fingers, and stayed with the team for four years, hitting for moderate power and getting as many as 125 walks in a season. These were the days when Dave Winfield and Ozzie Smith also played for the Padres, but they did not contend for the pennant.

He finished his career playing two seasons as a backup catcher with the St. Louis Cardinals and one with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cardinals in 1982 were World Series champs, and the first-string catcher Darrell Porter was the Series MVP.

Lifetime, Tenace had 201 home runs and 984 walks. He hit only .241, but drew so many walks that his on-base percentage was a lofty .388. His OPS+ was a very respectable 135, which is higher than a number of Hall of Famers.

He played for four World Series champion teams, hitting 4 home runs and getting 17 walks in Series play. All 4 of the home runs were in the 1972 Series. He appeared in one All Star game.

He led the league twice in walks and once in hit-by-pitch. He was third in the league in on-base percentage three times, he was regularly in the top 3 in hit-by-pitch, and third in home runs once.

Not surprisingly, the most similar player to Gene Tenace is Mickey Tettleton.

After his playing days ended, Tenace was a Houston Astros coach in 1986 and 1987. He joined the Toronto Blue Jays coaching staff in 1990, and he briefly filled in as manager of the club the next year when Cito Gaston was hospitalized. He remained with the Jays as a coach through 1997. Since 2002, he has been a hitting instructor in the Cardinals organization. On June 20, 2008, his old friend Gaston brought him back to the major leagues as hitting coach of the Blue Jays, when he began his second stint as manager of the Jays.

[edit] Notable Achievements

AL All-Star (1975)
1972 World Series MVP
2-time League Bases on Balls Leader (1974/AL & 1977/NL)
20-Home Run Seasons: 5 (1973-1976 & 1979)
Won four World Series with the Oakland Athletics (1972, 1973 & 1974) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1982)