Mark Berry
From BR Bullpen
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 190 lb.
- School Oxnard College, University of Arkansas
- Born September 22, 1962 in Oxnard, CA USA
Catcher/third baseman Mark Berry was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1984 amateur draft and played in their organization for seven seasons (1984-1990). He was named to the Pioneer League all-star team as the catcher in 1984 when he hit .330/~.407/.550 for the Billings Mustangs and was 10th in the Pioneer League in batting average. In '85, he played for the Cedar Rapids Reds and put up a .266/~.323/.395 batting line. The 1986 season brought him up to the Tampa Tarpons and he batted .315/~.425/.405 with 34 steals. He was 7th in the Florida State League in average, 4th in walks (85) and Baseball America rated him the FSL's #4 prospect. He made the FSL All-Star team at catcher.
In '87, Berry split the year between the Vermont Reds (.321/~.465/.446) and Nashville Sounds, where he hit .230/~.363/.272 in 75 games, showing good OBP skills but overall not hitting as well as fellow backstop Terry McGriff. He would never again play in AAA or even AA.
Mark moved to the Greensboro Hornets in 1988 and produced at a .222/~.339/.310 clip as a DH. In '89, he was still with Greensboro, hitting .286/~.424/.403 as a 1B/DH He began the '90 season with the Charleston Wheelers, hitting .286/~.405/.400 in 14 games at first base.
Berry retired in June 1990 and joined the coaching staff for a month, then coached the GCL Reds the rest of the season and was the pitching coach for the Cedar Rapids Reds in 1991. Berry was a minor league manager from 1992 to 1998. He was slated to be the AAA hitting coach in 1999, but stayed on the big league coaching staff. He became the Reds bullpen catcher from 1999 to 2003, and has been the team's third base coach since 2004.
Sources: 1985 and 1989 Baseball Guides, 1986-87 Baseball America Statistics Reports, 1988-1991 Baseball Almanacs
[edit] Year-by-Year Playing Record
| Year | Team | League | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BA | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Billings Mustangs | Pioneer League | 52 | 191 | 53 | 63 | 15 | 3 | 7 | 43 | .330 | 4 |
| 1985 | Cedar Rapids Reds | Midwest League | 93 | 319 | 35 | 85 | 16 | 2 | 7 | 38 | .266 | 2 |
| 1986 | Tampa Tarpons | Florida State League | 132 | 444 | 76 | 140 | 20 | 4 | 4 | 73 | .315 | 34 |
| 1987 | Vermont Reds | Eastern League | 32 | 112 | 22 | 36 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 18 | .321 | 7 |
| Nashville Sounds | American Association | 75 | 217 | 20 | 50 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 22 | .230 | 1 | |
| 1988 | Greensboro Hornets | South Atlantic League | 47 | 158 | 21 | 35 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 16 | .222 | 5 |
| 1989 | Greensboro Hornets | South Atlantic League | 98 | 318 | 54 | 91 | 23 | 1 | 4 | 55 | .286 | 2 |
| 1990 | Charleston Wheelers | South Atlantic League | 14 | 35 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .286 | 0 |
[edit] Year-by-Year Managerial Record
| Year | Team | League | Record | Finish | Organization | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Cedar Rapids Reds | Midwest League | 82-56 | 3rd | Cincinnati Reds | League Champs |
| 1993 | Winston-Salem Spirits | Carolina League | 72-68 | 4th | Cincinnati Reds | League Champs |
| 1994 | Winston-Salem Spirits | Carolina League | 67-70 | 4th | Cincinnati Reds | Lost League Finals |
| 1995 | Winston-Salem Warthogs | Carolina League | 69-68 | 3rd | Cincinnati Reds | |
| 1996 | Chattanooga Lookouts | Southern League | 81-59 | 2nd | Cincinnati Reds | Lost League Finals |
| 1997 | Chattanooga Lookouts | Southern League | 70-69 | 6th | Cincinnati Reds | |
| 1998 | Chattanooga Lookouts | Southern League | 65-73 | 8th | Cincinnati Reds |
