Mick Kelleher

From BR Bullpen

Michael Dennis Kelleher

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 5' 9", Weight 176 lb.
School Wenatchee Valley College, University of Puget Sound
Debut September 1, 1972
Final Game October 3, 1982
Born July 25, 1947 in Seattle, WA USA

[edit] Biographical Information

Mick Kelleher was a very good fielding infielder who played mostly for the Chicago Cubs in the 1970s. A weak bat kept him out of the starting lineup most of the time but Kelleher did manage back-to-back seasons hitting over .250 in 1978 and 1979 for the Cubs. Kelleher had the distinction of having 1,081 official at-bats, and never hitting a home run. A back injury cut short his career.

He was manager of the Iowa Cubs for part of the 1991 season, taking over from Jim Essian after he Essian was named manager of the Chicago Cubs.

Kelleher is one of three major leaguers to come from the University of Puget Sound, and the one who appeared in by far the most major league games. He was in the minors from 1969-75 and then also in 1983. With Las Vegas in 1983 he hit .331.

After his playing days, Kelleher was a Pittsburgh Pirates coach in 1986 and a member of the Detroit Tigers staff from 2003 to 2005. He became the first base coach for the New York Yankees in 2009.