Steve Swisher
From BR Bullpen
Steven Eugene Swisher
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 2", Weight 205 lb.
- School Ohio University
- Debut June 14, 1974
- Final Game September 26, 1982
- Born August 9, 1951 in Parkersburg, WV USA
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[edit] Biographical Information
Steve Swisher was a catcher who had a nine-year career in the National League. He was on the All Star team in 1976. He is the father of Nick Swisher, a player for the New York Yankees.
Swisher attended Ohio University, where he was an All-American. He was a first-round pick by the Chicago White Sox in 1973, playing briefly in 1973 for Knoxville of the Southern League and Iowa of the American Association, but was traded to the Chicago Cubs that December in a deal involving Ron Santo.
In 1974, he appeared in 52 games at Wichita in the American Association, before coming up to the major league Cubs in June. He had made it to the major leagues less than 365 days after he had first signed to play professional ball. He had his most major league at-bats, 377, in 1976, the year that Rick Monday hit 32 home runs, and Bill Madlock hit .339, and Hall of Fame reliever Bruce Sutter was a 23-year-old rookie.
He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals and spent 1978-1980 there, where Ted Simmons was the regular catcher. In December 1980, he was traded to the San Diego Padres in a deal involving Rollie Fingers. He finished out his career on the team, where Terry Kennedy was the regular catcher.
Lifetime, he appeared in 509 major league games and had 1414 at-bats.
He managed the Waterloo Indians in the Midwest League in 1985 and 1986. Between 1987 and 1993, he managed a variety of AA and AAA clubs, including Buffalo, Colorado Springs, Jackson, Tidewater and Binghamton. In 1992 with Binghamton, he was Manager of the Year. He also briefly managed New Orleans in Triple A in 1997. Swisher was the General Manager for the Ohio Valley Redcoats in 1997-1998.
He then left baseball and in 2002 was the regional sales manager for an aluminum company. Swisher returned to the field as manager of the Reading Phillies in 2005.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- NL All-Star (1976)
[edit] Minor League Managerial Record
| Year | Team | League | Record | Finish | Organization | Playoffs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Waterloo Indians | Midwest League | 67-73 | 7th | Cleveland Indians | ||
| 1986 | Waterloo Indians | Midwest League | 78-62 | 3rd | Cleveland Indians | League Champs | |
| 1987 | Williamsport Bills | Eastern League | -- | Cleveland Indians | replaced by Orlando Gomez | ||
| Buffalo Bisons | American Association | 53-46 | 5th | Cleveland Indians | replaced Orlando Gomez (13-28) | ||
| 1988 | Colorado Springs Sky Sox | Pacific Coast League | 62-77 | 8th | Cleveland Indians | ||
| 1989 | Jackson Mets | Texas League | 61-74 | 7th | New York Mets | ||
| 1990 | Tidewater Tides | International League | 79-67 | 3rd | New York Mets | ||
| 1991 | Tidewater Tides | International League | 77-65 | 3rd | New York Mets | ||
| 1992 | Binghamton Mets | Eastern League | 79-59 | 2nd | New York Mets | League Champs | |
| 1993 | Binghamton Mets | Eastern League | 68-72 | 5th | New York Mets | ||
| 1997 | New Orleans Zephyrs | American Association | -- | Houston Astros | -- | replaced by Matt Galante on April 11 | |
| 2005 | Reading Phillies | Eastern League | 69-73 | 8th | Philadelphia Phillies |
