Brad Komminsk

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1984 Donruss #36 Brad Komminsk

Brad Lynn Komminsk

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Biographical Information[edit]

"Sometimes a guy simply loses it before he establishes himself in the major leagues. That's what happened to Komminsk, I think — he shot his cannons in the minor leagues." - Bill James, interviewed in 2003

Brad Komminsk played eight seasons in the majors and 16 in the minors.

Brad was labeled a "can't miss major leaguer" by Hall of Famer Hank Aaron when he tore through the Atlanta Braves' minor league system. In 1983, the Braves reportedly turned down a trade offer that would have sent Komminsk to the Boston Red Sox for Jim Rice. Yet his major league career was a huge disappointment.

Komminsk was born in 1961 in Lima, OH and attended high school there. He was the fourth overall pick in the 1979 amateur draft and moved his way up the Braves' system, showing power at every level. By the time he made his major league debut in August 1983, he had hit well over 100 minor league home runs, including 24 in 1983 for the AAA Richmond Braves, along with a .334 batting average.

Brad played 19 games for the Braves in 1983, hitting .222 with no home runs. However, with his minor league record, he was able to stick with the 1984 team for most of the season. He had 42 games with Richmond and 90 with the Braves, hitting .203 with 8 home runs at the major league level.

He was up the whole season in 1985, and had the most at-bats in a single season that he would get in his major league career. In 106 games (exactly 300 at-bats), Brad hit .227 with 4 home runs.

Although he was up for a few games in 1986, he was mostly in the minors with Richmond, for whom he hit .234 with 13 home runs. During the off-season he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for Dion James, and in 1987 he spent the year in the minors except for 7 games with the Brewers. In the minors with the Denver Zephyrs, he hit 32 home runs with a .298 batting average.

He spent 1988 in the minors with Denver, hitting .239 with 16 home runs, and then he was granted free agency. The Cleveland Indians gave him another chance in 1989, using him in 71 major league games, during which he hit .237 with 8 home runs. In the minors in 1989, he played for Colorado Springs, hitting .289 with 9 home runs in 54 games.

The San Francisco Giants selected him off waivers on April 5, 1990, and he played 8 games for them before being put back on waivers. The Baltimore Orioles took him off waivers on May 2, 1990, and he appeared 46 times for them, hitting .238 with 3 home runs. He also played 28 games for the Rochester Red Wings that year, hitting .291 with one home run.

The Oakland Athletics signed him as a free agent and he appeared in 24 games with them in 1991, along with 74 at Tacoma. He hit .293 at Tacoma with 5 home runs.

His major league career was over, but he continued to play in the minors in the Chicago White Sox organization in 1992 and 1993, in Italy in 1994-1995, in independent ball in 1996, and in one game for the Detroit Tigers' Toledo Mud Hens affiliate in 1997.

In all, he played 16 years in the minors with a .278 batting average and a .489 SLG. He was a good base stealer with over 100 steals (swiping a high of 26 for Richmond in 1983). In addition to 230 home runs he had 271 doubles.

In the majors, however, he played 8 years with a .238 batting average, .301 on-base percentage and .336 SLG in 1,119 plate appearances. He played all three outfield positions and in two games appeared at third base.

In 1996 Komminsk was a player-coach for the Winnipeg Goldeyes in the independent Northern League. He retired from playing after the season and accepted a managerial job with the Johnstown Steal in January, 1997. However, in late February the Detroit Tigers offered Komminsk a hitting coach role with the Toledo Mud Hens that he didn't feel he could turn down. He spent the next 16 years working as a coach or manager. Komminsk did get into one more game as a player though. In the final game of the 1997 season, the Mud Hens were short a player so the team activated Komminsk who went 2 for 3.

Komminsk had considerable success as a manager. He led the Akron Aeros to consecutive Southern Division titles in 2002 and 2003 and helped Akron capture the Eastern League crown in 2003. His 2002 squad led all of minor league baseball with 93 wins, earning Komminsk Eastern League Manager of the Year honors. After the 2003 season, Komminsk was named the USA Today Sports Weekly Minor League Manager of the year. He later carried this level of success over to the Baltimore Orioles organization. After leading the Bowie Baysox to the playoffs with a franchise-best record of 84-58 in 2008, Komminsk was named Eastern League Manager of the Year for the second time in his career.

Coaching/Coordinator Roles:

Notable Achievements[edit]

Year-By-Year Minor League Managerial Record[edit]

Year Team League Record Finish Organization Playoffs
1999 Columbus RedStixx South Atlantic League 70-71 7th Cleveland Indians Lost in 1st round
2000 Kinston Indians Carolina League 68-69 3rd Cleveland Indians
2001 Kinston Indians Carolina League 89-51 1st Cleveland Indians Lost in 1st round
2002 Akron Aeros Eastern League 93-48 1st Cleveland Indians Lost in 1st round
2003 Akron Aeros Eastern League 88-53 1st Cleveland Indians League Champs
2004 Akron Aeros Eastern League 63-78 11th Cleveland Indians
2008 Bowie Baysox Eastern League 84-58 2nd Baltimore Orioles Lost in 1st round
2009 Bowie Baysox Eastern League 73-69 5th Baltimore Orioles
2010 Bowie Baysox Eastern League 75-67 5th Baltimore Orioles

Sources and Further Reading[edit]

  • Tom Usher: "Komminsk Will Return To AA Managing Job", in The Lima News, February 2, 2009. [1]
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