Gary Cooper (coopega02)

Gary Clifton Cooper

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 200 lb.
• School Brigham Young University
• High School Mountain View High School (Orem)
• Debut September 15, 1991
• Final Game October 6, 1991
• Born August 13, 1964 in Lynwood, CA USA

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Biographical Information

Eleven years after the first big league Gary Cooper, third baseman Gary Cooper appeared in nine games with the Houston Astros in 1991, batting .250/.368/.313 while pushing Ken Caminiti to the bench for three starts. In the minors during the four-year period after his lone big league appearances, 1992 to 1995, he got on base at a .378 clip with a .491 slugging percentage.

Overall, his professional career lasted from 1986 to 1995. Before being a September call-up in 1991, he had hit .305 with 14 homers and 75 RBIs in 120 games for the Tucson Toros of the Pacific Coast League. The numbers look good, but the PCL was very much a hitter's league at the time and he wasn't particularly close to the league leaders (for example, Alonzo Powell won the batting title at .375, and two players had more than 100 RBIs). In addition to Caminiti being entrenched at third base - he would play for Houston until 1994, 1991 was also the rookie season of Jeff Bagwell, who would go on to play 15 seasons at first base. That did not really leave much room for Gary on the team.

His time at Brigham Young University overlapped with that of Wally Joyner and Cory Snyder. The Astros drafted him from the school in the 7th round of the 1986 amateur draft.