George Greer (baseball)

George Greer
Greer in 2018
Coach
Born: (1946-10-18) October 18, 1946 (age 78)
Westerly, Rhode Island, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Teams
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  United States
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1967 Winnipeg Team

George Edward Greer (born October 18, 1946) is an American baseball coach. He has served as the hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB) and was a head coach in college baseball for the Davidson Wildcats and Wake Forest Demon Deacons. He is currently the hitting instructor for the High Point Rockers of the independent Atlantic League.

Playing career

Greer was raised in Westerly, Rhode Island, and graduated from Westerly High School, where he was named an All-State baseball player.[1] He attended the University of Connecticut, where he played college baseball for the Connecticut Huskies. While at Connecticut, Greer played collegiate summer baseball for three seasons (1965–1967) with the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and was named a league all-star in 1965 and 1966.[2][3]

Greer played as a right fielder for the United States national baseball team at the 1967 Pan American Games, hosted by Winnipeg. In the deciding game for the gold medal, Greer drove in the winning run as the U.S. defeated Cuba, 2–1.[4]

Greer was selected by the Cardinals in the 1968 Major League Baseball draft,[5] and played in the Cardinals system for four years, reaching Triple-A with the Tulsa Oilers in 1971.[6]

Coaching career

In 1979 he returned to the CCBL as manager of the Cotuit Kettleers. Greer led the Kettleers to three league titles between 1979 and 1987, and managed several future major leaguers including Will Clark, Ron Darling, John Franco, and Joe Girardi. In 2002, Greer was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame.[7]

Greer served as the coach of the Davidson Wildcats from 1982 to 1987 and for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons from 1988 to 2004. With Wake Forest, he had a 608–382–4 win–loss record. He joined the New York Mets organization as a minor league manager.[8][9] He joined the Cardinals as a minor league baseball coach in 2015.[5][10] He was promoted to the major league coaching staff on July 15, 2018.[11] The Cardinals opted not to renew Greer's contract after the 2019 season.[12]

Personal

Greer's wife, Becky, served as the superintendent of public schools in Radford, Virginia.[5]

References

  1. ^ Fontaine, Pete (January 8, 2015). "'Only in RI': Former baseball star makes Johnston connection during return visit". Johnston Sun Rise. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  2. ^ "All-Star Rosters". Cape Cod Standard-Times. Hyannis, MA. July 20, 1965. p. 10.
  3. ^ "Chatham Places 7 on Cape League All Star Team". The Cape Codder. Orleans, MA. August 4, 1966. pp. 2:3.
  4. ^ "U.S Wins Baseball Title at Pan-Am". The Kansas City Star. AP. August 6, 1967. p. 4S. Retrieved December 12, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b c "Former Wake Forest baseball coach Greer lands job with St. Louis Cardinals | Winston-Salem State Baseball". journalnow.com. May 26, 2015. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  6. ^ "Mike Anthony: UConn Grad George Greer Living Major League Dream with Cardinals 50 Years After Being Drafted".
  7. ^ "Twelve Legends to be inducted into CCBL Hall of Fame". capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  8. ^ Collins, Dan. "For hitting coach Greer, timing is everything | WFU". journalnow.com. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  9. ^ Hansen, Scott (June 12, 2013). "Former Brooklyn Cyclones managers Wally Backman and George Greer tasked with righting Ike Davis • Brooklyn Paper". Brooklynpaper.com. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  10. ^ "Greer adapting to role in Cardinals' organization | Sports". johnsoncitypress.com. July 23, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  11. ^ Post-Dispatch store. "Matheny out: Cardinals chairman DeWitt says 'it was time for a fresh voice' | Cardinal Beat". stltoday.com. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  12. ^ "Cards notebook: Longtime aide Greer dismissed, new hitting coordinator hired | St. Louis Cardinals". stltoday.com. September 24, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
Sporting positions
Preceded by St. Louis Cardinals hitting coach
2018 		Succeeded by