Tom Kotchman

John Thomas Kotchman (born August 14, 1954 in Grafton, North Dakota) is an American professional baseball scout, coach and minor league manager. In 2016 he spent his third consecutive season as manager of the Gulf Coast Red Sox, Rookie-level affiliate of the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball.^[1]

In 2008, Kotchman was one of the inaugural inductees into the Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame.^[2]

Early baseball career

Kotchman attended high school in Seminole, Florida, and played baseball at Chipola Junior College in Florida and Georgia Southern University. He was signed by the Cincinnati Reds in 1977 and played two seasons (1977–78) in their farm system at the Class A level. A third baseman, he threw and batted right-handed, stood 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighed 180 pounds (82 kg).

The 2012 season marked Kotchman's 34th consecutive year as a minor league manager. He began his career in 1979 at age 24 with the Auburn Redstars in the Short-Season Class A New York–Penn League. The Auburn franchise lacked a Player Development Contract and was designated a "co-op" team, receiving its players on loan from multiple Major League organizations. After one season there, Kotchman became manager of teams affiliated with MLB organizations. He spent 1980–81 in the Detroit Tigers' system, as skipper of the Bristol Tigers of the Rookie-level Appalachian League in 1980, then the Macon Peaches of the full-season Class A South Atlantic League in 1981. He then spent 1982–83 as pilot of the Red Sox' Class A Florida State League franchise, the Winter Haven Red Sox.

Almost three decades with Angels

In 1984, he joined the player development system of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (then the California Angels), beginning an association that would last until 2012.

From 1984–86, he was manager of the club's Class A California League farm clubs, the Redwood Pioneers, based in Rohnert Park, California, and the Palm Springs Angels. Success there led to a promotion to the Angels' Triple-A Edmonton Trappers affiliate in the Pacific Coast League, where he also spent three seasons (1987–89).

In 1990, Kotchman assumed a role he would play for 23 seasons, as both a Florida-based area scout and manager of the Angels' Short-Season Class A or Rookie-level teams in the Northwest League and the Pioneer League. He skippered the Boise Hawks of the NWL for 11 seasons (1990–2000), during which time the Hawks never finished lower than second place and never compiled a losing record. From 2001–12, he managed in the Pioneer League with the Provo Angels (2001–04) and the Orem Owlz (2005–12). As a scout, Kotchman signed such future Angels as Howie Kendrick, Jeff Mathis, Scot Shields and Bobby Wilson.^[3]

In late October 2012, it was reported that Kotchman and the Angels had severed their longtime relationship,^[4] when he was asked to concentrate solely on scouting.^[5]

Return to Red Sox' system

The December 11, 2012, edition of Baseball America reported that Kotchman had decided to rejoin the Red Sox organization for 2013 as a Florida area scout. The Red Sox soon announced that Kotchman would also serve as a coach for the 2013 Rookie-level Gulf Coast Red Sox.^[6]

On December 18, 2013, the Red Sox promoted Kotchman to manager of the 2014 GCL Red Sox,^[7] his 35th year as a skipper in minor league baseball. His club won the 2014 Gulf Coast League championship,^[8] the eighth league title Kotchman has won since 1990. Additionally, he was honored as Manager of the Year and included in the Gulf Coast League Postseason All-Stars team.^[9] He was reappointed skipper of the GCL Red Sox on January 8, 2015,^[1] and promoted to Florida cross-checker five days later.^[10] The 2015 GCL Red Sox won 41 of 58 regular-season games^[11] then repeated as league champions by sweeping three playoff games.^[12] He then was reappointed for the 2016 campaign.^[13]

Through 2016 and 37 total seasons, Kotchman had compiled a career regular season managerial record of 1,814 victories and 1,505 defeats, a winning percentage of .547, with ten league championships.^[14]

Personal

He is the father of Cleveland Indians first basemen Casey Kotchman and his daughter Christal Kotchman was on the College of Charleston softball team.

References

• Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolf, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Doster, Adam, "Longtime Scout Tom Kotchman is the Hardest-Working Man in Baseball." Sports Illustrated, 2014.11.21