John Steven Mabry (born October 17, 1970) is an American former professional baseball player, broadcaster, and coach. He is a coach for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He had 898 career hits in 3,409 at-bats (for a batting average of .263), with 96 home runs and 446 RBI. He is 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) tall, weighs 210 lb (95 kilograms), bats left-handed and throws right-handed. John Mabry attended West Chester University of Pennsylvania and was inducted into their Athletics Hall of Fame.

John Mabry
Mabry with the St. Louis Cardinals
Kansas City Royals – No. 47
Outfielder / First baseman
Born: (1970-10-17) October 17, 1970 (age 51) Wilmington, Delaware
Batted: Left Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 23, 1994, for the St. Louis Cardinals
Last MLB appearance
May 17, 2007, for the Colorado Rockies
MLB statistics
Batting average	.263
Home runs	96
Runs batted in	446
Teams
As player St. Louis Cardinals (1994–1998) Seattle Mariners (1999–2000) San Diego Padres (2000) St. Louis Cardinals (2001) Florida Marlins (2001) Philadelphia Phillies (2002) Oakland Athletics (2002) Seattle Mariners (2003) St. Louis Cardinals (2004–2005) Chicago Cubs (2006) Colorado Rockies (2007) As coach St. Louis Cardinals (2012–2018) Kansas City Royals (2020–present)

Early life

Mabry, a graduate of Bohemia Manor High School, in Chesapeake City, Maryland, played three years at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, before being drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 6th round of the 1991 amateur draft.

Playing career

During his 14-year MLB career Mabry played for eight teams, including three different stints with the Cardinals (1994–1998, 2001, 2004–2005).[1] In Mabry's only season with over 400 at-bats, he led the Cardinals with 161 hits and was fourth in the National League for first basemen in fielding percentage at .994 and was errorless in 14 games in the outfield. He hit for a natural cycle in a May 18, 1996, loss to the Colorado Rockies.[2]

Mabry was one of the few major leaguers who preferred not to wear batting gloves. He was also somewhat versatile on defense, playing more than 100 games at left and right field as well as first and third base. He also made two career appearances pitching with dubious results. In one inning of work, he gave up seven earned runs for a career ERA of 63.[3]

Post-playing career

In April 2011, Fox Sports Midwest hired Mabry to serve as baseball analyst during St. Louis Cardinals live pre-game and post-game shows, a role he shared with former Cardinals Mike Matheny and Cal Eldred.[4]

On December 2, 2011, the Cardinals named Mabry the assistant hitting coach to Mark McGwire in 2012, soon after announcing former teammate Mike Matheny would be the new manager.[5] On November 5, 2012, the Cardinals promoted Mabry to hitting coach following McGwire's departure to the Los Angeles Dodgers.[6] Former major league catcher Bengie Molina succeeded Mabry as the assistant hitting coach.[7] Mabry was released from his position as hitting coach with the St. Louis Cardinals when manager Mike Matheny was fired on July 14, 2018, just days before the All-Star break of the 2018 season.

On December 5, 2019, Mabry was added to the Kansas City Royals staff as a major league coach.[8]

Personal life

After his 2007 retirement as a player, Mabry continued to make his home in the St. Louis area along with his wife Ann and their four children.[9] Long an avid outdoorsman, Mabry became a spokesman for Gander Mountain, making a series of videos on different aspects of hunting and fishing.[10]

See also

• List of St. Louis Cardinals coaches
• List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
• John Mabry at Baseball Almanac