Chris Maloney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chris Maloney |
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Maloney with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2016
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| Born: September 6, 1961 Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. |
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Chris Maloney (born September 6, 1961) is a baseball coach and manager. He currently manages the Mississippi Braves, a team in Minor League Baseball. Before becoming a coach, he played baseball as a first baseman and outfielder in the minor leagues. He also managed a Triple-A team for the St. Louis Cardinals for five seasons. In 2011, he joined the St. Louis Cardinals' main team as a coach.
About Chris Maloney
Chris Maloney was born on September 6, 1961, in Jackson, Mississippi. He went to St. Joseph High School in Jackson. Later, he studied at Mississippi State University.
During his time playing baseball at Mississippi State, he had some cool nicknames. People called him "The Hammer" because he was a great hitter. He was also called "Wally Pipp." This was because he was the starting first baseman for his team in 1983. But then he got sick, and another player, Will Clark, took his spot. Will Clark went on to become a famous baseball player!
Playing Baseball
Maloney started his professional baseball career in 1983. He signed with the New York Mets. He played for four seasons in the minor leagues. He played for both the Mets and Cardinals organizations. He never played above the Class A level.
His best season was in 1984. He played for the Columbia Mets. He hit the ball really well, with a batting average of .324. He also hit three home runs and had 24 runs batted in. Chris Maloney was a switch-hitter, meaning he could bat from both sides of the plate. He threw the ball with his right hand.
Becoming a Manager and Coach
After his playing career, Maloney became a manager in the Cardinals' minor league system. This was in 1991. He started with the Johnson City Cardinals.
He managed minor league teams for 18 seasons. His teams won many games, with a winning record. He even led his teams to win two league championships. Most of his time as a manager was with the Cardinals' organization. He did spend three seasons managing the New Orleans Zephyrs. That team was part of the Houston Astros at the time.
In 2011, Chris Maloney was chosen to be the first base coach for the St. Louis Cardinals. In 2016, he became the Third Base Coach. This happened when the previous coach, Jose Oquendo, took a break for health reasons. In 2017, he moved to a different role within the Cardinals organization.
In December 2017, Maloney joined the Atlanta Braves organization. He became the manager for the Double-A Mississippi Braves. This team plays in the Southern League.
See also
- List of St. Louis Cardinals coaches
