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Russ McGinnis

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Russ McGinnis
Catcher
Born: (1963-06-18) June 18, 1963 (age 61)
Coffeyville, Kansas
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 3, 1992, for the Texas Rangers
Last MLB appearance
May 9, 1995, for the Kansas City Royals
MLB statistics
Batting average.211
Hits8
Doubles4
Teams

Russell Brent McGinnis (born June 18, 1963) is an American former professional baseball catcher who played for two seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in 14 games for the Texas Rangers during the 1992 Texas Rangers season and three games for the Kansas City Royals during the 1995 Kansas City Royals season.

Amateur career

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McGinnis attended Sooner High School in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.[1]

He began his college baseball career with two seasons at Connors State College in Oklahoma.[2] Bob Colon wrote in The Oklahoman in 1982 that Connors was "expected" to be selected in the January phase of the Major League Baseball draft[3] but he was not.[4]

McGinnis next played for the Oklahoma Sooners. In two seasons, he slashed .356/.439/.595 with 25 home runs and 109 runs batted in.[5] He was twice named to the All-Big Eight Conference Team as a catcher.[1]

Professional career

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McGinnis was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 14th round of the 1985 Major League Baseball draft[4] and assigned to the Helena Gold Sox to begin his professional career.[6] After two seasons, McGinnis was unsatisfied with how slowly he was moving through Milwaukee's farm system and requested a trade.[2] He was traded on June 29, 1987, to the Oakland Athletics for Bill Mooneyham.[7]

During spring training in 1989, McGinnis dislocated his thumb and had to be reassigned to minor league camp.[2] In 1990, he led the Triple-A Tacoma Tigers in walks and runs batted in.[8] In December 1990, the Chicago Cubs drafted McGinnis from the Brewers.[9]

McGinnis was playing for the Iowa Cubs in April 1991 when, during a bench-clearing brawl against the Oklahoma City 89ers, he was handcuffed to a fence at All Sports Stadium by the Oklahoma City Police Department.[10] He finished the season leading the team in home runs, runs batted in, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.[11]

On June 3, 1992, the Texas Rangers placed Jack Daugherty on the disabled list and promoted McGinnis to the majors for the first time in his career.[12] He made his Major League debut that day against the New York Yankees at Arlington Stadium.[9][13] He started at catcher and recorded a hit (off of Greg Cadaret) and a walk (off of John Habyan) in three plate appearances. He also caught Kevin Maas attempting to steal second base.[13] On June 28, the Rangers activated Iván Rodríguez from the disabled list and designated McGinnis for assignment.[14] After returning to the minors, McGinnis suffered a broken toe.[15] Nonetheless, McGinnis had a strong remainder of the season in the minors. When the rosters expanded in September 1992, the Rangers declined to call him up. McGinnis was upset enough with the Rangers for not promoting him that he signed with a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals following the season.[16]

McGinnis underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in late May or early June of 1994.[17] On April 25, 1995, the Royals added him to their Major League roster.[18] He went hitless in six plate appearances over three games and was waived on May 15, 1995.[9][19]

Personal life

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McGinnis went by his full first name, Russell, until college, where he was known as "Rusty McGinnis."[20]

As of June 1991, McGinnis was married.[20]

References

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  1. ^ a b Hersom, Bob (December 9, 1991). "7 Reasons The Niners Are Finer". The Oklahoman. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Theisen, Chris (July 9, 1989). "A Major Move Still On McGinnis' Mind Former Sooner Dreams of Oakland". The Oklahoman. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  3. ^ Colon, Bob (January 11, 1982). "Ex-Sooner hurler looks to be top winter draft choice". The Oklahoman. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "MLB Amateur Draft Picks with the Name Matching: McGinnis". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  5. ^ Tupa, Mike (April 22, 2020). "Sooner surged in regional to get to state". Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  6. ^ "Russ McGinnis Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  7. ^ "Baseball Central". United Press International. June 29, 1987. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  8. ^ "1990 Tacoma Tigers Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c "Russ McGinnis Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  10. ^ Hersom, Bob (April 26, 1991). "The Old Brawl Game Name It, It Happened In Cub Assault on 89ers". The Oklahoman. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  11. ^ "1991 Iowa Cubs Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  12. ^ "Oklahoma City Crushes Iowa, 13-2". The Oklahoman. June 4, 1992. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  13. ^ a b "New York Yankees at Texas Rangers Box Score, June 3, 1992". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  14. ^ "BaseballDetroit Tigers -- Activated P John Doherty..." Baltimore Sun. June 28, 1992. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  15. ^ "Niners Fall Into Tie for Top Spot". The Oklahoman. July 31, 1992. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  16. ^ Hersom, Bob (May 23, 1993). "McGinnis Swings Hot Bat, Speaks His Mind About Baseball Politics". The Oklahoman. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  17. ^ Spencer, Burl (July 10, 1994). "Miller Looks for Another Opportunity in Majors". Tulsa World. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  18. ^ "BASEBALL MOVES". Hartford Courant. April 25, 1995. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  19. ^ "AROUND THE MAJORS : Orioles' Hammonds Sent to Double-A". Los Angeles Times. May 15, 1995. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  20. ^ a b Hersom, Bob (June 6, 1991). "Big Mac Attack McGinnis Is 4-for-5 As Cubs Club 89ers". The Oklahoman. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
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