Russ Nixon
| Russ Nixon | ||
|---|---|---|
Managerial record | 231–347 | |
| Winning percentage | .400 | |
| Teams | ||
| As player
As manager As coach | ||
| Career highlights and awards | ||
| ||
Russell Eugene Nixon (February 19, 1935 – November 8, 2016) was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1957 to 1968. A veteran of 55 years in professional baseball, Nixon managed at virtually every level of the sport, from the lowest minor league to MLB assignments with the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed, and stood 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighed 190 pounds (86 kg) in his playing days.
American League catcher
Nixon was born in
Nixon and his twin brother, Roy, an
Overall, he appeared in 906 games through all or parts of 12 seasons, and batted .268. His 670
In addition, Nixon was actually traded twice to the Red Sox in 1960. Cleveland initially dealt him to Boston on March 16 for catcher Sammy White and first baseman Jim Marshall.[1] White chose to retire and the trade was cancelled but not before Nixon played five exhibition games for the Red Sox.[2] Nixon returned to the Indians and started the regular season with them, appearing in 25 games, 21 as the starting catcher; then, almost three months after the original swap, on June 13, he was traded to the Red Sox a second time, with outfielder Carroll Hardy for Canadian-born pitcher Ted Bowsfield and outfielder Marty Keough.[3]
Nixon remained with the Red Sox' organization through
But Nixon hit only .153 in his final Boston tour and was outrighted to their Triple-A Louisville affiliate. The Chicago White Sox then selected him in the Rule 5 draft that December. Nixon went to spring training in 1969 with the White Sox, but was given his unconditional release a week before the regular season began.[5]
Nixon reached base 863 times in his career without ever stealing a base, a Major League record.[6]
National League coach and manager
His managing career began in the Cincinnati Reds'
After compiling the best overall record in the
While new general manager Bobby Cox had done much to rebuild the Braves' farm system, at the National League level Atlanta was in free fall. When the Braves dropped 27 of their first 39 games in 1988, Nixon was recalled from Greenville to succeed Tanner on May 23—a rare promotion of a manager from AA all the way to the majors. However, the losses continued to pile up. The 1988 Braves finished 54–106, the worst season in the Atlanta portion of Braves history and the franchise's worst since its struggles in Boston during the Great Depression. Nixon was unable to turn the Braves' fortunes around in 1989 and through the first 65 games of 1990, seasons in which the Braves lost 97 games each while seeing young pitchers such as Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Steve Avery make the roster. On June 22, 1990, Cox fired Nixon.
Later career
Nixon remained in the game as a minor-league manager and instructor, except for
Death
Russ Nixon died on November 8, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the age of 81.[8]
References
- ^ Indians get Sammy White
- ^ Russ Nixon feels Staub getting too concerned
- ^ "Indians, Red Sox exchange players". Milwaukee Journal. AP. 13 June 1960. p. 16. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
- ^ Retrosheet box score (17 July 1968): "Boston Red Sox 6, Minnesota Twins 5"
- ^ Baseball Reference
- ^ "Zero Heroes: Players who have not filled in some basic statistical categories". SI.com. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
- ^ Sheldon, Mark (November 11, 2016). "Former Reds, Braves manager Nixon dies". MLB.com. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Russ Nixon at Baseball Almanac