Mark DeJohn

Mark Stephen DeJohn (born September 18, 1953, at Middletown, Connecticut) is an American professional baseball coach who in 2011 will serve as field coordinator of instruction in the St. Louis Cardinals' farm system. He is a former minor league manager and Major League infielder and coach. He spent the 2009 season as the manager of the Batavia Muckdogs of the New York-Penn League, the Cardinals' Short Season Class A affiliate,^[1] and in 2010 was the Cardinals' roving minor league quality control coordinator.

A former shortstop, DeJohn was chosen by the New York Mets in the 23rd round of the 1971 amateur draft after his graduation from Woodrow Wilson High School in Middletown. He spent seven years in the Met farm system, including three with the Triple-A Tidewater Tides, before becoming a free agent before the 1978 season. He eventually signed with the Detroit Tigers, who gave him his only Major League trial at the outset of the 1982 campaign. DeJohn appeared in 24 games—including eight starts at shortstop. He batted 21 times and connected for four hits, including two doubles, for a .190 batting average with one run batted in. A switch hitter who threw right-handed, DeJohn stood 5 feet 11 inches (1.8 m) tall and weighed 170 pounds (77 kg).^[2]

He began his coaching career in the Tiger system and made his managerial debut in 1985 as one of four managers employed by Detroit's Double-A Birmingham Barons affiliate.^[3] The following season, DeJohn joined the Cardinal system as a full-time minor league skipper. Apart from the 1992 season, when he returned to the Tigers to manage the London Tigers of the Double-A Eastern League, DeJohn has been a member of the St. Louis organization since as a minor league manager (1986–91; 2002–09), field coordinator of instruction (1993–95; 2010), and coach on Tony LaRussa's Major League staff with the Cardinals for LaRussa's first six seasons as Redbird manager (1996–2001).^[4]

See also

• List of St. Louis Cardinals coaches

References