Pete LaCock
| Pete LaCock | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First baseman | |
|
Born: January 17, 1952 Burbank, California | |
| Batted: Left | Threw: Left |
| MLB debut | |
| September 6, 1972 for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 5, 1980 for the Kansas City Royals | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .257 |
| Home runs | 27 |
| Runs batted in | 224 |
| Stolen bases | 8 |
| Teams | |
| |
Ralph Pierre "Pete" LaCock, Jr. (born January 17, 1952, in Burbank, California) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman/outfielder.
In 1975, he hit the only grand slam of his career, in the final appearance by St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson.
Career
LaCock was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the first round (20th pick) of the 1970 amateur draft. His minor league career included leading the Texas League with 84 bases on balls while playing for the San Antonio Missions in 1971 and with 13 triples and 93 bases on balls while playing for the Midland Cubs in 1972.
He would make the major leagues and play for the Cubs (1972–1976) and the Kansas City Royals (1977–1980). In 1981, he played in Japan for the Yokohama Taiyo Whales.
In nine seasons (715 games), he hit 27 home runs with 224 RBI and a batting average of .257. He was a good fielder at both first base and in the outfield, but never became an everyday player. He was often used as a pinch hitter and/or defensive replacement, and sometimes as a designated hitter. He was granted free agency on October 24, 1980, though he never played another major league game.
In 1989, he played for the St. Petersburg Pelicans and Winter Haven Super Sox of the Senior Professional Baseball Association. He also managed the Niagara Stars of the Canadian Baseball League in 2003.
LaCock is the son of Hollywood Squares host Peter Marshall, as well as the nephew of actress Joanne Dru.
Since his retirement from baseball, LaCock has competed in several marathons and triathlons, many of which to raise funds for the Leukemia Society of America.
After serving as the hitting coach for St. Joe Blacksnakes (now defunct) of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball during the 2007 season, he was hired in 2008 as hitting coach for the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association, resigning his position in mid-July. Since then, he's journeyed as a hitting coach with the Tucson Toros of the Golden Baseball League in 2009, the North American League Schaumburg Flyers in 2010, and the Kevin Costner owned Lake County Fielders (also of the North American League) in 2011.
Pete is the current head coach of the Cronulla Sharks baseball club, in the NSW major league competition in Sydney, Australia.
References
- 1980 Baseball Register published by The Sporting News
- LaCock will give players another view on hitting, Arizona Daily Star
- Mike Busch rounds out his coaching staff with a former Chicago Cub and a former Flyer, flyersbaseball.com
- Fielders Begin Spring Training, fieldersbaseball.com
- Former Major-Leaguer Readies for Triathlon Test, thefreelibrary.com
- Cubs Retired Numbers, cubs.com