Kelly Shoppach
Encyclopedia
Kelly Brian Shoppach is a Major League Baseball
catcher
for the Tampa Bay Rays
. He is nicknamed Shop.
Shoppach was traded to the Indians from the Boston Red Sox
organization on January 28, 2006, as part of the same deal that saw outfielder Coco Crisp
sent to Boston and highly regarded prospect Andy Marté
sent to Cleveland. Shoppach was considered to be one of the better positional prospects in the Red Sox organization before the trade. Shoppach is a top-line defensive catcher with a strong arm and reliable glove. He hits the ball to all fields, and has excellent power for a catcher.
, hitting .333 (168-for-505) with 26 home runs and 121 RBIs. He recorded a .993 career fielding percentage
, with 7 errors
in 953 total chances
.
As a junior in , Shoppach received the Johnny Bench Award
as the nation's top collegiate catcher after hitting .397 with 12 home runs and 61 RBIs in 69 games in his final college season. He also posted a .998 fielding percentage with only one error in 406 chances.
In addition to being selected "Big 12 Player of the Year", Shoppach was named First Team All-America in 2001 by Baseball America, Baseball Weekly, Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association
.
behind the plate for Pawtucket and threw out 35 of 101 potential base stealers
(35 percent) on his way to a spot on the International League
's end-of-season All-Star Team. He also set a single-season home run record for PawSox catchers with 21 and also hit one as a designated hitter
. His 22 homers matched his previous career total over two years and 208 games. Shoppach added career bests with 62 runs
scored and a .461 slugging percentage.47 of his 93 hits
(51 percent) went for extra bases
.
. He was hitless in 15 at-bats with seven strikeouts. He did better in 2006 after he was traded to Cleveland. He went 27 for 110. On June 26, 2007, Shoppach hit a pinch-hit 3-run walk off home run to defeat the Oakland Athletics
8–5.
On July 30, 2008, Shoppach became the second American League player in history, and eighth player overall in Major League Baseball
, to record five extra-base hits in a game. He had three doubles and two home runs (including a game-tying HR in the ninth inning) against the Detroit Tigers
. He came to bat twice in extra innings with a chance to get a sixth extra-base hit, but he was intentionally walked in the 10th and struck out in the 12th inning. The Indians lost, 14–12, in 13 innings.
On April 16, 2009, Shoppach drove in the first-ever run at the new Yankee Stadium; his fourth inning double driving in Ben Francisco
. On July 26, 2010, Shoppach caught a no hitter thrown by Matt Garza
of the Tampa Bay Rays.
On September 30, 2011, Shoppach, in the first game of the 2011 ALDS against the Texas Rangers
, he has hit two home runs, accounting for 5 RBIs.
to the Cleveland Indians
, along with prospect Andy Marté
, pitcher
Guillermo Mota
, a player to be named later, and cash considerations. The Indians in turn sent outfielder
Coco Crisp
, catcher Josh Bard
, and pitcher David Riske
. The Indians received minor league pitcher Randy Newsom from the Red Sox to complete the deal.
On December 1, 2009, Shoppach was traded from the Cleveland Indians
to the Tampa Bay Rays
for pitcher Mitch Talbot.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
for the Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
. He is nicknamed Shop.
Shoppach was traded to the Indians from the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
organization on January 28, 2006, as part of the same deal that saw outfielder Coco Crisp
Coco Crisp
Covelli Loyce "Coco" Crisp is an American professional baseball center fielder. Crisp is a switch-hitter and throws right-handed...
sent to Boston and highly regarded prospect Andy Marté
Andy Marté
Andy Manuel Marté is a Dominican professional baseball third baseman with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in Major League Baseball. On December 1, 2010, Marte signed a minor league deal with the Pirates.-Career:Marté signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Braves in 2000, and succeeded at...
sent to Cleveland. Shoppach was considered to be one of the better positional prospects in the Red Sox organization before the trade. Shoppach is a top-line defensive catcher with a strong arm and reliable glove. He hits the ball to all fields, and has excellent power for a catcher.
High school
Shoppach attended Brewer High School in White Settlement, Texas, and was a student and a letterman in baseball and football. In football, he played running back and linebacker, was a three-time All-District selection and as a senior, he was named the District Most Valuable Player.College career
Shoppach played three seasons at Baylor UniversityBaylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
, hitting .333 (168-for-505) with 26 home runs and 121 RBIs. He recorded a .993 career fielding percentage
Fielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball...
, with 7 errors
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
in 953 total chances
Total chances
In baseball statistics, total chances , also called chances offered, represents the number of plays in which a defensive player has participated. It is calculated as follows: Total Chances = assists + putouts + errors. Chances accepted refers to the total of putouts and assists only. Fielding...
.
As a junior in , Shoppach received the Johnny Bench Award
Johnny Bench Award
The Johnny Bench Award was created in 2000 by to honor college baseball's top catcher. The award is the brain child of Wichitan Mike Gehrer who has coached and administrated in the Wichita area at the high school level for many years. He was a college catcher himself and is one of the most forward...
as the nation's top collegiate catcher after hitting .397 with 12 home runs and 61 RBIs in 69 games in his final college season. He also posted a .998 fielding percentage with only one error in 406 chances.
In addition to being selected "Big 12 Player of the Year", Shoppach was named First Team All-America in 2001 by Baseball America, Baseball Weekly, Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association
National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association
The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association is an association of baseball writers, broadcasters, and publicists in the United States...
.
Minor league career
In , Shoppach appeared in a career-best 101 gamesGames played
Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...
behind the plate for Pawtucket and threw out 35 of 101 potential base stealers
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
(35 percent) on his way to a spot on the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
's end-of-season All-Star Team. He also set a single-season home run record for PawSox catchers with 21 and also hit one as a designated hitter
Designated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
. His 22 homers matched his previous career total over two years and 208 games. Shoppach added career bests with 62 runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
scored and a .461 slugging percentage.47 of his 93 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
(51 percent) went for extra bases
Extra base hit
In baseball, an extra base hit , also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire another base runner...
.
Major League career
On May 26, , Shoppach was recalled from Triple-A PawtucketPawtucket Red Sox
The Pawtucket Red Sox are the minor league baseball Triple-A affiliates of the Boston Red Sox and belong to the International League...
. He was hitless in 15 at-bats with seven strikeouts. He did better in 2006 after he was traded to Cleveland. He went 27 for 110. On June 26, 2007, Shoppach hit a pinch-hit 3-run walk off home run to defeat the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
8–5.
On July 30, 2008, Shoppach became the second American League player in history, and eighth player overall in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
, to record five extra-base hits in a game. He had three doubles and two home runs (including a game-tying HR in the ninth inning) against the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
. He came to bat twice in extra innings with a chance to get a sixth extra-base hit, but he was intentionally walked in the 10th and struck out in the 12th inning. The Indians lost, 14–12, in 13 innings.
On April 16, 2009, Shoppach drove in the first-ever run at the new Yankee Stadium; his fourth inning double driving in Ben Francisco
Ben Francisco
Louis Ben Francisco is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies. He bats and throws right handed.-Early life:...
. On July 26, 2010, Shoppach caught a no hitter thrown by Matt Garza
Matt Garza
Matthew Scott Garza is a United States professional baseball pitcher with the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball.-Amateur career:He attended Washington Union High School and Fresno State.-Minnesota Twins:...
of the Tampa Bay Rays.
On September 30, 2011, Shoppach, in the first game of the 2011 ALDS against the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
, he has hit two home runs, accounting for 5 RBIs.
Trades
On January 27, 2006, Shoppach was traded from the Red SoxBoston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
to the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
, along with prospect Andy Marté
Andy Marté
Andy Manuel Marté is a Dominican professional baseball third baseman with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in Major League Baseball. On December 1, 2010, Marte signed a minor league deal with the Pirates.-Career:Marté signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Braves in 2000, and succeeded at...
, pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Guillermo Mota
Guillermo Mota
Guillermo Reynoso Mota is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He stands tall and weighs . He throws and bats right-handed. Mota has played for the Montreal Expos, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Florida Marlins, the Cleveland Indians, the New York Mets, the Milwaukee Brewers and the San...
, a player to be named later, and cash considerations. The Indians in turn sent outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
Coco Crisp
Coco Crisp
Covelli Loyce "Coco" Crisp is an American professional baseball center fielder. Crisp is a switch-hitter and throws right-handed...
, catcher Josh Bard
Josh Bard
Joshua David Bard is an American professional baseball catcher and designated hitter who is a free agent. Bard is a switch-hitter who throws right-handed....
, and pitcher David Riske
David Riske
David Richard Riske is a Major League Baseball Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher.-Career:Riske was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 56th round of the June amateur draft...
. The Indians received minor league pitcher Randy Newsom from the Red Sox to complete the deal.
On December 1, 2009, Shoppach was traded from the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
to the Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
for pitcher Mitch Talbot.
Awards and highlights
- Portland Sea DogsPortland Sea DogsThe Portland Sea Dogs are the Double-A minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Established in 1994 and based in Portland, Maine, the Sea Dogs play in the Northern Division of the Eastern League....
player of the year - International League All-Star
- Red Sox Minor League Defensive Player of the Month (April 2005)
- 2005 Pawtucket Red Sox Player of the Year
- Led ALALAL, Al or al may stand for:- Geography :* Alabama, United States* Alagoas, a state in Brazil* Albania, a country in Europe* Allen County, Kansas, United States* Province of Alessandria, a province of Italy in the ISO 3166-2:IT code...
in Hit By Pitch (2009) - Caught Matt Garza's no hitterNo-hitterA no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
(July 26, 2010)