Mark Berry (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Mark Berry is the third base
Third Base
is a 1978 Japanese film directed by Yōichi Higashi.-External links:...

 coach
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...

 for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....

. He has held that position since . He has spent 27 seasons in the Reds organization as a player, coach, and manager.

Early life

Berry graduated from Hueneme High School
Hueneme High School
Hueneme High School, or HHS as it is more often referred to, is a public four-year high school serving grades 9-12 in Oxnard, California. The school was founded in 1959 and sits in the heart of South Oxnard...

 in Oxnard in 1981. He played college baseball at Oxnard Junior College and the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...

.

Playing career

The Reds selected Berry in the 6th round of the 1984 draft with the 137th overall pick. He was signed by scout Bill Clark
Bill Clark
Clark joined the New York City Police Department in 1969. He worked a special undercover assignment for two years before entering the Police Academy. In 1972 he earned his gold detective shield. On December 31, 1994, Clark retired from the Queens Homicide Detective Squad as a First Grade...

. In his seven seasons as a Reds minor leaguer, Berry predominantly played catcher, but also played first base, third base
Third Base
is a 1978 Japanese film directed by Yōichi Higashi.-External links:...

, nine games in the outfield
Outfield
The outfield is a sporting term used in cricket and baseball to refer to the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield...

, and one game at shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...

. He was a Pioneer League All-Star catcher in his first season in 1984. He was his team's Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...

 in 1986, and was ranked the organization's eight-best prospect in 1985 and 1987. He retired as a player in 1990.

Minor leagues

When Berry retired as a player from the Charleston Wheelers
West Virginia Power
This article is about the baseball team, for the electric utility serving southeast West Virginia from 1986-99, see Allegheny Energy.The West Virginia Power is a minor league baseball team of the South Atlantic League, and is the Class A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in...

, he stayed with the team as a coach. A month later, he went from Charleston to Plant City of the Gulf Coast League
Gulf Coast League
The Gulf Coast League is a minor league baseball league which operates in Florida. It is a Rookie League, with a season running from mid-June to late August. The season is 60 games long and teams in the league are divided into three divisions, East, North and South...

 as a coach. He spent the 1991 season as the pitching coach for the Cedar Rapids Reds
Cedar Rapids Kernels
The Cedar Rapids Kernels are a Class A minor league baseball team based in Iowa. It is affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and plays in the Midwest League.-Franchise history:...

. The following year he managed the Cedar Rapids Reds to a Midwest League
Midwest League
The Midwest League is a Class-A minor league baseball league which operates in the Midwestern United States.-History:Six teams – the Belleville Stags, the Centralia Cubs, the Marion Indians, the Mattoon Indians or East Frankfort White Sox, the Mount Vernon Braves, and the West Frankfort...

 championship title. In 1993, he managed the Winston-Salem Spirit to the Carolina League
Carolina League
The Carolina League is a minor league baseball affiliation which operates in the South Atlantic Coast of the United States. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...

 title.

In 1996, Berry began his managerial tenure for the Chattanooga Lookouts
Chattanooga Lookouts
The Chattanooga Lookouts are a minor league baseball team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. They are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team, which plays in the Southern League, has been a Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club since the 2009 season. The Lookouts...

, the double-A affiliate of the Reds. The team won the division in his first season, earning him the Southern League
Southern League (baseball)
The Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The original league was formed in , and shut down in . A new league, the Southern Association, was formed in , consisting of twelve teams...

 Manager of the Year award. In 1997, he was named the Southern League's Best Managerial Prospect by Baseball America
Baseball America
Baseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...

. He managed the Lookouts until 1998. He finished his minor league managerial career with a 506-463 record (.522), two league championships, three division titles, and made the post-season four of his seven seasons.

Major Leagues

Berry went to spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...

 in 1999 scheduled to be the hitting coach for class-AAA Indianapolis
Indianapolis Indians
The Indianapolis Indians are a minor league baseball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team, which plays in the International League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates major-league club. The Indians play at Victory Field, located in downtown Indianapolis...

, but remained with Cincinnati as the bullpen catcher. He remained the bullpen catcher until July 28, 2003, when he was named the bench coach. The following offseason Berry was named third base coach, where he has served since. As well as being the Reds third base coach, Berry is also the spring training and regular season daily coordinator for the Reds.
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