Todd Claus
Encyclopedia
Todd W. Claus is an American
baseball
scout. On November 11, 2009, he was named to the international scouting staff of the Boston Red Sox
. He also has been an infielder
, coach
, manager
and advance scout in professional baseball
, and an assistant coach in college baseball
. A switch hitter
who threw right-handed, Claus stands 5 inch tall and weighs 170 lb (77.1 kg).
Claus was born at Endicott, New York
. He graduated from Cardinal Gibbons High School
in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
, and attended Seminole Community College
, Indian River Community College
and the University of North Florida
, where he played varsity baseball and received a bachelor's degree in management.
Claus signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
(then the California Angels) as a non-drafted free agent in 1991 and played three seasons of minor league baseball
, primarily as a second baseman
, and peaking in 1993 with 18 games and 42 at bats with the Midland Angels of the Class AA Texas League
. Overall, he batted
.204 in 549 professional at bats, with three home runs and 32 runs batted in.
In 1994, he served as a graduate assistant coach with the University of North Florida, and attended the Major League Scouting Bureau's "scouts school," where he graduated at the top of his class
. He then rejoined the Angels as a scout and minor league coach with affiliates ranging from the Rookie level to Class AA.
Claus became a minor league manager in the Angel farm system in with the Cedar Rapids Kernels
of the Class A Midwest League
, where he won a division title and was cited by Baseball America
as the Midwest circuit's top managing prospect. However, he was forced to leave the Angels after the 2003 season when he mistakenly sent a private voice mail supporting Donny Rowland, his mentor and the team's soon to be fired scouting director, to everyone in the team's player development department.
In he moved to the Red Sox organization as manager of the Sarasota Red Sox of the Class A Florida State League
. Then, in -, he skippered the Portland Sea Dogs
, Boston's Class AA Eastern League farm club, winning the 2006 Eastern League championship and Baseball America's Minor League Manager of the Year designation. His Portland clubs included prospects such as Hanley Ramirez
, Dustin Pedroia
, Jonathan Papelbon
, Jon Lester
, and Jacoby Ellsbury
. Overall, as a minor league manager, his teams won 294 games, losing 258 (.533) with one championship.
In and , Claus served as one of the MLB Red Sox' two advance scouts (with Dana LeVangie
). Claus' and LeVangie's scouting reports were credited with helping Boston win the 2007 American League title
and 2007 World Series
.
Claus left the professional baseball ranks to become the assistant baseball coach of Jacksonville University
of Jacksonville, Florida
, following the season, which saw Boston fall in Game 7 of the 2008 American League Championship Series
. After spending the 2009 season in that post, he rejoined Boston as a member of its international scouting group, as the club's Latin America
n scouting coordinator and international cross-checker.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
scout. On November 11, 2009, he was named to the international scouting staff of 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"...
. He also has been an infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
, 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...
, manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
and advance scout in professional baseball
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
, and an assistant coach in college baseball
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
. A switch hitter
Switch hitter
In baseball, a switch-hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed.-Baseball:Usually, right-handed batters hit better against left-handed pitchers and vice-versa. Most curveballs break away from batters hitting from the same side as the opposing pitcher. Such pitches are often...
who threw right-handed, Claus stands 5 inch tall and weighs 170 lb (77.1 kg).
Claus was born at Endicott, New York
Endicott, New York
Endicott is a village in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 13,038 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village is named after Henry B...
. He graduated from Cardinal Gibbons High School
Cardinal Gibbons High School (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
Cardinal Gibbons High School, commonly known as Gibbons, is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. CGHS was established in 1961 and was named after James Gibbons, the second Cardinal in the United States. CGHS is sponsored by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami and...
in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
, and attended Seminole Community College
Seminole Community College
Seminole State College of Florida is a public state college located in Sanford, Florida, United States...
, Indian River Community College
Indian River Community College
Indian River State College is a state college based in Fort Pierce, Florida which serves the counties of Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie. It has branch campuses in Okeechobee, St. Lucie West in Port St...
and the University of North Florida
University of North Florida
The University of North Florida is a public university located in Jacksonville, Florida. A member institution of the State University System of Florida, the university is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, master’s...
, where he played varsity baseball and received a bachelor's degree in management.
Claus signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
(then the California Angels) as a non-drafted free agent in 1991 and played three seasons of minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
, primarily as a second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
, and peaking in 1993 with 18 games and 42 at bats with the Midland Angels of the Class AA Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
. Overall, he batted
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.204 in 549 professional at bats, with three home runs and 32 runs batted in.
In 1994, he served as a graduate assistant coach with the University of North Florida, and attended the Major League Scouting Bureau's "scouts school," where he graduated at the top of his class
. He then rejoined the Angels as a scout and minor league coach with affiliates ranging from the Rookie level to Class AA.
Claus became a minor league manager in the Angel farm system in with the Cedar Rapids Kernels
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:...
of the Class 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...
, where he won a division title and was cited 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...
as the Midwest circuit's top managing prospect. However, he was forced to leave the Angels after the 2003 season when he mistakenly sent a private voice mail supporting Donny Rowland, his mentor and the team's soon to be fired scouting director, to everyone in the team's player development department.
In he moved to the Red Sox organization as manager of the Sarasota Red Sox of the Class A Florida State League
Florida State League
The Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues...
. Then, in -, he skippered the Portland Sea Dogs
Portland Sea Dogs
The 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....
, Boston's Class AA Eastern League farm club, winning the 2006 Eastern League championship and Baseball America's Minor League Manager of the Year designation. His Portland clubs included prospects such as Hanley Ramirez
Hanley Ramirez
Hanley Ramirez is a shortstop in Major League Baseball for the Miami Marlins. Ramírez was named 2006 NL Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America. In 2009, Ramírez won the NL batting title and is a three-time All-Star starter...
, Dustin Pedroia
Dustin Pedroia
Dustin Luis Pedroia is an American professional baseball second baseman with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. Pedroia has won several awards in Major League Baseball, including the 2007 American League Rookie of the Year and the 2008 AL MVP award...
, Jonathan Papelbon
Jonathan Papelbon
Jonathan Robert Papelbon is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. Before joining the Phillies, Papelbon played with the Boston Red Sox from 2005-2011....
, Jon Lester
Jon Lester
Jonathan Tyler Lester is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball...
, and Jacoby Ellsbury
Jacoby Ellsbury
Jacoby McCabe Ellsbury ; born September 11, 1983) is an American professional baseball center fielder with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball....
. Overall, as a minor league manager, his teams won 294 games, losing 258 (.533) with one championship.
In and , Claus served as one of the MLB Red Sox' two advance scouts (with Dana LeVangie
Dana LeVangie
Dana LeVangie is a former baseball player. Listed at 5' 10", 185 lb., LeVangie batted and threw right-handed. He is currently a Major League Baseball scout for the Boston Red Sox.-College:...
). Claus' and LeVangie's scouting reports were credited with helping Boston win the 2007 American League title
2007 Boston Red Sox season
The Boston Red Sox' 2007 season began with the Boston, Massachusetts-based Major League Baseball team trying to rebound after a disappointing 2006 season, in which they finished third in the American League East behind the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays, and missed the postseason for...
and 2007 World Series
2007 World Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at Fenway Park in Boston, MassachusettsThe Red Sox cruised to a blowout win in Game 1 behind ALCS MVP Josh Beckett, who struck out nine batters, including the first four he faced, en route to his fourth win of the 2007 postseason...
.
Claus left the professional baseball ranks to become the assistant baseball coach of Jacksonville University
Jacksonville University
Jacksonville University is a private university in Jacksonville, Florida, on the banks of the St. Johns River. The school was founded in 1934 as a two year college and was known as Jacksonville Junior College until 1958, when it shifted its focus to four-year university degrees and adopted its...
of Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, following the season, which saw Boston fall in Game 7 of the 2008 American League Championship Series
2008 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Friday, October 10, 2008 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FloridaBoston won a pitcher's duel on a sac fly by Jed Lowrie in the fifth and an RBI double by Kevin Youkilis in the eighth. Starter Daisuke Matsuzaka was nearly unhittable in Game 1 of the 2008 ALCS. He held the Rays hitless...
. After spending the 2009 season in that post, he rejoined Boston as a member of its international scouting group, as the club's Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n scouting coordinator and international cross-checker.