Jim Lefebvre
American baseball player and manager (born 1942) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Kenneth Lefebvre (/ləˈfiːvər/ lə-FEE-ver;[1] born January 7, 1942) is an American former major league baseball player, coach, and manager. An infielder, he was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1962.
| Jim Lefebvre | |
|---|---|
| |
| Second baseman / Third baseman / Manager | |
| Born: January 7, 1942 Inglewood, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 12, 1965, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 19, 1972, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .251 |
| Home runs | 74 |
| Runs batted in | 404 |
| Managerial record | 417–442 |
| Winning % | .485 |
| NPB statistics | |
| Batting average | .263 |
| Home runs | 60 |
| Runs batted in | 176 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| As player
As manager | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Baseball career
Summarize
Perspective
Playing career
Lefebvre was the 1965 National League Rookie of the Year; he hit .250 with 12 home runs and 69 RBI in 157 games, helping the Dodgers win the World Series.[2] In 1965, he was part of an infield for the Dodgers that consisted of four players who were switch hitters. The others were Jim Gilliam, Wes Parker, and Maury Wills. In 1966, Lefebvre batted .274 with 24 home runs and 74 RBI in 152 games.[2] He also started at second base in the 1966 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.[3]
Lefebvre also played four seasons in Japan, from 1973 until 1976, for the Lotte Orions.[4] Lefebvre became only the second player, after Johnny Logan, to have won a World Series (1965 Dodgers) and a Japan Series with the 1974 Lotte Orions.
He was a big-league manager from 1989 to 1993, and briefly again in 1999, and was formerly the hitting coach with the Cincinnati Reds.
Managerial and coaching career
Lefebvre was first hired as a major league manager by the Seattle Mariners in November 1988, with a two-year contract at $150,000 annually, with incentives and a team option for a third year.[5] In his second season in 1990, Seattle won 77 games and drew over 1.5 million in home attendance at the Kingdome. In 1991, the Mariners posted their first-ever winning record at 83–79 (.512) and drew over 2.1 million, but Lefebvre's contract was not extended;[6] he was succeeded by assistant coach Bill Plummer.[7] Lefebvre finished with a record of 233 wins and 253 losses.[8] Lefebvre was soon hired by the Chicago Cubs in November,[9] and led them during the 1992 and 1993 seasons; he was released again after a posting a winning record, Chicago was 84–78 (.519) in the 1993 season.[10] With the Milwaukee Brewers, he was the interim manager for the final seven weeks of the 1999 season.[11]
In addition to managing, Lefebvre has spent time coaching in the Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, Cincinnati Reds, and San Diego Padres organizations. He coached the China National Baseball Team (Olympics) in 2005, the 2006 World Baseball Classic, and 2008 Olympics.
Managerial record
| Team | From | To | Regular season record | Post–season record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | Win % | G | W | L | Win % | |||
| Seattle Mariners | 1989 | 1991 | 486 | 233 | 253 | .479 | DNQ | |||
| Chicago Cubs | 1992 | 1993 | 324 | 162 | 162 | .500 | ||||
| Milwaukee Brewers | 1999 | 1999 | 49 | 22 | 29 | .431 | ||||
| Total | 859 | 417 | 442 | .485 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | ||
| Ref.:[8] | ||||||||||
Outside of baseball
Lefebvre had roles on several television shows including Gilligan's Island and Batman. His role in Batman was of a henchman for the Riddler.[12] He is also a spokesman for Vemma vitamin supplements.
Personal life
Lefebvre first married Jean Bakke from Waterford, WI and they had their son, Ryan, when Lefebvre was playing baseball in Japan after he was with the Dodgers, where he was rookie of the year in 1965. Lefebvre has a daughter, Brittany, who is currently working in Christian motion pictures. His son, Ryan, is the lead play-by-play announcer for the Royals on Bally Sports Kansas City. He has two other children, Bryce and Brianna Lefebvre.[12]
References
External links
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