Brad Ausmus
Former catcher, manager, and current bench coach for the New York Yankees.
Bradley David Ausmus (born April 14, 1969) is an American former professional baseball player, manager and current coach. He is the bench coach for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). In his 18-year MLB playing career, Ausmus played as a catcher for the San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, and Los Angeles Dodgers. He also managed the Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, and Israeli national baseball team. He also was a coach for the Oakland Athletics.
Quick Facts
- Position
- Catcher
- Primary affiliation
- Detroit Tigers (1997–2006)
- Reputation
- Clubhouse leader
- defensive specialist
- work ethic
- Playing style
- Backup catcher
- strong receiver
- vocal leader
Lore & Background
Ausmus is Jewish, and was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in government. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 48th round of the 1987 draft. He made his major league debut in 1993 with the San Diego Padres. During his playing career he was an All Star in 1999, a three-time Gold Glove Award winner (2001, 2002, and 2006), and won the 2007 Darryl Kile Award. He finished his playing career in 2010 ranked second in major league history with 12,839 putouts as a catcher. He was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
Reader's Guide
Ausmus worked in the Padres' front office as a special assistant from 2010 to 2013. In November 2013, he became the 38th manager in the history of the Detroit Tigers, succeeding Jim Leyland, a position he held for four years (2014–2017). In October 2018, he was named the 17th manager in the history of the Los Angeles Angels, but was dismissed after one season in September 2019. In January 2022, he was named the bench coach of the Oakland Athletics. He joined the New York Yankees as their bench coach after the 2023 season.
Did You Know?
- Ausmus is one of six Ivy Leaguers on major league rosters at the beginning of the 2009 season.
- He was named the ninth-smartest athlete in sports by The Sporting News in 2010.
- Ausmus batted leadoff for the Tigers seven times in 1999, the first catcher since Bruce Kimm in 1976 to do so.
- He caught 15 innings and played 3 innings at first base in Game 4 of the 2005 NLDS, the longest postseason game in history.
More in Management & Philosophy
Elsewhere in Oakland Athletics
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced