Brad Ausmus

Lore & Background

Ausmus is Jewish, and was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He attended Cheshire High School, where he was a star in baseball and also a standout basketball guard. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 48th round of the 1987 MLB draft but chose to attend Dartmouth College, graduating in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in government. He spent five years in the Yankees' minor league system before being selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 1992 expansion draft. He was traded to the San Diego Padres in 1993 and made his MLB debut that year. Over his career, he played for the Padres, Tigers (two stints), Astros (two stints), and Dodgers. He was an All Star in 1999, a three-time Gold Glove Award winner (2001, 2002, 2006), and won the 2007 Darryl Kile Award. He finished his playing career in 2010 ranked third in MLB history with 12,839 putouts as a catcher. He worked in the Padres' front office from 2010 to 2013, managed the Tigers from 2013 to 2017, managed the Angels in 2019, and was bench coach for the Athletics in 2022. He joined the Yankees as bench coach after the 2023 season.

In Their Own Story

The Coliseum lights hummed their low orange buzz over the empty outfield, the kind of late-evening stillness that only exists after the last fan has shuffled toward the parking lot. Ausmus stood at the backstop, glove still damp with the day's sweat, watching a young reliever work through his final two outs in the bullpen. The kid's arm was heavy, his focus drifting. Ausmus didn't yell. He just set his glove on the concrete, walked over, and said, 'Again. Same spot. You don't get to feel it until you throw it.' The kid nodded, reset his grip, and fired. Ausmus caught it, felt the leather settle into his palm like it always had, and nodded once. That was the whole philosophy. No speeches. No speeches needed. Just the next rep, the next catch, the next standard met. The Oakland night air smelled like cut grass and old concrete, and somewhere in the tunnel, a locker door banged shut. The work was done. Tomorrow it would start again.

Reader's Guide

Brad Ausmus is a former catcher known for his defensive excellence and baseball intelligence. He never played for the Oakland Athletics; his only connection to Oakland was as a bench coach in 2022. He never won a World Series. His playing career ended with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2010.

Did You Know?

• Ausmus was drafted in the 48th round of the 1987 MLB draft but played in MLB longer than any of the 1,150 players drafted ahead of him.
• He is the first Ivy League catcher to play in the World Series since Chief Meyers in 1916.
• Ausmus ranks first all-time among Jewish major leaguers in career games played (1,971) as of 2024.
• He was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.