Joe Lefebvre

Lore & Background

Lefebvre was born in Concord, New Hampshire, and attended Concord High School and Eckerd College. He played collegiate summer baseball with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 3rd round of the 1977 draft. He made his major league debut in 1980 with the Yankees, hitting a home run in his first game. He was traded to the Padres in 1981 and later to the Phillies in 1983. He retired on May 28, 1986.

In Their Own Story

The August air sat thick over the field, the kind of Pittsburgh humidity that turned the grass to a dark, slick carpet. Lefebvre stood in the on-deck circle, rolling a worn bat between his palms, watching the pitcher's windup from the side. He'd been in the lineup that morning—two at-bats, a groundout, a fly ball to center that the outfielder snagged at the wall. Now it was the manager's job. He uncapped the little notebook in his back pocket, jotted a single line, and walked back toward the dugout. The bench was quiet. A young infielder looked up, waiting. Lefebvre didn't raise his voice. He just pointed at the pitcher's glove, then at the young man's own, and said, 'He's going to hit you inside. You know that. So do something about it.' The kid nodded. The next at-bat, the kid fouled three balls and took a strikeout. Lefebvre tipped his cap, walked to the back of the dugout, and let the rain that had been threatening all afternoon finally break over the stands.

Reader's Guide

After his playing career, Lefebvre worked as a coach in the Phillies organization, then with the Yankees, and later joined the San Francisco Giants organization. He served as a hitting coach, first base coach, and minor league hitting coordinator. He moved into the Giants front office as a senior advisor for player personnel in 2007 and became senior scouting advisor in 2011. He also served as assistant to the hitting coach in 2011. In 2015, he stepped down as hitting coach and returned to his previous role of senior advisor for scouting.

Did You Know?

• Lefebvre hit a home run in his first major league game.
• He played with future Giants general manager Brian Sabean at both Concord High School and Eckerd College.
• He was named a Cape Cod Baseball League all-star in 1976.
• He led the Eastern League champion West Haven Yankees in all three triple crown categories in 1979.