Tom Harmon (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Harold Harmon is an American
baseball
coach and a former minor league
catcher
and manager
and Major League
coach. He is currently the associate head coach of the University of Texas Longhorns
men's varsity baseball team.
As a player, Harmon batted left-handed and threw right-handed; he stood 5 inch tall and weighed 185 lb (83.9 kg). He graduated from Eastern Hills High School
of Fort Worth, Texas
, and The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in marketing. Harmon was a first-round, secondary phase selection of the Kansas City Royals
in the June 1970 Major League Baseball draft, and broke into professional baseball at the advanced Double-A level, with the Elmira Pioneers
of the Eastern League. In 1972, while a member of the Jacksonville Suns
, he set a Southern League
record with six hits
in an extra-inning game — although he batted
only .201 in 209 at bats for Jacksonville that season.
Although he never reached the Major Leagues, Harmon spent all or parts of seven seasons at the Triple-A level, and he finished his career in the St. Louis Cardinals
and Philadelphia Phillies
organizations, batting .254 in 649 games played with 12 home runs and 179 runs batted in. He then coached and managed in the Phillies' organization, where he won the 1979 Northwest League
championship, from 1978 through 1981. In 1982
, he spent a year at the Major League
level as bullpen coach
on the staff of Chicago Cubs
manager Lee Elia
. Like Harmon, Elia was a veteran of the Philadelphia organization brought to Chicago by the team's new general manager
, Dallas Green
.
Harmon returned to his native Texas
in 1983 as manager of the Double-A Midland Cubs and, after a period in private business, joined the Longhorns' coaching staff in 1989.
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...
coach and a former minor league
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...
catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
and 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 Major League
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
coach. He is currently the associate head coach of the University of Texas Longhorns
Texas Longhorns baseball
The Texas Longhorns baseball team represents The University of Texas at Austin and competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I.The Texas Longhorns are the winningest program in college baseball history in terms of win percentage with .740 and ranks second all-time in total wins to the...
men's varsity baseball team.
As a player, Harmon batted left-handed and threw right-handed; he stood 5 inch tall and weighed 185 lb (83.9 kg). He graduated from Eastern Hills High School
Eastern Hills High School
Eastern Hills High School is a four-year public high school in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, educating students in grades 9-12, as part of the Fort Worth Independent School District. In an historical footnote, the band from the school played "Hail to the Chief" during President JFK's visit to...
of Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, and The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in marketing. Harmon was a first-round, secondary phase selection of the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
in the June 1970 Major League Baseball draft, and broke into professional baseball at the advanced Double-A level, with the Elmira Pioneers
Elmira Pioneers
The Elmira Pioneers are an amateur baseball team based in Elmira, New York. They currently compete in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, a wood bat collegiate summer baseball league. Prior to the 2006 baseball season, the team was a professional ballclub with a rich history of league...
of the Eastern League. In 1972, while a member of the Jacksonville Suns
Jacksonville Suns
The Jacksonville Suns are a minor league baseball team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The team is currently a member of the Southern League and is the class Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins Major League Baseball team...
, he set a Southern League
Southern League (baseball)
The Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The original league was formed in , and shut down in . A new league, the Southern Association, was formed in , consisting of twelve teams...
record with six hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
in an extra-inning game — although 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 :...
only .201 in 209 at bats for Jacksonville that season.
Although he never reached the Major Leagues, Harmon spent all or parts of seven seasons at the Triple-A level, and he finished his career in the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
and Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
organizations, batting .254 in 649 games played with 12 home runs and 179 runs batted in. He then coached and managed in the Phillies' organization, where he won the 1979 Northwest League
Northwest League
The Northwest League of Professional Baseball is a Class A-Short Season minor baseball league. The league is the descendant of the Western International League which ran as a class B league from 1937-1951 and class A from 1952-1954...
championship, from 1978 through 1981. In 1982
1982 Chicago Cubs season
The Chicago Cubs season of 1982 involved the team's fifth-place finish in the National League East at 73-89, 19 games behind the eventual National League and 1982 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals. For the first time in more than a half-of-a-century, the Cubs were not owned by a member of...
, he spent a year at the Major League
Major League
See Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada.Major League may also refer to:-Sport:* Major League Baseball, the highest level of play in professional baseball in North America* Major League Cricket...
level as bullpen 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...
on the staff of Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
manager Lee Elia
Lee Elia
Lee Constantine Elia is a former professional baseball player and manager in Major League Baseball. He was a manager of the Chicago Cubs and the Philadelphia Phillies . Additionally, he has served as a coach for the Phillies, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Baltimore...
. Like Harmon, Elia was a veteran of the Philadelphia organization brought to Chicago by the team's new general manager
General manager (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, the general manager of a team typically controls player transactions and bears the primary responsibility on behalf of the ballclub during contract discussions with players....
, Dallas Green
Dallas Green
George Dallas Green is a former pitcher, manager, and executive in Major League Baseball. After playing for the Philadelphia Phillies and two other teams, he went on to manage the Phillies, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets, and managed the Phillies when they won their first World Series...
.
Harmon returned to his native Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in 1983 as manager of the Double-A Midland Cubs and, after a period in private business, joined the Longhorns' coaching staff in 1989.