:Mark Strittmatter
{{short description|American baseball player & coach (born 1969)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Mark Strittmatter
|team= Chicago Cubs
|image=Strittmatter.JPG
|image_size=
|caption=Strittmatter with the Colorado Rockies
|number=81
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1969|4|4}}
|birth_place=Huntington, New York, U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=September 3
|debutyear=1998
|debutteam=Colorado Rockies
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=September 25
|finalyear=1998
|finalteam=Colorado Rockies
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=Batting average
|stat1value=.000
|stat2label=Home runs
|stat2value=0
|stat3label=Runs batted in
|stat3value=0
|teams=
;As player
- Colorado Rockies ({{mlby|1998}})
;As coach
- Chicago Cubs ({{mlby|2024}}–present)
}}
Mark Arthur Strittmatter (born April 4, 1969) is an American professional baseball catcher and coach who currently serves as the bullpen bullpen coach for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Colorado Rockies for one season in 1998.
College
Strittmatter played college baseball at the County College of Morris in Randolph, New Jersey, for two years before transferring to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), where he helped lead the VCU Rams to the Metro Conference championship in 1992.{{cite web|title=Mark Strittmatter #59|url=http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/team/coach_staff_bio.jsp?c_id=pit&coachorstaffid=136604|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110108045739/http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/team/coach_staff_bio.jsp?c_id=pit&coachorstaffid=136604|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 8, 2011|work=pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com|publisher=MLB Advanced Media, L.P.|accessdate=18 June 2012}}
Playing career
The Colorado Rockies selected Strittmatter in the 1992 MLB draft.{{Cite web|url=https://lasvegassun.com/news/2000/aug/22/last-original-rockie-has-mixed-emotions-on-being-t/|title='Last original Rockie' has mixed emotions on being traded to LV|first=Victoria|last=Sun|date=August 22, 2000|website=Las Vegas Sun}} He made his professional debut that year with the Bend Rockies.{{Cite web|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2014/04/02/mark-strittmatter-a-rockie-for-life/|title=Mark Strittmatter a Rockie for life|date=April 2, 2014}} Strittmatter spent most of his playing career in the minor leagues (1992–2000).{{cite web|title=Mark Strittmatter Minor League Statistics & History|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=stritt001mar|work=baseball-reference.com|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|accessdate=18 June 2012}}
The Rockies promoted Strittmatter to the major leagues to make his debut on September 3, 1998, when Jeff Reed was injured. He was in the major leagues for 27 days and went hitless in four total at bats in four games.{{Cite web |date=2006-09-03 |title="Stritty" a bullpen fixture |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2006/09/03/stritty-a-bullpen-fixture/ |access-date=2024-01-30 |website=The Denver Post |language=en-US}}
In August 2000, the Rockies traded Strittmatter to the San Diego Padres for a player to be named later. He played for the Padres organization in 2000 before retiring.
Coaching career
Strittmatter served as the Rockies' bullpen catcher from 2003 to 2010. He joined the Pittsburgh Pirates as a coach in 2011.
The Chicago Cubs hired Strittmatter as their catching coach before the 2024 season.{{Cite web | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/mlb/2024/01/02/cubs-counsell-coaches/7922df8a-a9e2-11ee-bc8c-7319480da4f9_story.html | title=Unknown}}{{Dead link | date=December 2024 | fix-attempted=yes}} On December 13, 2024, Strittmatter was named the bullpen coach for Chicago.{{Cite web|title=Cubs Finalize Coaching Staff|url=https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/12/cubs-finalize-coaching-staff.html|access-date=December 14, 2024|website=mlbtraderumors.com|language=en}}
Personal life
Strittmatter and his wife, Katie, have two children, son Sean and daughter Emily. Katie has Parkinson's disease. He helps out with youth baseball players as a part of his foundation for youth.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Portal|Baseball}}
{{baseballstats|mlb=|espn=| br=s/stritma01| fangraphs=1012624 | brm=stritt001mar}}
{{Chicago Cubs roster navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strittmatter, Mark}}
Category:Major League Baseball catchers
Category:Major League Baseball bullpen catchers
Category:Colorado Rockies players
Category:VCU Rams baseball players
Category:Sportspeople from Huntington, New York
Category:Baseball players from Suffolk County, New York
Category:Central Valley Rockies players
Category:Colorado Springs Sky Sox players
Category:New Haven Ravens players
Category:Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players