Craig Driver
{{short description|American baseball coach}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name = Craig Driver
|team =
|number = 81
|position = Coach
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1988|9|21}}
|birth_place = Seattle, Washington, U.S.
|bats = Right
|throws = Right
|teams =
As coach
- Philadelphia Phillies ({{mlby|2018}}–{{mlby|2019}})
- Chicago Cubs ({{mlby|2020}}–{{mlby|2023}})
}}
Craig Driver (born September 21, 1988) is an American professional baseball coach who most recently was the game strategy and catching coach for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Career
Driver attended Nathan Hale High School in Seattle, Washington, where he played baseball and basketball for the Raiders.{{cite web|url=https://www.loggerathletics.com/sports/bsb/coaches/craigdriver?view=bio|title=Craig Driver bio|website=Puget Sound Loggers baseball|access-date=December 1, 2019}} Driver played four years of college baseball as a catcher; first at Columbia Basin College for one year, and then at the University of Puget Sound for his final three years.
Driver began his coaching career at the University of Puget Sound, serving as a catching coach, first base coach, and recruiter for the 2011–2012 season. Driver spent the 2012–2013 and 2013–2014 seasons at Central Washington University as a graduate assistant coach.{{cite web|url=https://wildcatsports.com/news/2013/1/16/BB_0116131606.aspx|title=CWU Hall of Famers Wilson, Hippi Join Baseball Staff for 2013 Season|date=January 1, 2016|website=Central Washington Wildcats|access-date=December 1, 2019}} He returned to Puget Sound for the 2014–2015 and 2015–2016 seasons as the athletic recruitment coordinator and head assistant coach. Driver then spent the 2016–2017 season at Yale University, serving as their catching coach.{{cite news|url=https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2018/01/30/driver-hired-by-phillies/|title=Driver hired by Phillies|author=Bill Gallagher|date=January 30, 2018|newspaper=Yale Daily News|access-date=December 1, 2019}}
Driver began his professional coaching career with the Philadelphia Phillies, serving as their bullpen catcher and receiving coach in 2018 and 2019.{{cite web|url=https://theathletic.com/243278/2018/02/16/inside-the-phillies-catching-laboratory-revamped-program-in-search-of-the-winning-edge/|title=Inside the Phillies' catching laboratory: Revamped program in search of the winning edge|website=The Athletic|author=Matt Gelb|date=February 16, 2018|access-date=December 1, 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://theathletic.com/821174/2019/02/16/how-does-one-of-the-best-catchers-in-baseball-improve-for-j-t-realmuto-it-begins-with-an-open-mind/|title=How does one of the best catchers in baseball improve? For J.T. Realmuto, it begins with an open mind|website=The Athletic|author=Matt Gelb|date=February 16, 2019|access-date=December 1, 2019}}
Driver was hired by the Chicago Cubs as their first base and catching coach prior to the 2020 season.{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cubs/ct-chicago-cubs-craigh-driver-20191201-l5xqcxcb4faxlorq46wd643j7y-story.html|title=Cubs bring in Craig Driver as first-base and catching coach to round out David Ross' staff|author=Paul Sullivan|date=December 1, 2019|website=Chicago Tribune|access-date=December 1, 2019}}
Driver currently works in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization as a catching and bullpen coach.
Personal life
Driver graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a degree in business and a minor in mathematics, and completed a master's degree in athletic administration at Central Washington University.{{cite web|url=https://yalebulldogs.com/staff-directory/craig-driver/5|title=Craig Driver bio|website=Yale Bulldogs baseball|access-date=December 1, 2019}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20180510085113/http://m.mlb.com/phi/roster/coach/679012/craig-driver Philadelphia Phillies coach bio]
- [https://yalebulldogs.com/staff-directory/craig-driver/5 Yale Bulldogs bio]
- [https://www.loggerathletics.com/sports/bsb/coaches/craigdriver?view=bio Puget Sound Loggers bio]
- {{Twitter|coachdrives}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Driver, Craig}}
Category:Baseball coaches from Washington (state)
Category:Baseball players from Washington (state)
Category:Major League Baseball bullpen catchers
Category:Philadelphia Phillies coaches
Category:Columbia Basin Hawks baseball players
Category:Puget Sound Loggers baseball players
Category:Puget Sound Loggers baseball coaches
Category:Central Washington Wildcats baseball coaches
Category:Yale Bulldogs baseball coaches
Category:University of Puget Sound alumni