Kimera Bartee

{{Short description|American baseball player and coach (1972–2021)}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

| name = Kimera Bartee

| image = Kimera Bartee in 2017 (35018622541) (cropped).jpg

| caption = Bartee with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2017

| team =

| number =

| position = Outfielder

| birth_date = {{birth date|1972|7|21}}

| birth_place = Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|mf=yes|2021|12|21|1972|7|21}}

| death_place = Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.

| bats = Switch

| throws = Right

| debutleague = MLB

| debutdate = April 3

| debutyear = 1996

| debutteam = Detroit Tigers

| finalleague = MLB

| finaldate = August 3

| finalyear = 2001

| finalteam = Colorado Rockies

| statleague = MLB

| stat1label = Batting average

| stat1value = .216

| stat2label = Home runs

| stat2value = 4

| stat3label = Runs batted in

| stat3value = 33

| teams =

As player

Detroit Tigers ({{mlby|1996}}–{{mlby|1999}})
Cincinnati Reds ({{mlby|2000}})
Colorado Rockies ({{mlby|2001}})

As coach

Pittsburgh Pirates ({{mlby|2017}}–{{mlby|2019}})
Philadelphia Phillies ({{mlby|2020}})
Detroit Tigers ({{mlby|2021}})

}}

Kimera Anotchi Bartee (July 21, 1972 – December 20, 2021) was an American professional baseball outfielder and coach. Bartee played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, and Colorado Rockies from 1996 to 2001. He coached in the minor leagues and returned to MLB as a coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2017. He later coached for the Philadelphia Phillies, before rejoining the Tigers as first base coach in 2021.

Early life

Bartee was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and is an alumnus of Omaha Central High School. The first graduate of Omaha Central to play major league baseball, he was inducted into the Omaha Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018.

College career

Bartee attended Creighton University, where he played college baseball for the Creighton Bluejays. He appeared with Creighton in the 1991 College World Series.{{cite news |title=Creighton Baseball Mourns the Passing of Former Bluejay Kimera Bartee |url=https://gocreighton.com/news/2021/12/21/creighton-baseball-mourns-the-passing-of-former-bluejay-kimera-bartee.aspx |access-date=December 22, 2021 |work=Creighton University Athletics |date=December 21, 2021 |language=en}} In 1992, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Hyannis Mets of the Cape Cod Baseball League.{{cite web|author= |url=http://capecodbaseball.org.ismmedia.com/ISM3/std-content/repos/Top/2012website/archives/Current%20Year/All_Time_MLB_CCBL_Alumni.pdf |title=Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League |publisher=capecodbaseball.org |date= |accessdate=September 25, 2019}}

Professional playing career

The Baltimore Orioles selected Bartee in the 14th round of the 1993 MLB Draft.{{cite news|first=Buster|last=Olney|title=Molitor is headed home to Twins|date=December 5, 1995|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/171310513/|page=4D|access-date=December 22, 2021|via=Newspapers.com}} The Orioles traded Bartee to the Minnesota Twins on September 19, 1995, as the player to be named later in a trade for pitcher Scott Erickson.{{cite news |title=TRANSACTIONS |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/20/sports/transactions-646495.html |access-date=December 22, 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=September 20, 1995}} He returned to the Orioles when he was selected from the Twins in the Rule 5 draft on December 4, 1995.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1995/12/05/around-the-majors/55411115-f259-4c1c-8cf6-f59dccea5c13/ "Around the Majors," The Washington Post, Tuesday, December 5, 1995.] Retrieved February 2, 2023. He was claimed off waivers by the Detroit Tigers from the Orioles during the subsequent spring training on March 13, 1996.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1996/03/14/os-get-tarasco-from-expos-for-obando/764beaac-9075-41a7-9b95-c486fa9347bf/ Maske, Mark. "O's Get Tarasco from Expos for Obando," The Washington Post, Thursday, March 14, 1996.] Retrieved February 2, 2023. He made his major league debut with the Tigers three weeks later on April 3, 1996. Over the following few seasons, he played for the Tigers as well as the Toledo Mud Hens at triple-A. In 1997, he was named by Baseball America the fastest baserunner and best defensive outfielder in the International League. He was traded in 1999 from Detroit to the Cincinnati Reds, where he spent most of 2000 with the triple-A Louisville RiverBats.{{cite news|first=Mike|last=Digiovanna|title=Angels Fill Roster Holes With Rapp and Bartee|date=December 12, 2000|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-dec-12-sp-64564-story.html|access-date=December 22, 2021}}

Bartee joined the Los Angeles Angels as a free agent the following season, when a bulging disk in his lower back landed him in Class-A Rancho Cucamonga for a rehabilitation assignment.{{cite news|first=Mike|last=Digiovanna|title=Schoeneweis Is Feeling Better|date=May 12, 2001|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-may-12-sp-62701-story.html|access-date=December 22, 2021}} On July 13, 2001, he was traded by the Angels to the Colorado Rockies for future All-Star Chone Figgins. Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd described the move as the worst transaction he made in his 12-year term in that position.{{cite news |last1=Harding |first1=Thomas |title=Groundhog Day grin for ex-Rockies GM |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/dan-o-dowd-looks-back-at-chone-figgins-deal-c163420770 |access-date=December 22, 2021 |work=MLB.com |publisher=Major League Baseball |date=February 1, 2016 |language=en}} Bartee went hitless in 15 at bats with the Rockies before his final Major League game on August 3, 2001.{{cite web |title=Kimera Bartee Stats |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/barteki01.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=December 22, 2021 |language=en}}

In 2003 and 2004, Bartee played outfield for the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, earning All-Star honors and later an Atlantic League championship with the Ducks in 2004.{{cite web |url=https://www.liducks.com/news/current/?article_id=1368 |title=Long Island Ducks Press Release – Kimera Bartee Joins Pirates Coaching Staff |date=October 31, 2016 |website=www.liducks.com |publisher=Long Island Ducks |access-date=December 22, 2021 |language=en}}

Coaching career

After retiring as a player, Bartee returned to baseball as a coach, at least in part because the job provided health insurance.{{cite news |last1=Kaipust |first1=Rich |title=Ex-Omaha Central, CU baseball player Kimera Bartee never intended to coach; now he's with the Pittsburgh Pirates |url=https://omaha.com/sports/college/creighton/ex-omaha-central-cu-baseball-player-kimera-bartee-never-intended-to-coach-now-he-s/article_6241f98f-9647-5963-a5d1-1a55d279f38f.html |access-date=December 21, 2021 |work=Omaha World-Herald |date=November 7, 2017 |language=en}} Bartee became a coach for the Delmarva Shorebirds{{cite web|url=http://www.theshorebirds.com/fanzone/roster/index.html?player_id=41 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061112144339/http://www.theshorebirds.com/fanzone/roster/index.html?player_id=41 |archivedate=November 12, 2006 |title=Delmarva Shorebirds }} and also served as roving instructor for the Pittsburgh Pirates before landing the managerial job for the State College Spikes.{{cite web|author= |url=https://www.milb.com/state-college/news/gcs-207685864 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221175152/https://www.milb.com/state-college/news/gcs-207685864 |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |title=2011 Spikes skipper Bartee joins Pirates staff |publisher=Minor League Baseball |date=October 31, 2016 |access-date=December 21, 2021}}

Bartee served as the first base coach and outfielder instructor for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2017 through 2019.{{cite web|url=http://m.pirates.mlb.com/news/article/207514796/pirates-announce-changes-to-2017-coaching-staff/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161101235427/http://m.pirates.mlb.com/news/article/207514796/pirates-announce-changes-to-2017-coaching-staff/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 1, 2016|title=Pirates announce changes to 2017 coaching staff |work=MLB.com|date=October 29, 2016}} In 2020, he served as the roving baserunning and bunting coordinator for the Philadelphia Phillies.{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/phillies/minor-league-coaching-staffs-matt-hockenberry-jason-ochart |title=Interesting names on Phillies' minor-league coaching staffs |website=nbcsports.com |date=February 7, 2020 |access-date=July 16, 2021}} Before the 2021 season, the Tigers hired Bartee as their roving outfield and baserunning coordinator. On July 16, 2021, Bartee was named first base coach for the Tigers.{{cite web |url=https://www.mlive.com/tigers/2021/07/former-tigers-outfielder-named-new-first-base-coach.html |title=Former Tigers' outfielder named new first base coach |first=Evan |last=Woodbery |website=MLive.com |date=July 16, 2021 |access-date=July 16, 2021}} The Tigers retained him as their first base coach for the 2022 season.{{cite web|url=https://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2021/11/27/detroit-tigers-aj-hinch-coaching-staff-2022-season/8776762002/ |title=Detroit Tigers finalize MLB coaching staff for 2022 season |publisher=Freep.com |date=November 27, 2021 |accessdate=December 21, 2021}}

Personal life and death

Bartee had three children, Andrew, Amari and Taeja.{{cite news |last1=Crouse |first1=Jake |title=Pirates mourn passing of Kimera Bartee |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/former-pirates-coach-kimera-bartee-dies |access-date=December 23, 2021 |work=MLB.com |publisher=Major League Baseball |date=December 21, 2021 |language=en}}

On December 20, 2021, Bartee died after collapsing while visiting his father in Omaha.{{cite web|last=Petzold|first=Evan|title=Detroit Tigers first base coach Kimera Bartee dies at 49: 'His spirit will never be forgotten' |url=https://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2021/12/21/detroit-tigers-first-base-coach-kimera-bartee-dies-49/8982579002/|access-date=December 21, 2021|website=Detroit Free Press|language=en-US}} In the ensuing autopsy, the medical examiner found a large tumor in his brain.{{cite news |last1=McKewon |first1=Sam |title=Former Creighton baseball player Kimera Bartee dies at age 49 |url=https://omaha.com/sports/college/creighton/former-creighton-baseball-player-kimera-bartee-dies-at-age-49/article_0eb6ca70-62c3-11ec-ad84-af6547dc68b9.html |access-date=December 22, 2021 |work=Omaha World-Herald |date=December 21, 2021 |language=en}} He was 49 years old.