Mark Budzinski

{{short description|American baseball player & coach (born 1973)}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Mark Budzinski

|image=Mark Budzinski, March 25, 2019 (cropped).jpg

|caption=Budzinski with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019

|team=Toronto Blue Jays

|number=53

|position=Outfielder / First Base Coach

|bats=Left

|throws=Left

|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1973|8|26}}

|birth_place=Severna Park, Maryland, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=August 3

|debutyear= 2003

|debutteam= Cincinnati Reds

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=August 8

|finalyear= 2003

|finalteam= Cincinnati Reds

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Batting average

|stat1value=.000

|stat2label=Home runs

|stat2value=0

|stat3label=Runs batted in

|stat3value=0

|teams=

As player

Cincinnati Reds ({{mlby|2003}})

As coach

Cleveland Indians ({{mlby|2018}})
Toronto Blue Jays ({{mlby|2019}}–present)

|medaltemplates=

{{MedalCountry|{{USA}}}}

}}

Mark Joseph Budzinski (born August 26, 1973) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder who played with the Cincinnati Reds in 2003, and is currently the first base coach for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Playing career

Budzinski played college baseball at the University of Richmond. In 1994, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League.{{cite news | last =Tsongas | first =Ashley | title = In the Dugout | pages = 38 | newspaper = The Cape Cod Chronicle | location = Chatham, MA | date = July 14, 1994 | url = https://eldredgelibrary.wssites.com/Document?db=ELDREDGELIBRARY&query=(select+19+(bytoc+(andf+(eq+YEAR+1994)+(field+WEEK_ISSUED+(phrase+July+%6014))))) }}{{cite news | last =Eldred | first =Rich | title = Mariners Catch a Breeze, Win Three Straight | pages = 10 | newspaper = The Cape Codder | location = Orleans, MA | date = July 19, 1994 | url = https://snow-library.com/viewer/5892?medianame=1994_thecapecodder_vol49_issue59_orleans_000010 }} The Cleveland Indians selected Budzinski in the 21st round of the 1995 MLB Draft. Budzinski played professionally for 11 seasons, and he spent the 1997 campaign in the Carolina League as an outfielder for the Kinston Indians. After spending time in the Indians, Cubs, and Brewers systems, Budzinski made his Major League debut with the Cincinnati Reds on August 3, 2003. He appeared in four games before returning to the minor leagues. Budzinski retired in 2005 and returned to Richmond, Virginia to go into real estate.{{cite news |last1=O'Connor |first1=John |title=Richmonder Budzinski managing "best of both worlds" |url=https://richmond.com/sports/article_ca90c56a-353f-5ff5-86a0-4196bce1de66.html |access-date=July 12, 2020 |work=Richmond Times-Dispatch |date=July 10, 2015}}

Post playing career

Mark Budzinski returned to professional baseball in 2014 as the manager of the Lake County Captains. He then served as manager of the Lynchburg Hillcats in the 2015 and 2016 seasons, and the Akron RubberDucks in 2017. Budzinski was hired to the Cleveland Indians' major league coaching staff on December 11, 2017.{{cite press release|title=Indians name Budzinski & Sweeney to Major League coaching staff|url=https://www.mlb.com/guardians/press-release/indians-name-budzinski-sweeney-to-major-league-coaching-staff-263248880|website=MLB.com|publisher=Cleveland Guardians|date=December 11, 2017}}

On November 26, 2018, Budzinski was hired as the first base coach for the Toronto Blue Jays.{{cite web |last1=Davidi |first1=Shi |title=Blue Jays fire bullpen coach Dane Johnson, hire Matt Buschmann |url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/blue-jays-fire-bullpen-coach-dane-johnson-hire-matt-buschmann/ |website=Sportsnet |date=November 26, 2018}}

Personal life

Budzinski is married to Monica, with whom he raised three children.{{cite news |title=First-base coach Mark Budzinski away from Toronto Blue Jays after eldest daughter's death |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34188513/first-base-coach-mark-budzinski-away-toronto-blue-jays-daughter-death |access-date=July 4, 2022 |work=ESPN.com |date=July 3, 2022}} His eldest daughter Julia died in July 2022 after a boating accident in the James River near Glen Allen, Virginia at the age of 17.{{cite news |title=Daughter of Blue Jays 1B coach Mark Budzinski died in tubing accident, authorities say |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34194158/daughter-blue-jays-1b-coach-mark-budzinski-died-tubing-accident-authorities-say |access-date=July 5, 2022 |agency=Associated Press |website=ESPN.com |date=July 5, 2022}}{{cite news |title=Glen Allen student killed in James River tubing accident remembered as 'sweetest person' |url=https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/julia-budzinski-dead-vigil-for-glen-allen-high-student|access-date=July 4, 2022 |work=WTVR-TV |date=July 3, 2022}}