Jimmie Ronald Schaffer (born April 5, 1936) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

who played for the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

, and

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

, all of the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

, and the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

of the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

, between 1961 and 1968.

Early life and education

Schaffer was born in

Limeport, Pennsylvania Limeport is a small unincorporated community on the Saucon Creek in Lower Milford Township and Upper Saucon Township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Lehigh Valley, which has a population of 861,899 and is the 68th-most popul ...

, and attended Coopersburg High School in

Coopersburg, Pennsylvania Coopersburg is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population of Coopersburg was 2,447 as of the 2020 census. It is a suburb of Allentown and is located southeast of Allentown, north of Philadelphia, and west of New ...

, where he graduated in 1954.

Major League Baseball

Playing career

Schaffer signed as an amateur free agent by the

in 1955 and spent six seasons in the minor leagues before making his major league debut at age 25 on May 20, 1961. In that game, he started at catcher and batted eighth for the Cardinals, and in his first major league at bat, he recorded his first career major league hit, a third-inning single off the Cubs' Dick Ellsworth in a 1-0 loss. In his major league career, Schaffer played in 304 games with 11 home runs, 56 runs batted in and a .223 batting average.

Coaching career

Schaffer also managed in the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

farm system In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful pl ...

, spent one season (1978) as the bullpen coach of the Texas Rangers, and played a similar role for the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

from 1980 to 1988, serving on the Royals'

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

and

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

world champion coaching staffs. After retiring from coaching professional baseball in 1989, Schaffer returned to his hometown of

. He and his wife Jeanne have five adult children and a 12-year-old grandson.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schaffer, Jimmie 1936 births Living people Baseball players from Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Chicago Cubs players Chicago White Sox players Cincinnati Reds players Decatur Commodores players Indianapolis Indians players Kansas City Royals coaches Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball bullpen coaches New York Mets players Omaha Cardinals players People from Coopersburg, Pennsylvania Philadelphia Phillies players Portland Beavers players Rochester Red Wings players San Diego Padres (minor league) players Southern Lehigh High School alumni Spokane Indians players St. Louis Cardinals players Texas Rangers coaches Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players Winnipeg Goldeyes players Winston-Salem Red Birds players 20th-century American sportsmen