Jeffrey Mark Pico (born February 12, 1966) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

and current

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

. He played in MLB for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

Early life

Pico was born in

Antioch, California Antioch is the third-largest city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. Located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area along the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta. The city's population was 115,291 at the 2020 cen ...

, and attended

Antioch High School Antioch High School is a public high school located in Antioch, California, United States. It is located at 700 West 18th Street between G and L streets. It is a comprehensive high school for grades 9-12. There are about 120 teachers, and 20 m ...

. His teammates included former

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

pitcher Alex Sanchez and PGA Tour pro Larry Silveira. In his sophomore year Pico posted a 7–3 season with a 1.53 ERA. Named Most Valuable Player during both his junior and senior years, the 6’2", 170-lb. pitcher had a 6–0 record in 1984 when the team won the North Coast championship. He is one of four Antioch players to have his baseball jersey retired.

Playing career

He was drafted in the 13th round of the 1984 MLB draft by the Chicago Cubs. With his major league pitching debut on May 31, 1988, against the

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

, Pico threw a four-hit

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

and was the first Cubs pitcher to throw a shutout in his major league debut since Bill Lee on May 7, 1934, against the

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

. Pico played three seasons and appeared in 113 games from 1988 through 1990; he had a career ERA of 4.24. In his best preseason, 1989, he had an ERA of 3.77 and a 3–1 record. His major league career posted a winning lifetime 13–12 record in 295 career innings.

Coaching career

Pico began coaching after he retired as a pitcher, and was the pitching coach for the

Chico Heat The Chico Heat is the name of two baseball teams that have operated in Chico, California. The first was a professional independent team operating in the Western Baseball League from 1997 to 2002, and the second team was an independent team operat ...

from 1997 to 2002. In 2003, Pico joined the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

organization and was with the organization until 2013. He was the pitching coach for the

South Bend Silver Hawks South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sun� ...

in 2004, the

Lancaster JetHawks The Lancaster JetHawks were a baseball team located in Lancaster, California. They were named for the city's association with the aerospace industry and played their home games at The Hangar. From 1996 to 2020, they were members of Minor League ...

in 2006, the Visalia Oaks in 2007 and the Mobile BayBears in 2008 and 2009. Pico was pitching coordinator from 2010 to 2011, and the Arizona Diamondbacks'

minor-league field coordinator Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...

in 2011 and 2012. In November 2013, Pico was hired as the pitching coach for the Cincinnati Reds to replace

Bryan Price Bryan Roberts Price (born June 22, 1962) is an American former professional baseball coach and manager. Price was the manager of the Cincinnati Reds of MLB, from 2014 through 2018. After pitching in the minor leagues, Price has served as the ...

who was promoted from pitching coach to manager for the Reds. On October 22, 2015, it was announced that the Reds would not renew Pico's contract for the 2016 season. On December 2, 2015, Pico was named the pitching coach for the Triple-A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

. On June 28, 2018, Pico was named the bullpen coach for the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

References

External links

Tigers coaching bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pico, Jeff 1966 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball coaches from California Baseball players from California Bend Bandits players Chicago Cubs players Cincinnati Reds coaches Detroit Tigers coaches Hagerstown Suns players Iowa Cubs players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Major League Baseball pitching coaches Minor league baseball coaches People from Antioch, California Peoria Chiefs players Pikeville Cubs players Pittsfield Cubs players Tacoma Tigers players Vancouver Canadians players Winston-Salem Spirits players Diablos Rojos del México players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico American expatriate baseball players in Italy Rimini Baseball Club players