John Nicklaus Hoover (December 22, 1962 – July 8, 2014) was the

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

No. 25 draft choice in the first round in 1984 (by the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles 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 American League's eight charter ...

), after having led the nation in strikeouts in college baseball, pitching 205 strikeouts for Fresno State in his senior year. Also in 1984 Hoover was a starting pitcher for the United States Olympic baseball team, winning the opening game and helping the US to win the silver medal for baseball. His teammates on the Olympic team included

Mark McGwire Mark David McGwire (born October 1, 1963), nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball first baseman who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 to 2001 for the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Card ...

Barry Larkin Barry Louis Larkin (born April 28, 1964) is an American former professional baseball player. He played shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 to 2004. He briefly played in the minor leagues before making h ...

Will Clark William Nuschler Clark Jr. (born March 13, 1964) is an American professional baseball first baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 through 2000. He played for the San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, an ...

, and

Oddibe McDowell Oddibe McDowell (born August 25, 1962) is an American former center fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played from 1985 to 1994 for the Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, and Atlanta Braves. His first name is pronounced "owed a bee" or " ...

. In 1983, Hoover pitched the opening game at the IX Pan American Games, for an 8-0 victory over the Dominican Republic, helping to win the bronze medal for the United States team. Hoover signed with the Orioles while still at the Summer Olympics on August 3, 1984. He played for the Texas Rangers in the 1990 season, but had a shortened pro-baseball career due to injuries sustained as a college player. He died on July 8, 2014 apparently of natural causes. Prior to attending

Fresno State California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...

, he attended

Fresno High School Fresno High School is a four-year secondary school located in Fresno, California. Fresno High is the oldest high school in the Fresno metropolitan area and one of the few International Baccalaureate schools. As of 2021, Linda Laettner is the 29th a ...

, graduating in 1980 and Cooper Junior High School in Fresno, graduating in 1977.John Hoover
in the Cooper Junior High School yearbook, ''Visions 1977'', page 45.

References

External links

John Hoover
at

SABR The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a membership organization dedicated to fostering the research and dissemination of the history and record of baseball primarily through the use of statistics. Established in Cooperstown, New ...

(Baseball BioProject) 1962 births 2014 deaths Texas Rangers players Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from California Rochester Red Wings players Charlotte O's players Hagerstown Suns players Miami Marlins (FSL) players Jacksonville Expos players Tulsa Drillers players Oklahoma City 89ers players Indianapolis Indians players Fresno State Bulldogs baseball players Baseball players at the 1984 Summer Olympics Baseball players at the 1983 Pan American Games Pan American Games medalists in baseball Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States All-American college baseball players Medalists at the 1983 Pan American Games Anchorage Glacier Pilots players {{US-baseball-pitcher-1960s-stub