Wayne Leonard Kirby (born January 22, 1964) 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 professional ...

right fielder A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...

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 * Co ...

. He is currently the first base coach for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

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), ...

(MLB). He was the outfield/base-running coordinator for the Texas Rangers from 2006 through 2010. From 2011 through 2018, Kirby was 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 ...

first base and

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In cricket, baseball a ...

coach. His younger brother is former NFL running back

Terry Kirby Terry Gayle Kirby (born January 20, 1970) is a former professional American football player who played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) from 1993 to 2002. A 6'1" running back from the University of Virginia, he is the younger br ...

Career

Los Angeles Dodgers

In the amateur draft of January 1983, Kirby was selected in the 13th round by the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

. Kirby saw action in 60 games with the 1983 Gulf Coast League Dodgers, posting a .292

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

with 13

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

(RBI) and 23 stolen bases. Kirby played for three separate minor league teams the following year: the

Great Falls Dodgers Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

, the

Vero Beach Dodgers Vero may refer to: Geography * Vero Beach, Florida, a city in the United States * Vero, Corse-du-Sud, a commune of France in Corsica Other * '' Véro'', a talk show on the Radio-Canada television network * Vero (app), a social media company co-fou ...

and the Bakersfield Dodgers. Combining his stats with each of the three clubs, he batted .281 with one

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

, 42 RBI and 38 steals in 119 games. Kirby spent all of 1985 with Vero Beach. In 122 games, he batted .281 and compiled 28 RBI and 31 steals. Kirby returned to Vero Beach again for the 1986 season and he saw action in 114 games. His average fell to .261 as he homered twice, drove in 31 runs and stole 28 bases. Also, he appeared at second base in four games, marking the first time he played a non–outfield position in his minor league career. In 1987, Kirby played for both Bakersfield and the San Antonio Dodgers, seeing action in 129 games (105 for Bakersfield). Between the two teams, he batted .264 with a homer, 43 RBI and 62 stolen bases. Kirby again split 1988 between Bakersfield and San Antonio, but this time 100 of his 112 total games were with San Antonio. His overall numbers declined, as he batted .244 with 25 runs batted in and 35 steals. In 1989, Kirby saw action in 122 games, 44 with San Antonio and 78 with the Triple–A

Albuquerque Dukes The Albuquerque Dukes were a minor league baseball team based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. History The first Dukes team was formed in 1915 as part of the Class D Rio Grande Association. The team finished in third place with a 32-25 record. Frank ...

. In total, he hit .302, drove in 37 runs and stole 40 bases. Kirby remained with Albuquerque in 1990. In 119 games, he batted .278 and totaled 30 RBI and 29 steals. Curiously, he had compiled the same number of RBI and stolen bases in his 78 games with Albuquerque the prior season.

Cleveland Indians

Following the 1990 season, Kirby became a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

and joined the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

. In 118 games for the AAA Colorado Springs Sky Sox, he posted a .294 average with a homer, 39 RBI and 29 steals. Kirby made his big league debut on September 12. He saw action in 21 games for Cleveland and batted .209. In his second season as a member of the Cleveland organization, Kirby again spent most of the year with the Sky Sox. Over 123 games, he batted .345 with 11 home runs, 74 RBI and 51 steals. His offensive success at Colorado Springs did not carry over to the big leagues, as Kirby batted just .167 with a single homer and RBI in 21 games with the 1992 Indians. However, Kirby's HR and RBI totals that season for the Sky Sox were the highest of his minor league career, as were his 162 base hits and his .345 batting average.

Baltimore Orioles

Kirby served as the first base coach for the

from 2011 through 2018.

San Diego Padres

On November 1, 2019, Kirby was hired as the Padres first base coach for the 2020 season under new Manager Jayce Tingler. He was reunited with former

Coach Bobby Dickerson (bench coach), former

player now turned coach

Ryan Flaherty Ryan Edward Flaherty (born July 27, 1986) is an American professional baseball coach and former infielder. He is an advance scout and development coach for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Baltimore O ...

(advance scout and development coach) as well as former

third baseman/shortstop Manny Machado.

New York Mets

On January 5, 2022, Kirby was named first base coach for the

Personal

Kirby attended

Tabb High School Tabb High School is a public high school for located in Tabb, an unincorporated community in southern York County, Virginia, United States. It is part of the York County School Division. The school opened in 1972 and is located near the site ...

Tabb, Virginia Tabb is an unincorporated community in York County, Virginia, United States, on the Virginia Peninsula. Major roads include U.S. Route 17 and State Route 134 (Hampton Highway, which continues as Magruder Boulevard in Hampton). The community was ...

. On July 19, 2022, Kirby underwent prostate cancer surgery.

References

External links

Wayne Kirby
at Baseball Almanac {{DEFAULTSORT:Kirby, Wayne 1964 births Living people African-American baseball coaches African-American baseball players Albuquerque Dukes players Bakersfield Dodgers players Baltimore Orioles coaches Baseball coaches from Virginia Baseball players from Virginia Charlotte Knights players Cleveland Indians players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Great Falls Dodgers players Gulf Coast Dodgers players Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball first base coaches Major League Baseball right fielders Memphis Redbirds players Minor league baseball coaches New York Mets players Norfolk Tides players Rochester Red Wings players San Antonio Dodgers players San Antonio Missions players San Diego Padres coaches Sportspeople from Williamsburg, Virginia Solano Steelheads players Vero Beach Dodgers players New York Mets coaches Tabb High School alumni