Clell Lavern "Butch" Hobson Jr. (born August 17, 1951) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

manager and former

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the Baseball scorekeep ...

. Hobson played in

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 ...

(MLB) for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

, and

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

, and managed for the Red Sox from 1992 to 1994. Listed at and , he batted and threw right-handed. Since retiring as an active player, he has managed several

Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

teams.

Playing career

Hobson attended Bessemer City High School then

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

, where he played both

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

and

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

. He was a backup

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

for the Crimson Tide football team, under Bear Bryant, from 1969 through 1972. Hobson appeared in 11 games for Alabama, all during the 1971 season. Hobson was a standout player for the Crimson Tide baseball program, leading the team in 1973 with 38 hits, 13

home runs 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 ...

, and 37 RBIs in 36 games, along with being named a First Team All- SEC selection. He was named to Alabama's All-Century baseball team in 1993.

Boston Red Sox

Selected by the

in the 1973 MLB draft, Hobson made his major league debut in 1975. His most productive season came in 1977, when he set team season records for a third baseman with 30 home runs and 112 RBIs. In 1978, Hobson hit 17 home runs with 80 RBIs. However, he posted 43 errors, the most for any

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 ...

player in that season, and his .899 fielding average also was the first below .900 by a regular player in 60 years. Hobson hit 28 home runs with 93 RBIs in 1979, but a year later, an injury to his right elbow landed him on the disabled list for major parts of that season and the next. In parts of six seasons with the Red Sox, Hobson batted .252 with 94 home runs and 358 RBIs.

California Angels

Hobson was traded along with Rick Burleson from the Red Sox to the Angels for

Carney Lansford Carney Ray Lansford (born February 7, 1957) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a third baseman from 1978 to 1992, most notably as a member of the Oakland Athletics team that ...

, Rick Miller and

Mark Clear Mark Alan Clear (born May 27, 1956) is an American former two-time All Star Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for the California Angels (1979–80, 1990), Boston Red Sox (1981–85), and Milwaukee Brewers (1986–88). He batted and ...

on December 10, 1980. During the 1981 season, Hobson played 85 games with the Angels, batting .235 with 4 home runs and 36 RBIs.

New York Yankees

Hobson was dealt from the Angels to the Yankees for Bill Castro during

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

on March 24, 1982. He finished his major league career in 1982, appearing in 30 games while batting .172 with three RBIs. He played with the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate, the

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, merch ...

, through 1985.

Career totals

In an eight-year MLB career, Hobson had a .248 batting average with 98 home runs and 397 RBI in 738

games A game is a Structure, structured type of play (activity), play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an Educational game, educational tool. Many games are also considered to be Work (human activity), work (such as p ...

. He holds the MLB record for fewest career home runs by a player with a 30 home run season. In September 2016, at age 65, Hobson had a single

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, ...

for the Lancaster Barnstormers, an

independent baseball league An independent baseball league is a professional baseball league in the United States or Canada that is not overseen by Major League Baseball or its affiliated Minor League Baseball system (historically referred to as organized baseball). Inde ...

team that he was the manager of, so that he could appear in a professional baseball game with his son K. C. Hobson. He struck out swinging.

Managerial career

Hobson first managed in the

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 ...

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 ...

, leading the Class A Columbia Mets in 1987 and 1988. Hobson next managed in Boston's minor league system, leading the Double-A New Britain Red Sox in 1989 and 1990. He then managed the Pawtucket Red Sox for the 1991 season and posted a 79–64 record to lead his team to a first-place finish in the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

, and was named the International League Manager of the Year. After losing the Governors' Cup to the

, he was hired to manage the parent club in MLB. Hobson managed the Boston Red Sox from 1992 to 1994, posting an overall 207–232 record. Hobson next managed the Mobile BaySharks in the independent Texas–Louisiana League for the 1995 season. In May 1996, while managing the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, then a Triple-A affiliate of the

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 ...

, Hobson was arrested for possession of

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

—he was placed on leave, and subsequently fired in August. His record during his brief stint with the Red Barons was 13–14. After not managing during the 1997 and 1998 seasons, Hobson returned to managing in 1999, leading the Sarasota Red Sox. Hobson managed the Nashua Pride for the 2000 through 2007 seasons with a record of 508–456. The team won the Atlantic League Championship in 2000, and the Can-Am League Championship in 2007. On rare occasions when an umpire ejected Hobson from a game for arguing a baserunning decision, Hobson would remove one of the bases and deliver it to a young fan before leaving the stadium. This signature move was one of the meanings of ''Stolen Bases,'' a movie the Pride commissioned in 2000. For example, Hobson "stole" first base on July 27, 2007, when a baserunner for the North Shore Spirit was called out at first base, then ruled safe after a protest by the opposing manager. The base was always retrieved, allowing the game to resume. On November 19, 2007, Hobson was named the first-ever manager of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in the independent

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...

. He won manager of the year for the Atlantic League for the 2008 season, and led the team through the 2010 season. On October 19, 2010, Hobson was named manager of the Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League; he managed the Barnstormers for the 2011 through 2016 seasons, winning the Atlantic League title in 2014. On January 5, 2017, Hobson was named manager of the Class A Kane County Cougars of the

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

; He managed the Cougars during the 2017 season. On March 19, 2018, Hobson was named the inaugural manager of the Chicago Dogs of the independent American Association of Independent Professional Baseball. He guided the Dogs for six seasons, before departing at the end of the 2023 season. The 2023 season saw Hobson become the first-ever manager in modern (1993-present) independent baseball to win 1,500 games. He finished the 2023 season with a 1538-1325 (.537) record over 24 seasons in independent baseball, holding records for the most games and wins among Indy ball skippers.

Managerial record

Major League Baseball Minor League Baseball and Independent Baseball

Personal life

Following his May 1996 arrest in

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

for cocaine possession, Hobson faced up to three years in jail and a $5,000 fine. He pleaded innocent, and in December 1996 was placed in a

diversion program A diversion program, also known as a pretrial diversion program or pretrial intervention program, in the criminal justice system is a form of pretrial sentencing that helps remedy the behavior leading to the arrest. Administered by the judicial ...

for first-time offenders after acknowledging past use of the drug. Hobson's son K. C. played baseball for Stockdale High School where the elder Hobson was an assistant baseball coach in 2008 and 2009, helping the Mustangs win two CIF section championships. Later, K. C. was selected by the

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) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

in the sixth round of the 2009 MLB draft. He played in

for Toronto and

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

organizations as a first baseman, reaching the Double-A level. He most recently played in 2022 for the

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

American Association Chicago Dogs managed by Butch Hobson.

Sources

*''The ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia'' – Gary Gillette,

Peter Gammons Peter Gammons (born April 9, 1945) is an American media personality and recipient of the J. G. Taylor Spink Award for outstanding baseball writing, given by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Early life and education Gammons was bo ...

, Pete Palmer. Publisher: Sterling Publishing, 2005. Format: Paperback, 1824pp. Language: English.

References

External links

* : {{DEFAULTSORT:Hobson, Butch 1951 births Living people Alabama Crimson Tide baseball players Alabama Crimson Tide football players American Association of Professional Baseball managers American football quarterbacks Baseball coaches from Alabama Boston Red Sox managers Boston Red Sox players Boston Red Sox scouts Bristol Red Sox players California Angels players Chicago Dogs Columbus Clippers players Major League Baseball third basemen New York Yankees players Pawtucket Red Sox managers Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders managers Players of American football from Alabama Rhode Island Red Sox players Baseball players from Tuscaloosa, Alabama Winston-Salem Red Sox players Winter Haven Super Sox players Bessemer City High School (Alabama) alumni 20th-century American sportsmen