Damon Scott Berryhill (born December 3, 1963) is an American former professional baseball

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 ...

and former manager of the AAA

Gwinnett Stripers The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia ...

. He played ten seasons 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 a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

, the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

, 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 ...

, the

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 ...

, and the

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 ...

of the

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) from 1987 to 1997. He threw right and was a

switch hitter In baseball, a switch hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed, usually right-handed against left-handed pitchers and left-handed against right-handed pitchers, although there are some exceptions. Characteristics Right-han ...

. Berryhill went to high school at

Laguna Beach High School Laguna Beach High School is a 4-year public high school located in Laguna Beach, California. It is the only high school in the Laguna Beach Unified School District. It was established in 1934 and is accredited by the Western Association of Schoo ...

where he was MVP of the baseball team, and went to college at Orange Coast Community College.

Career

Chicago Cubs

He was originally drafted by 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 ...

in the 13th round of the January 1983 amateur draft, but did not sign with them. He played another year at Orange Coast and was drafted in 1984 by the

with the 4th pick of the January 1984 amateur draft. He signed with the Cubs on June 2 and began his professional career. Berryhill began his minor league career in 1984 with the Quad City Cubs, and played 62 games with them. The following season, he played for the

Winston-Salem Spirits Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the fifth-most populous city in North Carolina and the 91st-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Chicago's high A-class affiliate. He continued to move up the ranks in the following seasons, playing for the Pittsfield Cubs in 1986 and the

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. T ...

in 1987. He was named to the American Association All-Star team for Iowa after batting .287 and hitting 18

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s. Berryhill was called up to the major leagues at the end of the 1987 minor league season, and made his major league debut on September 5 against the

. He had one hit in two at-bats in his debut, with his first hit a single to center field off of

Rob Murphy Robert Albert Murphy (born May 26, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player who was a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1985 to 1995. Murphy played college baseball for the University of Florida, and was picked by t ...

in the bottom of the ninth. He was selected to the 1988 Topps All-Star Rookie Roster as he hit .259 in 95 games for the Cubs that season. He was the most commonly used starting catcher for the division-winning 1989 Cubs. In 5 seasons with the Cubs, he played in 277 games and hit .239 as he was primarily a backup catcher in 1990–91.

Atlanta Braves

Berryhill was traded to the

on September 29, 1991, along with pitcher Mike Bielecki in exchange for pitchers Yorkis Perez and

Turk Wendell Steven John "Turk" Wendell (born May 19, 1967) is an American former professional baseball right-handed relief pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four National League (NL) teams, in all or parts of 11 seasons, between and . ...

. He hit a game-winning three-run

for the Braves in Game 1 of the

1992 World Series The 1992 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1992 season. The 89th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven, or first to four playoff, played between the American League (AL) champion Toronto ...

against 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 ...

. He played in 217 games for the Braves through 1993, batting .236.

1994–98

He signed as a free agent with the

on February 1, 1994, and played in 82 games with the Red Sox during the 1994 season. He hit .263. Berryhill signed with the

on November 4, 1994, playing in 34 games and batting .183 before being sustaining an elbow injury. He was released on February 26, 1996, and he sat out the 1996 season while recovering from elbow surgery. He signed as a free agent with the

on January 6, 1997. As a backup catcher for the Giants, he played in 73 games in 1996 and hit .257. He subsequently signed a minor league contract with the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

on November 22, 1997, and he played in 21 games for the AAA

Edmonton Trappers The Edmonton Trappers were a minor league baseball team in Edmonton, Alberta. They were a part of the Triple-A level in the Pacific Coast League, ending with the 2004 season. Their home games were played at Telus Field in downtown Edmonton. The ...

, where he batted .257 before he was released.

Coaching career

He was a coach for the

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and play their home games at LoanMart Field. The franc ...

in 2002 and minor league catching coordinator for the Texas Rangers in 2006. In 2008, he managed the

Bakersfield Blaze The Bakersfield Blaze were a minor league baseball team in Bakersfield, California. They played in the California League at the Class A-Advanced level, hosting home games at Sam Lynn Ballpark. Opened in 1941, the stadium is well known for facing ...

of the

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leagu ...

. In 2009–13 he was the manager of the

Ogden Raptors The Ogden Raptors are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Ogden, Utah and play their home games at Lindquist Field. Pitch ...

. He was named the manager of the

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an ...

of the

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

for 2014. The Dodgers changed AAA affiliates in 2015 and he became the manager of the

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Comets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their ho ...

. He led the AAA Dodgers to a division title and was selected as PCL Manager of the Year. Despite that, the Dodgers chose not to renew his contract at the end of the season. On December 12, 2016, it was announced that Berryhill would serve as manager for Atlanta's AAA affiliate, the

Gwinnett Braves The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevi ...

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berryhill, Damon 1963 births Living people Águilas del Zulia players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Albuquerque Isotopes managers American expatriate baseball players in Canada Atlanta Braves players Baseball coaches from California Baseball players from Orange County, California Boston Red Sox players Chicago Cubs players Cincinnati Reds players Edmonton Trappers players Iowa Cubs players Major League Baseball catchers Oklahoma City Dodgers managers Orange Coast Pirates baseball players Sportspeople from Laguna Beach, California Peoria Chiefs players Phoenix Firebirds players Pittsfield Cubs players Quad Cities Cubs players San Francisco Giants players Winston-Salem Spirits players 20th-century American sportsmen