Gary Montez Thurman (born November 12, 1964) is an American former professional baseball
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...
. He played for nine seasons in
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) for the
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expa ...
,
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 ...
,
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...
, and
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 leagu ...
. He was drafted by the Royals in the first round (21st pick) of the
1983 amateur draft. Thurman played his first professional season with their rookie-league
Gulf Coast Royals
The Gulf Coast League (GCL) Royals were a minor league baseball franchise in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League from 1971–1978, 1982–1983 and 1985–2002. The club was owned and operated by the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball. T ...
in 1983, and his last with the
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...
's Triple-A affiliate, the
Vancouver Canadians
The Vancouver Canadians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadians play their home games at Nat Bailey Stadium ...
, in 1998.
After his playing career, Thurman held various coaching and instructional roles. In 2007, he served as first base coach for the Mariners for the second-half of the season.
He was the coordinator of baserunning for 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 ...
during 2008–2011. He was the first base coach for the
Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park.
The fra ...
for the 2012 season.
[ He was the outfield and baserunning coordinator for the ]Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadi ...
for the 2017 season.
References
External links
*Career statistics and player information fro
The Baseball Cube
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Baseball Reference
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Baseball Reference (Minors)
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o
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
1964 births
Living people
African-American baseball players
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
Baseball coaches from Indiana
Baseball players from Indianapolis
Charleston Royals players
Detroit Tigers players
Fort Myers Royals players
Gulf Coast Royals players
Kansas City Royals players
Leones del Caracas players
Major League Baseball outfielders
Memphis Chicks players
Miami Marlins coaches
Minor league baseball managers
Nashville Sounds players
New York Mets players
Newark Bears players
Norfolk Tides players
Omaha Royals players
Ottawa Lynx players
Seattle Mariners players
Seattle Mariners coaches
Tacoma Rainiers players
Tiburones de La Guaira players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Vancouver Canadians players
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American sportspeople
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