Jason Phillip Bere (born May 26, 1971) 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 professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...

and

bullpen coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisio ...

. He played 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) ...

for parts of 11 seasons from 1993 to 2003, for 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) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. The Brewers are named for the city's association wi ...

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

, and

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 ...

. He was elected to the 1994 MLB All-Star Game, but injuries limited his playing career. Bere was the Indians' bullpen coach from 2015 to 2017.

Early life

Bere was raised in

Wilmington, Massachusetts Wilmington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Its population was 23,349 at the 2020 United States census. History Wilmington was first settled in 1665 and was officially incorporated in 1730, from parts of Woburn, Read ...

and attended Wilmington High School and Middlesex Community College.

Scouts Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpack ...

of the

saw Bere pitch, and as a result, they selected him in the 36th round of the 1990 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft.

Professional career

Bere signed with the White Sox, receiving a $2,000

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

. In 1993, ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form ...

'' rated Bere as the eighth-best

prospect Prospect may refer to: General * Prospect (marketing), a marketing term describing a potential customer * Prospect (sports), any player whose rights are owned by a professional team, but who has yet to play a game for the team * Prospect (mining ...

in baseball. He made his MLB debut in 1993, pitching to a 12–5

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

and a 3.47

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the numb ...

(ERA). He won his final seven

games started In baseball statistics, games started (denoted by GS) indicates the number of games that a pitcher has started for his team. A pitcher is credited with starting the game if he throws the first pitch to the first opposing batter. If a player is list ...

, helping the White Sox win the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

(AL) West Division championship. He finished second in AL Rookie of the Year Award voting, behind

Tim Salmon Timothy James Salmon (born August 24, 1968), nicknamed "King Fish", is an American former professional baseball player and current sportcaster. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to with the Anaheim Angels as an o ...

. He was elected to represent the AL in the 1994 MLB All-Star Game. He finished the year with a 12–2 win–loss record, leading the AL with a

winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

. In 1995, Bere began experiencing

tendinitis Tendinopathy, a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder ( rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow ( tennis e ...

in the elbow of his throwing arm. He had an 8–15 win–loss record and a 7.19 ERA. He led the AL in losses. His injury necessitated

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's ...

, which was performed in September 1996. He returned to the White Sox in August 1997, following the White Flag trade that saw the White Sox trade away pitchers Wilson Álvarez, Roberto Hernández, and Danny Darwin, leaving them in need of more pitchers. Bere later acknowledged he returned to pitching too soon. The White Sox released Bere in 1998, and he signed with the

. After the 1999 season, Bere signed with the

. In July 2000, the Brewers traded Bere, Bob Wickman, and

Steve Woodard Steven Larry Woodard (born May 15, 1975) is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played all or parts of seven seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1997 until 2003, for the Milwaukee Brewers, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers and Boston Red ...

to the

for Richie Sexson, Paul Rigdon, Kane Davis, and a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

( Marco Scutaro). He ended the season with a 12–10 record in 31 games started, a career high. A free agent after the 2000 season, Bere signed with the

for 2001. He had a 1–10 record for the Cubs in 2002, and signed with the

for the 2003 season. He experienced pain in his right shoulder in 2005, while pitching for the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen ...

of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL ...

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 level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ( ...

, leading him to retire.

Coaching career

The Indians named Bere a special assistant in baseball operations in 2006. In January 2015, the Indians chose Bere as their new

, succeeding Kevin Cash. Bere was released by the Indians following the 2017 season.

Personal life

Bere and his high school sweetheart, Dinelle (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth ...

'' Erwin), were married in November 1994. The couple live in

North Andover, Massachusetts North Andover is an affluent town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census the population was 30,915. History Native Americans inhabited what is now northeastern Massachusetts for thousands of years prior to European c ...

, and have two children.

References

External links

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Bere, Jason 1971 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Akron Aeros players American League All-Stars Baseball players from Massachusetts Birmingham Barons players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chicago Cubs players Chicago White Sox players Cincinnati Reds players Cleveland Indians coaches Cleveland Indians executives Cleveland Indians players Gulf Coast White Sox players Hickory Crawdads players Indianapolis Indians players Iowa Cubs players Lake County Captains players Louisville RiverBats players Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Major League Baseball pitchers Middlesex Community College (Massachusetts) alumni Milwaukee Brewers players Nashville Sounds players People from Wilmington, Massachusetts Sarasota White Sox players South Bend White Sox players Sportspeople from Cambridge, Massachusetts Sportspeople from Middlesex County, Massachusetts Vancouver Canadians players