John Norman Foster (born May 17, 1978) is an American former professional baseball

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), 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, ...

and current coach. He 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

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 ...

and

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

. After retiring as a player, Foster coached summer league and college baseball. From 2017 to 2024, Foster coached in Taiwan's

Chinese Professional Baseball League The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 20 ...

(CPBL), for the

CTBC Brothers The CTBC Brothers () or simply Brothers are a professional baseball team in Taiwan. The team was originally established as an amateur team in 1984 by the Brother Hotel located in Taipei City, and later joined the Chinese Professional Baseball Lea ...

. He currently serves as a minor league pitching rehab coordinator for the

Athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competitio ...

Career

Foster played in Western Little League, graduated from Stagg High School, before playing college baseball at

San Joaquin Delta College San Joaquin Delta College (Delta College) is a public community college in Stockton, California. It was founded in 1935 as Stockton Junior College. The college serves a district area that includes all of San Joaquin County and parts of Alameda, ...

for two years. He subsequently transferred to continue his baseball career with

Lewis–Clark State College Lewis-Clark State College is a public college in Lewiston, Idaho, United States. It was founded in 1893 and has an approximate annual enrollment of 3,600. The college offers more than 130 degrees. History In 1893, Governor William J. McConn ...

, where he won the 1999 NAIA World Series. He was drafted by the

in the 25th round of the

1999 Major League Baseball draft The 1999 Major League Baseball draft, was the annual choosing of high school and college baseball players, held on June 2 and 3, 1999. A total of 1,474 players were drafted over the course of 50 rounds. First round selections Supplemental fir ...

. Foster advanced steadily through the Braves' minor league system, starting with a 4–1 record and 1.38 ERA with the Danville Braves. The following year, he pitched with the

Myrtle Beach Pelicans The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are a Minor League Baseball team in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the Single-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs of the National League in Major League Baseball. The Pelicans compete in the Carolina League. Home games a ...

, going 2–1 with a 1.85 ERA for Myrtle Beach. During the 2001 season, Foster was 8–7 with a 3.02 ERA for the

Greenville Braves The Greenville Braves were an American minor league baseball franchise, based in Greenville, South Carolina, that served as the Class AA farm team of the Atlanta Braves between 1984 and 2004. The Braves played in Greenville Municipal Stadium f ...

. Foster began his big league career with the Atlanta Braves in 2002, after being called up from the Triple-A

Richmond Braves The Richmond Braves were an American minor league baseball club based in Richmond, Virginia, the Triple-A International League affiliate of the Atlanta Braves from 1966 to 2008. Owned by the parent Atlanta club and colloquially referred to as the ...

. In his rookie season, he went 1–0 with a 10.80

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 number ...

and 6

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s. On December 16, 2002, Foster was traded, along with Wes Helms, to the

for Ray King. With Milwaukee, he went 2–0, with a 4.71 ERA and 16 strikeouts. In 2005, after being picked by 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 ...

in the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

in 2004 and undergoing surgery on a torn labrum, Foster returned to the Braves when his contract was purchased from Triple-A Richmond. Foster was signed by the

during the season and recalled to the major leagues after Opening Day left-hander Tom Martin struggled in four appearances. During the 2005 season, Foster posted a career low 4.15

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

while working 34.2

innings An innings is one of the divisions of a cricket match during which one team takes its turn to bat. Innings also means the period in which an individual player bats (acts as either striker or nonstriker). In cricket and rounders, "innings" is ...

in 62 games (both career highs). He also had career highs in walks (19) and

s (32), and recorded his only career save. Foster missed the 2006 season with an elbow injury. On October 11, 2006, he was released by the Atlanta Braves. Foster signed a minor league contract for the 2008 season with the Kansas City Royals, and was invited to spring training. In late March 2009 at the end of spring training, Foster retired from professional baseball.

Coaching career

In 2009, Foster served as the pitching coach for the

Newport Gulls The Newport Gulls are a wooden-bat, collegiate summer baseball team based in Newport, Rhode Island. The Newport Gulls Baseball Club is a member of the Coastal Division of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. Since 2001, the Gulls have pla ...

of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. The following summer, he coached the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

Wareham Gatemen The Wareham Gatemen are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Wareham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Gatemen play their home games at Clem Spillane Fie ...

. He coached

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is the lowest division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that do not offer athletic scholarships to student- ...

Lehman College Lehman College is a public college in New York City, United States. Founded in 1931 as the Bronx campus of Hunter College, it became an independent college in 1967. The college is named after Herbert H. Lehman, a former New York governor, United ...

during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. Starting in 2012, Foster worked with the Monroe University baseball program as a junior varsity coach. He was elevated to a player development role in 2014. That year, Foster was also named coach of the East Texas Pump Jacks. In 2017, Foster became the pitching coach of the Chinatrust Brothers of the

. On May 10, 2023, Foster shifted to the position of farm director for pitchers. At the start of the 2025 regular season Foster and his family returned to the United States, and he began working as a minor league pitching rehab coordinator for the

Personal life

Foster married Anisha after the 2005 season ended. The couple raised three children.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, John 1978 births Living people American expatriate baseball people in Taiwan Arizona League Royals players Atlanta Braves players Azucareros del Este players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Baseball coaches from California Baseball players from Stockton, California Danville Braves players Delta College Mustangs baseball players Greenville Braves players Idaho Falls Chukars players Indianapolis Indians players Lehman Lightning baseball coaches Lewis–Clark State Warriors baseball players Major League Baseball pitchers Milwaukee Brewers players Myrtle Beach Pelicans players New England Collegiate Baseball League Omaha Royals players Richmond Braves players Wichita Wranglers players

Career

Coaching career

Personal life

See also

References

External links