James Michael Sarbaugh (born April 25, 1967) is an American baseball coach currently serving as the third base coach for 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 ...

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). He is a former minor league baseball player and minor league

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

for 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 ...

, the Triple-A

farm team In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a Team sport, team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any s ...

of the Guardians. He also served as the third base/infielders coach for the Cleveland Indians/Guardians from 2013 to 2023.

Career

Playing

Sarbaugh attended

Lamar University Lamar University (Lamar or LU) is a public university in Beaumont, Texas, United States. Lamar has been a member of the Texas State University System since 1995. It was the flagship institution of the former Lamar University System. As of the ...

, where he was an all-conference

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

, graduating with a degree in

kinesiology Kinesiology () is the scientific study of human body movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, anatomical, Biomechanics, biomechanical, Pathology, pathological, neuropsychological principles and mechanisms of movement. Applications of kines ...

. Sarbaugh played six seasons in the minors, beginning with the

Helena Brewers The Helena Brewers were a Minor League Baseball team in the Pioneer League located in Helena, Montana, from 1978 to 2018. The team played their home games at Kindrick Legion Field, which was built in 1939. They were affiliated with the Milwaukee ...

in 1989, then was in the Cleveland Indians' system from 1990 to 1994, where he won a

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

championship as a member of the 1991 Kinston Indians. In 1995, he was a replacement player during the ongoing strike for Cleveland 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 ...

Coaching

Sarbaugh later became a minor league coach, being named the hitting coach for the Kinston Indians in 1995, when the "K-Tribe" won the Carolina League championship. He next moved on to the Columbus RedStixx of the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

in 1996 and 1997, then was back to Kinston in 1998 and 1999. Hw also served as the hitting coach for the Akron Aeros from 2000 to 2003. In 2004, he was named manager of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, leading them to a New York–Penn League championship. The next season, he managed the Lake County Captains. In 2006, he became skipper of the Kinston Indians and won the league championship, making him a Carolina League champion as a player, coach, and manager. His 2006 team was named the Advanced Class A Team of the Year by both

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 ...

and

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

. He remained the manager in Kinston for the 2007 season and managed the Carolina League team in 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 ...

/Carolina League

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that showcases the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or division, bu ...

. On December 1, 2009, Sarbaugh was named the manager of the

for the 2010 season. Sarbaugh won both the 2010 and 2011 Triple-A championships with Columbus.

Cleveland Indians/Guardians

Sarbaugh was named the third base coach/infielders coach 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) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

in 2013. During the 2020 season, Sarbaugh filled in as Cleveland's bench coach as Sandy Alomar Jr., the bench coach, filled in for manager Terry Francona, who was away from the team due to a medical condition. On October 31, 2023, the Guardians announced that Sarbaugh would not be return for the 2024 season.

New York Mets

In November 2023, the

hired Sarbaugh to be their third base coach for the 2024 season.

Personal life

Sarbaugh and his wife Nicole live in Shillington, Pennsylvania, with their three children. Sarbaugh appeared in the 1994 movie, ''

Major League II ''Major League II'' is a 1994 American sports film, sports comedy film and sequel to the 1989 film ''Major League (film), Major League'' and it is the second installment in the ''Major League'' film series. The film stars most of the same cast ...

'' (as J Michael Sarbaugh), playing a shortstop for the Pirates.

References

External links

The Baseball Cube player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarbaugh, Mike 1967 births Living people Baseball players from Lancaster, Pennsylvania Arizona League Brewers players Beloit Brewers players Canton-Akron Indians players Charlotte Knights players Reno Silver Sox players Kinston Indians players Lake County Captains managers Cleveland Indians coaches New York Mets coaches Minor league baseball players Minor league baseball coaches Major League Baseball third base coaches Lamar Cardinals baseball players 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen Cleveland Guardians coaches