Timothy Michael Corcoran (born March 19, 1953) is an American former

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

player who played nine years 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) from 1977 to 1986, principally as a first baseman and right fielder. He played for the

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 club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

(

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

–

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

(

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

(

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

–

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

), and

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 ...

(

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

). Over the course of his 9-year big league career, Corcoran played at

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

(183 games),

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In bat and ball games ...

(174 games), and

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. Unlike other players in a team's lineup, they generally only play as an offensive player and usually do not play defense as ...

(14 games).

Early years

Corcoran was born in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

, in 1953. He graduated from Northview High School in

Covina, California Covina ( /koviːnə/) is a city in the San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles The population was 51,268 according to the 2020 census, up from 47,796 at the 2010 census. ...

, and then

Mount San Antonio College Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) is a public community college in Walnut, California. It offers more than 400 degree and certificate programs, 36 support programs, and more than 50 student clubs and athletic programs, including food pantry, c ...

and

California State University, Los Angeles California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) is a public research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor's degree programs, 122 m ...

Professional baseball

Minor leagues

Corcoran was overlooked in the amateur draft and signed with the

in June 1974 as a free agent. He spent several years in the Tigers' minor league organization, playing for the Lakeland Tigers (1974), Bristol Tigers (1974), Montgomery Rebels (1975-1976), and Evansville Triplets (1977). He compiled a .346 batting average at Evansville early in the 1977 season and was promoted to the Tigers in May 1977.

Detroit Tigers

Corcoran made his major league debut with the Tigers on May 18, 1977. He appeared in 55 games for the Tigers in 1977, including 16 games as a starter in the outfield, and compiled a .282 batting average. In 1978, he appeared in a career-high 116 games, including 85 games as the Tigers' starting right fielder. He compiled a .265 batting average and a .322 on-base percentage. Corcoran returned to the minor leagues in 1979, appearing in 87 games for Evansville where he had a .338 batting average and 50 RBIs. Corcoran returned to the Tigers in 1980. He appeared in 84 games for the 1980 Tigers, posting a .288 batting average, .379 on-base percentage, and .405 slugging percentage.

Minnesota Twins

In September 1981, Corcoran was sent to the

as part of an earlier that sent Ron Jackson to the Tigers. Corcoran appeared in 22 games for Minnesota at the end of the 1981 season. He was released by the Twins in March 1982.

Philadelphia Phillies

Corcoran signed as a free agent with the

in April 1982. He spent the 1982 season and most of the 1983 season in the Phillies' minor league organization. He appeared in 120 games for Oklahoma City in 1982 and 128 games for Portland in 1983. He compiled a .311 batting average and had 93 RBIs in helping Portland win the 1983 Pacific Coast League championship. In 1984, Corcoran made the Phillies' lineup, appearing in 102 games, including 34 starts at first base and 16 in the outfield. He compiled a .341 batting average and a .440 on-base percentage in 1984. He remained with the Phillies in 1985, appearing in 103 games (including 59 games at first base), but his batting average dropped 127 points to .214. He was released by the Phillies in December 1985. Corcoran said of his release by the Phillies: "It was a heck of a Christmas present. They told me they needed a roster spot. And I'd just gone out and bought a new truck and a house. It was a shock."

New York Mets

In March 1986, Corcoran signed as a free agent with the

. He appeared in only six games with the Mets. He appeared in his final major league game on June 9, 1986, after which he was released.

Career totals

Corcoran’s career MLB statistical totals include 509 games played, a career

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

of .270, and a .349 on-base percentage. Additionally, he complied 373

total bases In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hit (baseball), hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single (baseball), single, 2 for a double (baseball), double, 3 for a triple (baseball), triple and 4 ...

, 283

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...

, 120 runs scored, 128

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

(RBI), 46 doubles, and 12

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run ...

Later years

Corcoran was hired as a scout by the

Anaheim Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

in 2000. He was assigned to the "Angels Elite" program in 2002.

References

External links

Tim Corcoran
at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
Tim Corcoran
at Baseball Almanac {{DEFAULTSORT:Corcoran, Tim 1953 births Living people Anaheim Angels scouts Bristol Tigers players California State University, Los Angeles alumni Detroit Tigers players Evansville Triplets players Lakeland Tigers players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Los Angeles Angels scouts Maine Guides players Maine Phillies players Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball outfielders Minnesota Twins players Montgomery Rebels players New York Mets players Oakland Athletics scouts Oklahoma City 89ers players Philadelphia Phillies players Portland Beavers players Baseball players from Glendale, California Tidewater Tides players Tigres de Aragua players Mt. SAC Mounties baseball players Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles baseball players Anchorage Glacier Pilots players