Coco Crisp to Manage the Mahoning Valley Scrappers for the 2021 Season
NILES, OH - Former MLB outfielder and World Series champion Coco Crisp will manage the Mahoning Valley Scrappers in the inaugural MLB Draft League, Major League Baseball and Prep Baseball Report announced Monday.
During his 15-year career in Major League Baseball, Crisp, whose actual first name is Covelli, recorded a .265 batting average with 877 runs scored and 495 extra-base hits, including 308 doubles, 57 triples and 130 home runs in 1,586 games between the Cleveland Indians (2002-05, 2016), Boston Red Sox (2006-08), Kansas City Royals (2009) and Oakland Athletics (2010-16). Crisp led the American League in stolen bases (49) in 2011, racking up 309 total steals in his career.
A veteran of 43 postseason games, Crisp had a .269 batting average with two home runs, 12 RBI and 20 runs scored in the playoffs. The Los Angeles, Calif. native was a member of the 2007 World Series Champion Red Sox and returned to the Fall Classic with the Indians in 2016 before announcing his retirement after the season.
Upon his retirement, Crisp, 41, coached the Shadow Hills High School (Indio, Calif.) baseball team for two seasons before joining the Oakland Athletics' radio broadcast team as a game analyst in 2019. He currently serves as a bench coach at Cerritos College (Norwalk, Calif.).
"I enjoy coaching at any level, but more than anything, I love just being around and talking baseball," Crisp said. "So, for me, it's an honor to be chosen as one of the MLB Draft League's managers, especially in the League's first year, with so many high-caliber players involved. I look forward to passing along my passion for the sport and sharing my experiences and knowledge with all the players.
"Many of these kids didn't necessarily get the type of opportunity and looks they deserve last year because of the pandemic, so to have the MLB Draft League in place, giving players the opportunity to be seen -- it means a lot."
MLB Draft League participants will receive unprecedented visibility to MLB scouts through both in-person observation and state-of-the-art scouting technology, and educational programming designed to prepare them for careers as professional athletes. Prep Baseball Report will provide support for the league's staffing, player and coach recruitment, on-field operations and administrative functions. PBR will also use their media and technology platforms to promote the league and its players throughout the season.
Freshly removed from their Major League careers, Coco Crisp (Mahoning Valley Scrappers) and Jedd Gyorko (West Virginia Black Bears) represent two of the five former big league players selected to manage in the MLB Draft League. Joining them will be Jeff Manto (Trenton Thunder), Derrick May (Frederick Keys) and Delwyn Young (State College Spikes), while former professional player and veteran Minor League coach Billy Horton (Williamsport Crosscutters) rounds out the group.