Gary Andrew Varsho (born June 20, 1961) is an American former professional baseball outfielder, manager, and coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, and Philadelphia Phillies.[1]

Gary Varsho
Varsho c. 1987
Outfielder
Born: (1961-06-20) June 20, 1961 (age 63)
Marshfield, Wisconsin, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 6, 1988, for the Chicago Cubs
Last MLB appearance
October 1, 1995, for the Philadelphia Phillies
MLB statistics
Batting average.244
Home runs10
Runs batted in84
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Managerial record at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
As player
As manager
As coach

Baseball career

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As player

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Varsho was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the fifth round (107th overall) of the 1982 June draft as a second baseman and made his MLB debut with the Cubs on July 9, 1988. His first major league hit came off Ed Whitson on July 9, 1988, against the San Diego Padres. After being traded to the Pirates, Varsho connected off the Cubs’ Shawn Boskie for his first big league home run on July 2, 1992, at Wrigley Field.

Varsho appeared for the Pirates in the 1991 and 1992 National League Championship Series; in three postseason games (all as a pinch hitter), he singled twice in three at bats, and spent one defensive inning in right field.

Primarily an outfielder, Varsho played 14 years of pro baseball, including eight seasons in the major leagues (19881995).

After playing

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Varsho was the Phillies bench coach (20022006) and was interim manager for the last two games of the 2004 season,[2] after Larry Bowa was fired. Varsho was fired as the Pirates’ bench coach on August 8, 2010. In 2012, he became a professional scout for the Los Angeles Angels.[3] Since 2016, Varsho has served in the same capacity for the Pirates.[4]

Personal life

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In 1979, Varsho graduated from Marshfield High School in Marshfield, Wisconsin, after which he attended University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, where he received a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1989.[5]

Varsho and his wife, Kay, have three children: daughters Andie and Taylor, born October 19, 1991, and April 12, 1994, respectively; son Daulton, born July 2, 1996, who is a professional baseball catcher and outfielder for the Toronto Blue Jays.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Gary Varsho Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  2. ^ "Gary Varsho Managerial Record". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  3. ^ Leventhal, Josh, ed. (2015). Baseball America 2015 Directory. Durham, NC: Baseball America. ISBN 978-1-932391-56-5.
  4. ^ "Front Office Directory | Pittsburgh Pirates | Baseball Operations". mlb.com. Major League Baseball. 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  5. ^ "Manager and Coaches | Pittsburgh Pirates | Gary Varsho". Pirates.com. Pittsburgh Pirates. 2010. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
  6. ^ "Daulton Varsho Stats, Fantasy & News". mlb.com. Major League Baseball. 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
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Preceded by Pittsburgh Pirates Bench Coach
2008 - 2010
Succeeded by