Adrian Garrett

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Henry Adrian Garrett Jr. (Smokey)

  • Bats Left, Throws Right
  • Height 6' 3", Weight 185 lb.

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Contents

[edit] Biographical Information

The older brother of Wayne Garrett, Jimmy Garrett and father of Jason Garrett, Adrian 'Smokey' Garrett played in Japan for the Hiroshima Carp from 1977 to 1979, hitting 102 home runs in just three years while helping the Carp to victory in the 1979 Nippon Series. In addition to his 3 years in Japan, Adrian spent time in the Major Leagues with the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, Oakland A's and California Angels. Beginning in 1961 and continuing through 1979, Adrian's professional career as a player spanned 19 years.

[edit] 1961 - 1972: Opportunities few and far between

Originally signed by the Milwaukee Braves as a free agent in 1961, prior to 1973 Adrian's time in the Majors consisted of brief trials with the Braves in 1966, the Cubs in 1970 and the Athletics in 1971 & 1972. The end result of these brief trials consisted of appearances in 35 Major League games, 38 at bats, 3 hits, 1 home run and 6 total bases. Meanwhile, in the minors, Adrian had accumulated a total of 1,128 hits, 225 home runs, 779 rbi's and 2,081 total bases from 1961 through 1972. He also garnered 4 league Home Run titles and was named to 4 All-Star teams during this time.

[edit] 1973 - 1975: Time in the Windy City

In 1973, after being invited to spring training as a non-roster invitee of the Cubs, Adrian won a spot on the opening day roster as a pinch-hitter, outfielder and emergency catcher. He appeared in 36 games for Whitey Lockman and the Cubs in 1973; 24 as a pinch-hitter (where he hit .286 and slugged 1 of the Cubs 2 pinch-hit homers), 6 as a catcher and 6 in the outfield. In 1974, once again Adrian made the Cubs opening day roster. He appeared in 10 games for the Cubs and had no hits in 8 at bats. After being sent down to Triple-A Wichita Adrian proceeded to lead the American Association in homers with 26 round trippers in a mere 92 games and drove in 83 runs with only 89 hits.

Adrian began the 1975 season with the Chicago Cubs organization. It was in San Diego on Sunday, May 18 when he had a memorable game against Dave Winfield and the San Diego Padres. Adrian was playing first base and batting fifth in the lineup that day. The game was scoreless when Adrian came up to bat in the 6th inning. Rick Monday had walked and moved to second base when Champ Summers reached first on an error by Padres starting pitcher Dan Spillner. With two on and one out, Adrian came to the plate and promptly slammed a 3-run homer, driving in all of the Cubs runs in their 3 to 0 victory that afternoon.

[edit] 1975 - 1976: The Angels of Anaheim

On July 31, 1975, Adrian's contract was purchased by the California Angels. In California, Adrian was reunited with his old skipper from the Oakland A's, Hall of Famer Dick Williams. Williams immediately put Adrian into the lineup and the results were spectacular. Over his first seven games with the Angels, he batted .391, had an on base percentage of .440, a slugging percentage of .739, hit two home runs and drove in eight runs. For the entire month of August, 1975, his stats were solid once again. Appearing in 20 games, he batted .269 with 18 hits, two doubles, four home runs, twelve rbi's, 33 total bases, an on base percentage of .338, and a .493 slugging percentage.

1975 proved to be Adrian's best chance to play regularly in the big leagues. Playing in a total of 37 games for the Halos, Adrian hit a respectable .262 with 6 home runs and had a slugging percentage of .477. If he would have had enough at bats, he would have led the Angels in the following categories: Slugging Percentage (.477), On Base + Slugging (OPS) (.821), Home Run Frequency (17.8) and OPS+ (138). Projected over a full season, Garrett's statistics could have looked something like this: 28 home runs, 84 runs driven in, 52 extra base hits, 239 Total Bases, 66 Bases on Ball and 131 Strikeouts. All of these projected statistics, with the exception of Bases on Ball, would have led the Angels in 1975. The Bases on Ball total would have tied him for the team lead with Jerry Remy.

On September 6 in Anaheim, the Angels hosted George Brett and the Kansas City Royals for a double header. Game 2 saw Adrian batting clean up and being penciled in as the Designated Hitter. The Angels went down to defeat this particular afternoon 6 to 3, but not before Adrian did his best to lead the team to victory. His totals for game two: two for three at the plate, (including a double and a home run), a sacrifice fly, six total bases and he drove in all three of the Angels runs.

Another one of Adrian's highlights during the 1975 season occurred on September 22 at Anaheim Stadium against the Chicago White Sox. The match up started with Frank Tanana taking the mound for the Angels, and Jim Kaat starting for the White Sox. Smokey entered the scoreless game in the bottom of the 16th inning as a pinch hitter for Paul Dade. Facing 9-time All-Star reliever and Hall of Famer Goose Gossage, Garrett worked the count to 2 and 1 before hitting a 3 run walk off homer to win the game and drive in all of the runs for the Angels.

For the entire 1975 season, combining his time at AAA, the National League and the American League, Adrian hit a total of 19 home runs in a mere 340 at bats, a frequency of 1 home run every 17.9 at bats. His combined batting average was .288 and his slugging percentage was .538. His Isolated Power rating of .203 underlined his ability to hit for extra bases and drive in runs. Adrian drove in 24 runs (in the Major Leagues) with only 30 hits in 1975. After his brief, yet productive, stint with the Angels in 1975, he was called "the Angels' most explosive hitter" in the Angels 1976 media guide.

The 1976 Angels upgraded their offensive fire power by acquiring veterans Bobby Bonds and Bill Melton. This resulted in fewer opportunities for Adrian. In 1976, he appeared in 29 games for the Angels, spending time as a Pinch Hitter, at First Base, Designated Hitter and at Catcher. Catching for the Angels gave Adrian the opportunity to work with some outstanding pitchers including Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan and Frank Tanana.

[edit] 1977 - 1979: A Championship in the Land of the Rising Sun

After leaving the Major Leagues, Adrian played 3 seasons in Japan for the Hiroshima Carp (1977 through 1979). During his stay in Japan, once again his statistics were solid: 102 Home Runs, 247 rbi's, .260 batting average, .536 slugging percentage, .355 on base percentage, an OPS (On Base + Slugging Percentage) of .881, an Isolated Power rating of .276 and a round tripper every 12.8 at bats. One of Adrian's teammates in Japan was former major leaguer Jim Lyttle. In 1978, Adrian began the season on fire. In the month of April, he hit 15 home runs to tie the league record. He was then voted to the All Star game where he hit 3 home runs (the first player to ever do so) and was voted the games Most Valuable Player. Adrian finished the 1978 season with 40 home runs. In 1978, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp (led by Adrian, Jim Lyttle, Koji Yamamoto and Sachio Kinugasa), became the first Japanese team in history to hit 200 home runs in 1 season. These four players , who slugged over 1,600 home runs during their professional careers, formed the nucleus of the famous Akaheru Lineup, (literally meaning "Red Helmet" Lineup). In 1979, Adrian, Jim and the Carp defeated Charlie Manuel and the Kintetsu Buffaloes to win the 1979 Nippon Series.

[edit] 1982 to Present: Managing and Coaching

After retiring as a player, Adrian began a new career as a minor league manager. In his first post as manager of the Midwest League Appleton Foxes in 1982, the team won the Midwest League championship. Next it was on to the AA Glens Falls White Sox in 1983, and the Triple-A Denver Zephyrs in 1984. In 1985, Garrett served as Minor League Hitting Instructor for the Chicago White Sox organization. While with the White Sox organization, Adrian helped to develop the talents of Daryl Boston, Joel Skinner, Ron Karkovice, Russ Morman and Tim Hulett just to name a few future Major Leaguers. In 1987, he served as a coach for the Triple-A Omaha Royals, mentoring first-time manager and future Royals skipper John Wathan. Garrett joined the Kansas City Royals coaching staff in 1988 as their third base coach. He served as the team's hitting coach in 1991 and 1992. He also worked for the Florida Marlins as hitting coach at Triple-A Edmonton (1993-1994) and Triple-A Charlotte (1995-1998), under managers Sal Rende, Carlos Tosca and Fredi Gonzalez. Next he served as the hitting coordinator for the Marlins from 1999-2001. Cliff Floyd and Preston Wilson are just a couple of players that Garrett helped in their development during his time as hitting coordinator for the Marlins. In 2009, Adrian will begin his seventh season in the Cincinnati Reds organization, all as the hitting coach for the Triple-A Louisville Bats. Players who have benefited from Garrett's tutelage include: Jay Bruce, Chris Dickerson, Norris Hopper, Jeff Keppinger, Corey Patterson, Wily Mo Pena and Joey Votto (who was named the International League Rookie of the Year for 2007 and hit a home run for his first major league hit on September 5th, 2007).

Originally from Brooksville, FL, Adrian and his wife Linda now reside in Manchaca, TX during the off season.

[edit] Home Run Titles & More

[edit] Career Highlights

[edit] Family Ties

[edit] Little Known Facts

  • In junior high school (Sarasota, FL), Adrian was hand picked to be in a television commercial with none other than Ted Williams. His reward? An autographed bat, ball and glove.
  • Adrian won or tied for league 5 Home Run crowns in 4 different leagues: International League, Pacific Coast League, American Association and the Texas League.
  • While playing for Cedar Rapids in the Midwest League, Adrian spoiled Mike McCarthy's attempt at a No-Hitter when he singled to center with one out in the 9th.
  • While playing for San Antonio in the Texas League, Adrian spoiled Reggie Cleveland's attempt at a No-Hitter by getting the only hit Cleveland allowed.
  • Adrian made the Major League Opening Day rosters in the following years: 1966 (Braves), 1973 & 1974 (Cubs) and 1976 (Angels).
  • A versatile athlete, Adrian played the following positions in the Majors: Left Field, Right Field, Catcher, First Base and Designated Hitter.
  • Although his previous catching experience was limited to catching during batting practice for Oakland, Adrian made the 1973 Cubs roster as a emergency Catcher and Pinch Hitter.
  • The very first game that Adrian caught in his professional career was in the Major Leagues for the Chicago Cubs on July 5th, 1973 vs the Philadelphia Phillies.
  • During his tenure in Japan, Adrian caught 11 games for Hiroshima. It is extremely rare for a gaijin to be allowed to play the position of Catcher in Japan.
  • In his final major league game on July 11, 1976, Adrian's battery mate for the Angels was Nolan Ryan.
  • Hit well against these All-Star pitchers: Marty Pattin (.667), Catfish Hunter (.571), Goose Gossage (.500), Jim Lonborg (.500) and Steve Hargan (.400).
  • Homered off of these All-Star pitchers: Rich Gossage, Steve Hargan, Marty Pattin, Tom Seaver and Jim Slaton.
  • Originally signed as a shortstop, Adrian never played this position at any time during his professional career.
  • Adrian was given the nickname 'Smokey' when a teammate commented that he resembled Red Sox great 'Smoky' Joe Wood .
  • All three Garrett brothers were signed by Milwaukee Braves scout and former Major League manager Zack Taylor.
  • Adrian and Wayne won Nippon Series and World Series Rings respectively, making them possibly the only pair of brothers to win each of these championships.
  • Adrian is a member two Baseball Halls of Fame: the Tacoma (WA) Baseball Hall of Fame and the Appleton (WI) Baseball Hall of Fame.

[edit] Quotes

  • "I always thought I could help some club if given the opportunity." - Adrian, after getting his best opportunity to play regularly in the Majors for the 1975 California Angels.
  • "A .300 hitter has a 70% failure rate, so you don't want to beat them down further." - Adrian, sharing part of his philosophy as a hitting coach.
  • "If you had to say who you'd like your sons to grow up to be like, it'd be Adrian Garrett. That's the absolute highest compliment I can pay." - John Boles, former Florida Marlins Manager
  • "He's the kind of player every manager wants on his team." - Jim Marshall, former Chicago Cubs Manager

[edit] Sources

Sources include The Sporting News, Al Pepper's Mendoza's Heroes, At the Yard.com, Japanbaseballdaily.com, The Baseball Cube, Retrosheet.org, Dominican Baseball, The Minor League Register ed. by W. Lloyd Johnson, Baseball Guides, Paper of Record, Minor League Baseball Website, New York Times, 1973 & 1974 Chicago Cubs Media Guides and 1976 California Angels Media Guide, Tacoma Rainiers, The Post-Crescent, Marion Online, SABR Career statistics for Adrian Garrett

[edit] Related Sites

Retrieved from "http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Adrian_Garrett"
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