Bob Kipper

From SoSH

Robert Wayne Kipper (born July 8, 1964 in Aurora, IL), was drafted by the California Angels in 1982. He spent 8 years in the majors with a record of 27-37 and has been a pitching coach in the Red Sox organization for two years. For the 2007 season, he is the pitching coach for the Lancaster JetHawks.

Contents 1 Overall Career 2 Moment in the Sun 3 Trivia 4 Quotes 5 Transactions 6 External Links

Overall Career

Kipper was drafted on June 7, 1982 by the California Angels. He made his debut on April 12, 1985 vs. OAK, pitching 0.66 innings with 2 walks and 4 earned runs. He was the sixth youngest player to appear in the American League that season.

On August 16, 1985 Kipper was sent by the California Angels to the Pittsburgh Pirates to complete an earlier deal made on August 2, 1985. The California Angels sent a player to be named later, Pat Clements, and Mike Brown to the Pittsburgh Pirates for John Candelaria, Al Holland, and George Hendrick. The Angels sent Kipper to the Pirates to complete the trade.

Kipper's best season statistically came in 1989 when he went 3-4 in 52 appearances with a 2.93 ERA. In his pitching career he went 27-37 in 271 games with an ERA of 4.43.

Kipper was named pitching coach of the Portland Sea Dogs in 2003 and the Greenville Drive in 2006. He began his pitching coach career with Evansville of the independent Frontier League in 1995. He arrived in Winnipeg a year later and promptly guided the Goldeyes pitching staff to the league's best earned run average. Winnipeg's ERA was among the NL's top three in each of Kipper's three years here, a tall order for a team playing in homer-friendly Winnipeg Stadium.

Kipper left the Goldeyes following the 1998 season headed for the Red Sox organization. He was to be the pitching coach for its Gulf Coast League affiliate in Fort Myers, but was promoted to Lowell of the New York-Penn (A) League just before opening day. After a year with the Spinners, he spent 2000 & 2001 with Augusta of the South Atlantic (A) League. The Greenjackets posted the second best ERA in 2000 and the best ERA the following year.

In 2002, Kipper was promoted to bullpen coach with the Red Sox.

Moment in the Sun

• On the Pirates, was a member of the 1990 National League East Division championship team
• Appeared in the third game of the 1991 NLCS

Trivia

• Valedictorian in high school.
• Lockered next to Barry Bonds for six years in Pittsburgh.
• Born with spondylitis (inflamation of the vertebrae).

Quotes

"Whether in high school or the major league, I always thought of my performance this way: I always threw with a purpose, and that was to win. Win, not just for myself, but for my team. Looking at it that way always helped me concentrate more and do better. Now I find myself telling this to the young pitchers I coach." - Bob Kipper

Transactions

• June 7, 1982: Drafted by the California Angels in the 1st round (8th pick) of the 1982 amateur draft.

• August 16, 1985: Sent by the California Angels to the Pittsburgh Pirates to complete an earlier deal made on August 2, 1985. The California Angels sent a player to be named later, Pat Clements, and Mike Brown to the Pittsburgh Pirates for John Candelaria, Al Holland, and George Hendrick. The California Angels sent Bob Kipper (August 16, 1985) to the Pittsburgh Pirates to complete the trade.

• October 28, 1991: Granted Free Agency.

• December 17, 1991: Signed as a Free Agent with the Minnesota Twins.

• July 31, 1992: Released by the Minnesota Twins.

External Links

• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis