Kevin Graber (born June 23, 1969 in Albany, New York) is an American baseball coach and coordinator in the Chicago Cubs organization.[1] In 2023, he managed the Cubs' double A affiliate (Tennessee Smokies) to its first outright Southern League Championship in 45 years.[2]
Coaching Career
editPrior to joining the Cubs, Graber coached Phillips Academy Andover to five Central New England Prep Final Championships.[3] His 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022 teams ranked No. 1 in New England according to the New England Baseball Journal.[4] Graber was named Northeast Region Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) in 2018 and 2021 and New England Region Coach of the Year by the National High School Baseball Coaches Association (NHSBCA) in 2018 and 2022.[4]
Graber's emergence with the Cubs marked a return to the pro ranks, having guided the Southern Minnesota Stars of the Prairie League of Professional Baseball to its lone division championship, earning league Manager of the Year honors in 1997.[citation needed] He then managed the Adirondack Lumberjacks in the Northeast League of Professional Baseball.[citation needed] Graber segued to the college ranks shortly thereafter, and his career in collegiate athletics administration and coaching included stops at Lassen College (Susanville, Calif.); Riverland Community College (Austin, Minn.); the University of West Alabama (Livingston, Ala.); and Amherst College (Amherst, Mass.),[citation needed] where he coached alongside current Yale University head coach Brian Hamm.[5]
All the while, Graber spent summers coaching with the Bourne Braves of the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League, after managing the Saratoga Phillies of the New York Collegiate Baseball League and the Electric City Giants of the Mountains Collegiate Baseball League (MCBL), earning MCBL Coach of the Year honors along the way.[6]
He also coached a town team from Amherst, Massachusetts to an American Amateur Baseball Congress state championship in the 16-and-under Mickey Mantle Division in 2007.[7]
Playing Career
editAs a college player, Graber transferred from Division I Winthrop University to The College of Saint Rose in his hometown of Albany, New York, where he twice earned first-team all-conference and all-region honors and helped lead the Golden Knights to berth in the 1990 NAIA World Series. After rebounding from a life-threatening cancer diagnosis and ensuing treatments,[8] he managed to forge a playing career that included stops in Australia, Minnesota, and upstate New York,[9] batting .311 as a middle infielder for the Prairie League's Southern Minnesota Stars in his best professional season.[10]
Honors & Awards
editGraber was inducted into the Amsterdam Mohawks Hall of Fame in 2016, in recognition of a trio of all-star seasons (1988, 1989, and 1990) playing in the Northeastern Collegiate Baseball League.[11]
Education
editGraber earned a master's degree in education with a concentration in English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.[12]
References
edit- ^ "Cubs announce Minor League coordinators". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ Weinrib, Ben. "Cubs' Double-A affiliate wins first outright title in 45 years". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ "Phillips Academy Baseball Coach Kevin Graber Leaving For Chicago Cubs". Andover, MA Patch. October 10, 2022.
- ^ a b Guttenplan, Dan (October 6, 2022). "Kevin Graber leaving Phillips Andover for Cubs job".
- ^ McGuirk, John (September 16, 2020). "Prep baseball: Andover, Exeter, Avon Old Farms coaches salute mentors".
- ^ McGuirk, John (August 2, 2021). "Prep insider: Andover coach Kevin Graber explains Rock2Rail formula".
- ^ "Tennessee Smokies manager Kevin Graber's baseball journey wouldn't be complete without a three-year stint coaching the Amherst Mickey Mantle program". Daily Hampshire Gazette. August 23, 2023.
- ^ "A field of dreams fulfilled: Kevin Graber '92 makes it to Major League Baseball". strose.edu. The College of Saint Rose. 19 October 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ Shalin, Dan (10 October 2022). "Phillips Academy Baseball Coach Kevin Graber Leaving For Chicago Cubs". Patch. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ "Kevin Graber Independent League Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Baseball Reference. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ Mulford, Scott (1 February 2016). "Bobby Valentine speaks, four inducted at Amsterdam baseball hall of fame ceremony". Mohawk Valley Compass. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ Shine, Lori (1 March 2024). "Kevin Graber '09MEd. Makes it to the Big Leagues". The Magazine of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. No. Spring 2024. The University of Massachusetts Amherst. Retrieved 14 April 2024.