| Jeff Datz | |
| Position: | Catcher |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Birth Date: | 28 November 1959 |
| Birth Place: | Camden, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Debutleague: | MLB |
| Debutdate: | September 5 |
| Debutyear: | 1989 |
| Debutteam: | Detroit Tigers |
| Finalleague: | MLB |
| Finaldate: | September 30 |
| Finalyear: | 1989 |
| Finalteam: | Detroit Tigers |
| Statleague: | MLB |
| Stat1label: | Batting average |
| Stat1value: | .200 |
| Stat2label: | Hits |
| Stat2value: | 2 |
| Stat3label: | Walks |
| Stat3value: | 1 |
| Teams: | As player
As coach |
Jeffrey William Datz (born November 28, 1959) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) catcher and coach who played for the Detroit Tigers in 1989, and who is currently a scout for the New York Yankees.
A native of Camden, New Jersey, Datz grew up in the Mullica Hill section of Harrison Township, New Jersey and graduated from Clearview Regional High School.[1] He attended Rowan University. In 1981, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Chatham A's of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[2] He was selected by the Houston Astros in the 19th round of the 1982 MLB Draft. He signed as a free agent with the Detroit Tigers prior to the 1989 season, and appeared in seven games for the team that year.
Datz was manager of the minor league Buffalo Bisons in 1998 and 1999. He led the Bisons to the league championship crown in 1998.
He was a coach with the Cleveland Indians from 2002 until the end of the 2009 season, when general manager Mark Shapiro fired the entire coaching staff. At the 2008 Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium, Datz pitched for Cleveland Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore.
Datz served as the bench coach for the Baltimore Orioles in 2010.
On November 4, 2010, Datz was hired to be third base coach for the Seattle Mariners starting with the 2011 season.[3] Before a Mariners game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on April 27, 2013, Datz announced that he was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer,[4] and Tacoma Rainiers manager Daren Brown was promoted to substitute for Datz.[5] On July 25, 2013, Datz was named Mariners interim bench coach after Eric Wedge suffered a minor stroke. On August 23, 2013, Datz resumed his position on the team as an extra coach.
On November 25, 2013, it was announced that Datz will serve the Mariners as a member of the club's professional scouting staff for the season.[6]
He then joined the New York Yankees, where he was listed as a professional scout for the season.[7] [8]