Rick Dempsey

2025-09-14T07:53:56Z

2601:154:C000:4CF0:4044:164E:58FF:E70D: /* Career statistics */ Fixed, from 29 to 31 players who have played in 4 decades and linked to MLB.coms article on it.

{{short description|American baseball player (born 1949)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Rick Dempsey
|image=Rick Dempsey 1984 Opening Day (cropped).jpg
|caption=Dempsey with the [[Baltimore Orioles]] in 1984
|position=[[Catcher]]
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{birth date and age|1949|9|13}}
|birth_place=[[Fayetteville, Tennessee]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=September 23
|debutyear=1969
|debutteam=Minnesota Twins
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=September 27
|finalyear=1992
|finalteam=Baltimore Orioles
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.233
|stat2label=[[Home run]]s
|stat2value=96
|stat3label=[[Runs batted in]]
|stat3value=471
|teams=
* [[Minnesota Twins]] ({{mlby|1969}}–{{mlby|1972}})
* [[New York Yankees]] ({{mlby|1973}}–{{mlby|1976}})
* [[Baltimore Orioles]] ({{mlby|1976}}–{{mlby|1986}})
* [[Cleveland Indians]] ({{mlby|1987}})
* [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] ({{mlby|1988}}–{{mlby|1990}})
* [[Milwaukee Brewers]] ({{mlby|1991}})
* [[Baltimore Orioles]] ({{mlby|1992}})
|highlights=
* 2× [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1983}}, {{wsy|1988}})
* [[World Series MVP]] (1983)
* [[Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame]]
}}
'''John Rikard Dempsey''' (born September 13, 1949) is an American former professional [[baseball]] player.<ref name="Rick Dempsey at Baseball Reference">[https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/dempsri01.shtml#batting_postseason Rick Dempsey] at Baseball Reference</ref> He played for 24 seasons as a [[catcher]] in [[Major League Baseball]] from {{Baseball year|1969}} to {{Baseball year|1992}}, most prominently for the [[Baltimore Orioles]] where he played for 10 years and was a member of the [[1983 World Series]] winning team.<ref name="Rick Dempsey at Baseball Reference"/> Dempsey was known for being one of the best defensive catchers of his era.<ref name="For Catchers, The Name of the Game is Defense">[https://books.google.com/books?id=9S0DAAAAMBAJ&dq=baseball+digest+defensive+catchers&pg=PA26 "For Catchers, The Name of the Game is Defense"], by George Vass, ''[[Baseball Digest]]'', May 2005, Vol. 64, No. 3, ISSN 0005-609X</ref> In 1997, he was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mlb.com/orioles/history/orioles-hall-of-fame |title=Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame at MLB.com |work=mlb.com |access-date=1 December 2019 }}</ref>

==Early career==
Dempsey was selected by the [[Minnesota Twins]] in the 15th round of the [[1967 Major League Baseball draft]] out of [[Crespi Carmelite High School]].<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/la-sp-col1-dodgers-dempsey-2019-story.html Orfalea, Gregory. "Rick Dempsey found success in baseball, but his boyhood friend and teammate struggled," ''Los Angeles Times'', Wednesday, October 9, 2019.] Retrieved November 1, 2019</ref> He spent two seasons in the [[Minor League Baseball|minor leagues]].

==Major league career==
[[File:NY1973H46.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Game-worn home jersey for Dempsey from 1973]]
Dempsey made his major league debut late in the [[1969 Minnesota Twins season|1969]] season for the division winning Twins managed by [[Billy Martin]], however he didn't qualify for the postseason roster.<ref name="Rick Dempsey at Baseball Reference"/> Dempsey spent a few more seasons shuttling between the Twins and their minor league teams, before being traded to the [[New York Yankees]] for [[Danny Walton]] on October 31, 1972.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19721031&id=6U0aAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uCgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2292,7829841&hl=en "Twins Obtain Danny Walton"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200124203841/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19721031&id=6U0aAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uCgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2292,7829841&hl=en |date=2020-01-24 }} ''The Milwaukee Journal'', Tuesday, October 31, 1972</ref>

During his tenure with the Yankees, he served as a reserve catcher to [[Thurman Munson]], and received tutoring from Yankees coach and former catching standout [[Jim Hegan]].<ref name="For Catchers, The Name of the Game is Defense" /> He was involved in a fight with teammate [[Bill Sudakis]] in the [[Lobby (room)|lobby]] of [[The Pfister Hotel]] while the ballclub was checking in on September 29, 1974. It was the culmination of an unpleasant [[conversation]] between the two players on a one-hour flight which was delayed for three hours at [[Cleveland Hopkins International Airport]]. The [[1974 New York Yankees season|Yankees]] had swept a four-game series from the [[1974 Cleveland Indians season|Indians]] and were still in contention for the [[American League East]] title with two games remaining in the regular season.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1974/09/30/archives/2-yankees-in-fight-in-milwaukee.html "2 Yankees in Fight in Milwaukee," ''The New York Times'', Monday, September 30, 1974.] Retrieved July 9, 2023.</ref>

After three and a half seasons with the Yankees, the [[Baltimore Orioles]] acquired Dempsey along with [[Scott McGregor (left-handed pitcher)|Scott McGregor]], [[Tippy Martinez]], [[Rudy May]], and [[Dave Pagan]] for [[Ken Holtzman]], [[Doyle Alexander]], [[Elrod Hendricks]], [[Grant Jackson (baseball)|Grant Jackson]], and [[Jimmy Freeman]] at the [[trade deadline]] on 15 June 1976. He, McGregor and Martinez became part of a nucleus that enabled the Orioles to continue as perennial contenders for the next decade.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/15/sports/murray-chass-baseball-players-swap-memories-yankees-orioles-10-player-trade.html?pagewanted=all&mcubz=2 Chass, Murray. "Players Swap Memories of Yankees-Orioles 10-Player Trade", ''The New York Times'', Sunday 15 June 1986.] Retrieved 24 December 2022.</ref>

For the next ten and a half seasons, Dempsey was the Orioles' starting catcher.<ref name="Rick Dempsey Looks Back on his 24 Seasons as a Big League Catcher">[https://books.google.com/books?id=2y0DAAAAMBAJ&dq=baseball+digest+may+2006&pg=PA76 "Rick Dempsey Looks Back on his 24 Seasons as a Big League Catcher"], by Ed Lucas and Paul Post, ''Baseball Digest'' May 2006, Vol. 65, No. 3, ISSN 0005-609X</ref> He became known for his exceptional ability to handle pitching staffs, his strong throwing arm, and for his agility behind [[home plate]].<ref name="For Catchers, The Name of the Game is Defense"/> In [[1979 Baltimore Orioles season|1979]], the Orioles defeated the [[1979 California Angels season|California Angels]] in the [[1979 American League Championship Series]] to reach the World Series.<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1979_ALCS.shtml 1979 American League Championship Series at Baseball Reference]</ref> In the [[1979 World Series]], the Orioles won three of the first four games against the [[1979 Pittsburgh Pirates season|Pittsburgh Pirates]] and seemed to be on the verge of winning the championship, when the Pirates, led by [[Willie Stargell]], rebounded to win the final three games.<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1979_WS.shtml 1979 World Series at Baseball Reference]</ref> It was one of Dempsey's greatest disappointments of his playing career.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=vzQDAAAAMBAJ&dq=rick+dempsey+baseball+digest&pg=PA71 "The Game I'll Never Forget"], by Rick Dempsey, ''Baseball Digest'', November 1987, Vol. 46, No. 11, ISSN 0005-609X</ref>

In [[1983 Baltimore Orioles season|1983]], the Orioles won the [[American League East|American League Eastern Division]] pennant, then defeated the [[1983 Chicago White Sox season|Chicago White Sox]] in the [[1983 American League Championship Series]], before winning the [[1983 World Series]] against the [[1983 Philadelphia Phillies season|Philadelphia Phillies]].<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1983_ALCS.shtml 1983 American League Championship Series] at Baseball Reference</ref><ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1983_WS.shtml 1983 World Series at Baseball Reference]</ref> Dempsey posted a .385 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] along with a .923 [[slugging percentage]] in the five-game series, and won the [[World Series Most Valuable Player Award]], one of six catchers to have won the award.<ref name="Rick Dempsey Looks Back on his 24 Seasons as a Big League Catcher"/><ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/dempsri01.shtml#batting_postseason Rick Dempsey post-season batting statistics] at Baseball Reference</ref><ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/postmvp.shtml Post-season Awards] at Baseball Reference</ref><ref name="si_1983">{{cite magazine|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1121400/index.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026135946/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1121400/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 26, 2012|title=He Was Moe Than Philly Could Handle|last=Fimrite|first=Ron|date=October 24, 1983|magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]]|access-date=12 May 2010}}</ref>

In [[1987 Cleveland Indians season|1987]], Dempsey became a free agent and signed a contract to play for the Cleveland Indians.<ref name="Rick Dempsey Trades and Transactions at Baseball Almanac">[http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/trades.php?p=dempsri01 Rick Dempsey Trades and Transactions] at Baseball Almanac</ref> After only one season with the Indians, he became a free agent once again and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he would be a member of another [[1988 World Series|World Series]]-winning team in [[1988 Los Angeles Dodgers season|1988]], this time as a backup catcher to [[Mike Scioscia]].<ref name="Rick Dempsey at Baseball Reference"/> When Scioscia was injured during Game 4 of the World Series, Dempsey took over behind the plate for the remainder of the Series, collecting an RBI double in Game 5. While playing for the Dodgers in [[1990 Los Angeles Dodgers season|1990]], he became involved in a brawl with Phillies' center fielder [[Lenny Dykstra]], who took exception to Dempsey's "buttering up" the home plate umpire. Anticipating something happening when Dysktra came closer to him, Dempsey promptly punched him with his catcher's glove. He was suspended for one game.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dempsey Disciplined |agency=Associated Press |work=The Day |page=4 |date=22 August 1990 |access-date=12 April 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rEJHAAAAIBAJ&pg=5352,4320425&dq=rick+dempsey&hl=en}}</ref> After three seasons with the Dodgers, he played one season with the [[1991 Milwaukee Brewers season|Milwaukee Brewers]], before returning to the Baltimore Orioles for his final season in [[1992 Baltimore Orioles season|1992]].<ref name="Rick Dempsey Trades and Transactions at Baseball Almanac"/>

His sense of humor during his playing career was renowned, and he was famous for his "rain delay theatre" performances, in which he emerged from the [[dugout (baseball)|dugout]] in stockinged feet onto the tarpaulin covering the [[Baseball field|infield]] during a rain delay and pantomimed hitting an [[inside-the-park home run]], climaxed by his sliding into home plate on his belly on the wet tarp, all to the raucous delight of the soggy fans.<ref name="Rick Dempsey Looks Back on his 24 Seasons as a Big League Catcher"/> He sometimes did this while wearing a pair of underpants over his uniform, making fun of teammate [[Jim Palmer]]'s famous advertisements for Jockey brand briefs.

==Career statistics==
In a 24-year career, Dempsey played in 1,765 [[Games played|games]], accumulating 1,093 [[Hit (baseball)|hits]] in 4,692 [[at bats]] for a .233 career batting average along with 96 [[home run]]s and 471 [[runs batted in]].<ref name="Rick Dempsey at Baseball Reference"/> He ended his career with a .988 [[fielding percentage]].<ref name="Rick Dempsey at Baseball Reference"/> Dempsey led American League catchers twice in fielding percentage, twice in baserunners [[caught stealing]] and once in [[Assist (baseball)|assists]].<ref name="Rick Dempsey at Baseball Reference"/> He played more games as a catcher than any other player in Orioles history (1230).<ref>[http://members.tripod.com/bb_catchers/catchers/mostgame.htm Most Games Caught For Team] at ''The Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers''</ref> During his career, Dempsey caught ten different 20-game winning [[pitcher]]s.<ref name="Rick Dempsey Looks Back on his 24 Seasons as a Big League Catcher"/> He was a durable player, only going on the [[disabled list]] twice in his career.<ref name="Rick Dempsey: His Career Survives Fires of Combat">[https://books.google.com/books?id=kSsDAAAAMBAJ&dq=rick+dempsey+baseball+digest&pg=PA54 "Rick Dempsey: His Career Survives Fires of Combat"], by [[Wayne Coffey (journalist)|Wayne Coffey]], ''Baseball Digest'', February 1998, Vol. 57, No. 2, ISSN 0005-609X</ref> Dempsey fared well offensively in postseason play. In 14 World Series and 11 playoff games, he batted .303 (20-for-66) with 11 [[run (baseball)|runs]], 11 [[double (baseball)|doubles]], 1 [[home run]], 7 [[Run batted in|RBI]]s, 1 [[stolen base]] and 7 [[bases on balls]].<ref name="Rick Dempsey at Baseball Reference" />

While he was a light-hitting player, Dempsey's lengthy major league career was due in part to his excellent defensive skills, despite the fact that he never won a [[Gold Glove]].<ref name="For Catchers, The Name of the Game is Defense"/> He usually did not make a large contribution offensively. During his season with the Brewers, Dempsey made two [[relief pitching]] appearances, giving up three hits and one run in two innings pitched.<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/dempsri01.shtml#pitching_simple Rick Dempsey Pitching statistics] at Baseball Reference</ref> Dempsey also won a [[Little League World Series]] in 1963 with the team from Canoga Park-Woodland Hills, California.<ref name="Rick Dempsey: His Career Survives Fires of Combat"/> He is the uncle of former major league catcher [[Gregg Zaun]].<ref name="Rick Dempsey at Baseball Reference"/> Dempsey is one of only 31 players to play in four different calendar decades.<ref>https://www.mlb.com/news/four-decade-players-c300996490</ref>

==Coaching and broadcasting career==
After his playing career ended, Dempsey became a minor league [[Manager (baseball)|manager]] in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, winning the 1994 [[Pacific Coast League]] [[List of Pacific Coast League champions|championship]] with the [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]] [[Albuquerque Dukes]].<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=dempse002joh#standard_managing Rick Dempsey minor league manager record] at Baseball Reference</ref> He then joined the New York Mets organisation, managing the [[Norfolk Tides]] in 1997 and 1998. Dempsey also served as first base [[Coach (baseball)|coach]] for the Orioles for several seasons, first as a third base coach in the {{baseball year|2005}} season after bench coach [[Sam Perlozzo]] was promoted to interim manager. He assumed the [[bullpen]] coach position in the {{baseball year|2006}} season, replacing [[Elrod Hendricks]] who the team intended to reassign to another position in the organization before his death. Later in 2006, he became the first base coach again when the team reassigned [[Dave Cash (baseball)|Dave Cash]].

Dempsey has been a candidate for managerial openings with the Orioles in the past, as recently as {{baseball year|2003}} when the Orioles interviewed him for the spot that eventually went to [[Lee Mazzilli]]. He was mentioned again as a possible candidate for the Baltimore manager's job in 2010, after the firing of [[Dave Trembley]].

Dempsey also served as an Oriole [[color commentator]] in 2000 and began another stint in 2007, as the studio analyst for '''O's Xtra''' on [[MASN]], the cable channel that carries Orioles games. In addition, he serves as a game analyst for occasional games on MASN. In 1985, [[Dick Enberg]] was in [[Exhibition Stadium|Toronto]] for Games 1 and 7 of the [[1985 American League Championship Series|1985 ALCS]] on [[Major League Baseball on NBC|NBC]]. Enberg hosted the [[Major League Baseball: An Inside Look|pregame show]] alongside Dempsey (who was still active with [[1985 Baltimore Orioles season|Baltimore]] at the time). In 1995, Dempsey worked as a field reporter for [[Major League Baseball on ABC|ABC]]'s coverage of the [[1995 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Game]] from [[Rangers Ballpark in Arlington|Texas]].{{cn|date=April 2023}} Dempsey was among those laid off by MASN in 2021.<ref name="p770">{{cite web | last=Trezza | first=Joe | title=MASN makes changes to Orioles broadcast team | website=MLB.com | date=2021-01-25 | url=https://www.mlb.com/news/masn-makes-changes-to-orioles-broadcast-team | access-date=2025-02-01}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Baseball}}
*[[List of Major League Baseball players who played in four decades]]
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Rick Dempsey}}
*{{baseballstats|mlb=113264|espn=86|br=d/dempsri01|fangraphs=1003203|brm=dempse002joh|retro=D/Pdempr001}}
*{{SABR Baseball Biography Project|c2d6fdd7}}
*[https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=dempsri01 Rick Dempsey] at Baseball Almanac

{{s-start-collapsible|header={{s-sports}}}}
{{Succession box| title=[[Bakersfield Dodgers|Bakersfield Dodgers Manager]] | before=Tom Beyers | years=1993 | after= [[John Shelby]]}}
{{Succession box| title=[[Albuquerque Dukes|Albuquerque Dukes Manager]] | before=Bill Russell | years=1994–1995 | after= [[Phil Regan (baseball)|Phil Regan]]}}
{{Succession box| title=[[Norfolk Tides|Norfolk Tides Manager]] | before=[[Bruce Benedict]] | years=1997–1998 | after= [[John Gibbons]]}}
{{Succession box| title=[[Los Angeles Dodgers|Los Angeles Dodgers Bullpen Coach]] | before=[[Glenn Hoffman]] | years=1999–2000 | after= [[Jim Lett]]}}
{{Succession box| title=[[Baltimore Orioles|Baltimore Orioles First Base Coach]] | before=[[Eddie Murray]] | years=2002–2005 | after= [[Dave Cash (baseball)|Dave Cash]]}}
{{Succession box| title=[[Baltimore Orioles|Baltimore Orioles Third Base Coach]] | before=[[Tom Trebelhorn]] | years=2005 | after= [[Tom Trebelhorn]]}}
{{Succession box| title=[[Baltimore Orioles|Baltimore Orioles Bullpen Coach]] | before=[[Elrod Hendricks]] | years=2006 | after= [[Larry McCall]]}}
{{Succession box| title=[[Baltimore Orioles|Baltimore Orioles First Base Coach]] | before=[[Dave Cash (baseball)|Dave Cash]] | years=2006 | after= [[Sam Mejías]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{1983 Baltimore Orioles}}
{{1988 Los Angeles Dodgers}}
{{World Series MVPs}}
{{Babe Ruth Award}}
{{Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame}}
{{Major League Baseball on ABC}}
{{Major League Baseball on NBC}}
{{The Baseball Network}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dempsey, Rick}}
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Auburn Twins players]]
[[Category:Baltimore Orioles announcers]]
[[Category:Baltimore Orioles coaches]]
[[Category:Baltimore Orioles players]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Tennessee]]
[[Category:Charlotte Hornets (baseball) players]]
[[Category:Cleveland Indians players]]
[[Category:Florida Instructional League Twins players]]
[[Category:Gulf Coast Twins players]]
[[Category:Leones del Caracas players]]
[[Category:American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Dodgers coaches]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Dodgers players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball bullpen coaches]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball catchers]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball first base coaches]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball third base coaches]]
[[Category:World Series Most Valuable Player Award winners]]
[[Category:Mid-Atlantic Sports Network]]
[[Category:Milwaukee Brewers players]]
[[Category:Minnesota Twins players]]
[[Category:New York Yankees players]]
[[Category:Norfolk Tides managers]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Fayetteville, Tennessee]]
[[Category:Syracuse Chiefs players]]
[[Category:Tacoma Twins players]]
[[Category:Tigres de Aragua players]]
[[Category:Wisconsin Rapids Twins players]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]

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Rick Dempsey