Brad Lynn Komminsk (born April 4, 1961), is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He attended Shawnee High School in Lima, Ohio, where he played basketball and baseball and was an all-state linebacker in football. He received athletic scholarship offers from Ohio State, Nebraska and Clemson.[1] On June 5, 1979, he was drafted by the Atlanta Braves with the fourth pick in the 1979 amateur draft and received a US$70,000 (equivalent to $294,000 in 2023) signing bonus.[2]
| Brad Komminsk | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: April 4, 1961 Lima, Ohio, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 14, 1983, for the Atlanta Braves | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 5, 1991, for the Oakland Athletics | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .218 |
| Home runs | 23 |
| Runs batted in | 105 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Komminsk was a highly regarded prospect in the Braves system. He appeared on the cover of Baseball America in 1981 and 1983, where he was described as a potential Triple Crown winner and as the best five-tool player in Minor League Baseball.[2] Hank Aaron described him as a "can't miss" prospect and compared him to future Hall of Famer Andre Dawson. Before ever reaching Major League Baseball (MLB), he was featured on ABC's Nightline and NBC's This Week in Baseball.[1] In 1984, the Braves went so far as to reject a trade offer from the Boston Red Sox which would have brought them future Hall of Famer Jim Rice in part because Boston asked for Komminsk in the deal.[3]
Despite a sterling record in the minor leagues, he never played well in the majors. Komminsk chalked it up to MLB coaches trying to change his mechanics so as "to be part of the Brad Komminsk project."[2] His Hall of Fame manager, Joe Torre, credited his failure to an asthma problem.[4] His Hall of Fame teammate and roommate Tom Glavine wrote that the pressure of high expectations may have hindered Komminsk to some extent.[5] In 2011, Baseball Prospectus included him in a list of the fifty most disappointing prospects of all time.[4] In 2015, Sporting News characterized Atlanta's selection of Komminsk over Andy Van Slyke as one of the five worst draft decisions in franchise history.[6]
Komminsk played parts of eight seasons in MLB. His best season came in 1989 with the Cleveland Indians. He only appeared in 100 or more games one time, a 106-game campaign with the Braves in 1985.[7] Komminsk spent a few seasons in the minors after his final MLB season in 1991, even playing professionally in Italy and for the independent Winnipeg Goldeyes of the Northern League.[2][8]
Since the end of his playing days, Komminsk has been a minor league coach and manager with several teams, including the Kinston Indians. He was also a hitting coach for the Norfolk Tides, the Class-AAA affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles.
References
edit- ^ a b Tucker, Tim (February 28, 1982). "The heat is on Brad Komminsk". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Newspapers.com. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Morris, Ron (December 22, 2017). "Where Are They Now?: Brad Komminsk". Baseball America. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- ^ "Candelaria Calls Peterson an 'Idiot'". The Washington Post. August 16, 1984. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- ^ a b Goldman, Steven (March 4, 2011). "The BP Broadside: The Most Disappointing Prospects of All Time, Part 3". Baseball Prospectus. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- ^ Cafardo, Nick; Glavine, Tom; Maddux, Greg (2016). Inside Pitch: Playing and Broadcasting the Game I Love. Triumph Books. ISBN 978-1-63319-459-5. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- ^ Fagan, Ryan (June 2, 2015). "Five worst MLB Draft misses for each franchise all-time". Sporting News. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
- ^ "Brad Komminsk Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- ^ "Brad Komminsk Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
External links
edit- Career statistics from Baseball Reference