John Shoemaker (born August 18, 1956) is an American former minor league baseball player who is currently manager of the Ontario Tower Buzzers.
Shoemaker attended Waverly High School and Miami University before he was drafted in the 35th round of the 1977 MLB draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was also drafted in the 6th round by the Chicago Bulls in the 1978 NBA draft. He played in the Dodgers minor league system, primarily as a second baseman, from 1977 to 1980, making it all the way up to AAA before retiring to become a coach after the 1981 season. Has been part of the Dodgers organization since 1977. The Dodgers named him "Captain of Player Development" in 2015 as recognition of his "continual demonstration of superior teammate behavior" according to the Dodgers head of player development, Gabe Kapler. At the end of the 2015 season, he was awarded with the Mike Coolbaugh Award presented by Minor League Baseball to the person "who has shown outstanding baseball work ethic, knowledge of the game and skill in mentoring young players on the field." He was also named to the Southern League Hall of Fame in 2016.
Coaching/Managing career
1981–1986: Batting Coach for the Vero Beach Dodgers 1987–1988: Manager of the Vero Beach Dodgers 1989–1991: Manager of the San Antonio Missions - Lost in championship game in 1990 1992: Manager of the Gulf Coast Dodgers 1993: Manager of the Yakima Bears 1995: Manager of the Great Falls Dodgers 1996: Manager of the Savannah Sand Gnats - Won South Atlantic League Championship - AMF 1997–1998: Manager of the Vero Beach Dodgers 2000: Manager of the Vero Beach Dodgers 2001: Manager of the Jacksonville Suns - Won League Championship & Southern League Manager of the Year Award 2002: Minor League Defensive Instructor for the Los Angeles Dodgers 2003: Manager of the Las Vegas 51s 2004: Assistant Field Coordinator for the Los Angeles Dodgers 2005–2008: Manager of the Jacksonville Suns - Won League Championship in 2005 2009–2010: coordinator of the Los Angeles Dodgers training complex in Glendale, Arizona 2011–2012: Manager of the Great Lakes Loons 2013: coordinator of Arizona Instruction - Los Angeles Dodgers 2014: Manager of the Arizona League Dodgers 2015: Manager of the Ogden Raptors 2016–2017: Manager of the Arizona League Dodgers 2018–2020: Manager of the Great Lakes Loons 2021–2025: Manager of the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 2026–present: Manager of the Ontario Tower Buzzers 2026: Manager of the Glendale Desert Dogs
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