Bradley David Ausmus (; born April 14, 1969) is an American former professional baseball player, manager and current coach. He is the bench coach for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). In his 18-year MLB playing career, Ausmus played as a catcher for the San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, and Los Angeles Dodgers. He also managed the Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, and Israeli national baseball team. He also was a coach for the Oakland Athletics.
A 1987 draft pick of the Yankees, Ausmus chose to alternate between attending Dartmouth College and playing minor league baseball. Ausmus then had an 18-year major league playing career with the Padres, Tigers, Astros, and Dodgers. During his playing days he was an All Star in 1999, a three-time Gold Glove Award winner (2001, 2002, and 2006), and won the 2007 Darryl Kile Award "for integrity and courage". A five-time league-leader at catcher in fielding percentage, Ausmus led the league twice each in range factor and in percentage caught stealing, and once each in putouts and assists.
Ausmus finished his playing career in 2010 ranked third in major league history with 12,839 putouts as a catcher (trailing only Iván Rodríguez and Jason Kendall), seventh in games caught with 1,938, and 10th in both range factor/game (7.12) and fielding percentage (.994). He also ranked first all-time among all Jewish major leaguers in career games played (1,971), fifth in hits (1,579), and tenth in runs batted in (607) . He was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
Ausmus worked in the Padres' front office as a special assistant from 2010 to 2013. In November 2013, Ausmus became the 38th manager in the history of the Detroit Tigers, succeeding Jim Leyland, a position he held for four years. In October 2018, he was named the 17th manager in the history of the Los Angeles Angels, but was dismissed after one season in September 2019. In January 2022, he was named the bench coach of the Oakland Athletics. Ausmus was a coach for Team Israel, under manager Ian Kinsler, when it competed in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He joined the Yankees as their bench coach after the 2023 season.
Early life Ausmus is Jewish, and was born in New Haven, Connecticut. His mother, Linda Susan (née Dronsick), was Jewish, and his father, Harry Jack Ausmus, was Protestant. His father is a retired professor of European history at Southern Connecticut State University, and the author of A Schopenhauerian Critique of Nietzsche's Thought, which Ausmus calls his "favorite book."
Ausmus' mother was raised in a Jewish household, and he said in an interview that those values were instilled in him. He takes pride in his heritage. Ausmus stated in an interview with the Jewish Journal: "I wasn't raised with the Jewish religion, so in that sense I don't really have much feeling toward it. But, however, in the last 10 or so years, I have had quite a few young Jewish boys who will tell me that I am their favorite player or they love watching me play or they feel like baseball is a good fit... I'm all for it."Brad A. Greenberg (May 22, 2009). "Brad Ausmus: the new Jew in Dodger Blue" , Jewish Journal.
High school Ausmus was a star in baseball at Cheshire High School; as a freshman he was a teammate of National Hockey League defenseman Brian Leetch, who was then a pitcher on the school's Connecticut state championship team in 1984. As a sophomore Ausmus played shortstop and batted .327. As a junior (when his coach moved him to catcher) he hit .436, and as a senior he hit .411 and was named the Cheshire Area High School Player of the Year. He was named to the All-State team both his junior and senior years.
Ausmus was also a standout athlete in high school as a basketball guard.
Academically, Ausmus scored a 1220 on his SAT exam.
Draft and college The New York Yankees selected Ausmus in the 48th round of the 1987 Major League Baseball draft. He declined to sign with the Yankees so that he could attend Dartmouth College, until the Yankees allowed him to attend classes during the baseball offseason. (Dartmouth has a quartered academic calendar, which allowed Ausmus some flexibility.) Given NCAA rules barring paid professional athletes from playing college sports, Ausmus could not play for the Dartmouth Big Green, and instead served the team as a volunteer coach and bullpen catcher.
Ausmus graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in government, and was a member of Chi Gamma Epsilon fraternity and the Sphinx Senior Society. While at Dartmouth, the lowest grade Ausmus received was a B. College graduates are uncommon in major league baseball, with only 26 players and managers with four-year degrees in 2009. In 2005, Ausmus became the first Ivy League catcher to play in the World Series since Dartmouth's Chief Meyers in 1916. Ausmus was also one of six Ivy Leaguers on major league rosters at the beginning of the 2009 season. In 2010, The Sporting News named him the ninth-smartest athlete in sports.
Though Ausmus was not drafted until the 48th round of the 1987 draft, he played in MLB longer than any of the 1,150 players drafted ahead of him did.
Playing career Minor leagues (1988–93) Ausmus spent five years in the Yankees' minor league system with the Gulf Coast Yankees (1988), Oneonta Yankees (1988–89), Prince William Cannons (1990–91), Albany-Colonie Yankees (1991–92), and Columbus Clippers (1992). He was subsequently selected by the Colorado Rockies with the 54th pick of the 1992 MLB expansion draft. He played for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox in 1993.
San Diego Padres (1993–96) The Rockies traded Ausmus with Andy Ashby and Doug Bochtler to the San Diego Padres for Bruce Hurst and Greg Harris in July 1993. He made his major league debut two days later, when he started for the Padres against the Chicago Cubs, and had a single in three at bats. In 1995 Ausmus batted .293, a career best, and stole 16 bases (the most by any catcher since Craig Biggio stole 19 in 1991).
In June 1996, after 149 at bats in which he batted just .181, the Padres traded Ausmus, Andújar Cedeño, and minor leaguer Russ Spear to the Detroit Tigers for John Flaherty and Chris Gomez.
Ausmus ranks in the top 7 among catchers in Padres history in games played, hits, runs, and stolen bases.
Detroit Tigers (1996) Ausmus batted .248 for the Tigers in 1996.
In December 1996, the Tigers traded Ausmus to the Houston Astros along with José Lima, Trever Miller, C. J. Nitkowski, and Daryle Ward for Doug Brocail, Brian Hunter, Todd Jones, Orlando Miller, and cash.
Houston Astros (1997–98) In January 1999, the Astros traded Ausmus an Nitkowski to the Tigers for Paul Bako, Dean Crow, Brian Powell, and minor leaguers Carlos Villalobos and Mark Persails.
Detroit Tigers (1999–2000) Generally considered light-hitting but sure-handed, Ausmus had his best offensive season in 1999 at the age of 30, when he batted .275 and set career highs in on-base percentage (.365) and slugging percentage (.415), and made the All-Star team. He was hit by pitches 14 times, sixth in the league and a career high. Ausmus batted leadoff for the Tigers seven times, the first catcher since Bruce Kimm in 1976 to do so.
Houston Astros (2001–08) In December 2000, the Tigers traded Ausmus, Doug Brocail, and Nelson Cruz to the Houston Astros for Roger Cedeño, Chris Holt, and Mitch Meluskey.
In November 2003, he re-signed as a free agent with the Astros. In 2004, he batted .308 against left-handers, and .364 in situations that were "late and close" (in the seventh inning or later, with the score tied or the tying run on base, at the plate, or on deck). In 2005, he had more walks (51) than strikeouts (48). He batted .304 with two out and runners in scoring position. He resigned with the Astros in December 2005.
In 2006, Ausmus hit .230 and set a career high with nine sacrifice hits. In Game 4 of the 2005 National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves, Ausmus homered with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game at 6–6 and send it to extra innings; the Astros went on to win in the 18th inning, in what was the longest postseason game in history. Ausmus caught 15 innings, and played 3 innings at first base.
In 2007, Ausmus batted .235, but was tied for second among all National League catchers with six stolen bases. He recorded his 100th career stolen base on July 27, becoming the 21st catcher all time to record that many steals.
Ausmus, lauded for his baseball smarts and highly regarded by teammates, was widely considered managerial material once his playing career ended.
Ausmus won the 2007 Darryl Kile Award "for integrity and courage", presented annually by local chapters of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) to players on the Astros and St. Louis Cardinals.SportsJustice: Scrapiron speaks. I listen. Ausmus is funny. . Houston Chronicle, January 27, 2007, Retrieved July 23, 2008."Darryl Kile Award" , Baseball Almanac, Retrieved July 23, 2008. In October 2007, Ausmus accepted a one-year, $2 million (plus incentives based on playing time) contract. The Astros planned for Ausmus to play on a part-time basis and mentor J. R. Towles, who would catch the majority of the games. Were Towles to struggle, however, the Astros were prepared to turn to Ausmus.
In May 2008, Ausmus (along with Johnny Damon, Andruw Jones, and Derek Lowe) was one of only four active major league players who had played at least 10 years in the majors without ever going on the disabled list.
On May 13, 2008, Ausmus got his 1,500th career hit. He was one of only eight catchers in major league history to get 1,500 hits and steal at least 100 bases.
In early June, with Towles batting only .145, the Astros optioned him to the minors and re-inserted Ausmus as a starter. Towles was replaced by journeyman minor-leaguer Humberto Quintero. Towles eventually came back, but during the season Ausmus, at 39, made more starts behind the plate (61) than either Towles or Quintero.
In July, Ausmus played at Nationals Park, appearing in his 44th major league stadium. Among active players, only Chris Gomez (47), Gary Sheffield (47), and Ken Griffey Jr. (45) had competed in more stadiums.
In August, he scored his 700th career run, becoming the 25th catcher to reach that mark.
Later in the month Ausmus said: "This will be my last year in Houston. It's just time to be closer to home." He has a home in San Diego, which narrowed it down to the Padres (which had expressed interest in him), Dodgers, and Angels. The Red Sox were also tempting, since Ausmus had a home near Boston, in Cape Cod.
On Sunday, August 24, the Astros played the New York Mets during the Mets International Heritage Week, an annual promotion. It happened to be Jewish Heritage Day, but though Ausmus is Jewish, he did not get to start the game. He had his only at bat during extra-innings, with the score tied at 4–4. Ausmus led off the 10th inning with his second homer of the season, and the Astros rallied for a 6–4 win.
Ausmus is Houston's all-time leader for catchers with 1,259 games, 970 hits, 396 walks, and 415 runs.
Los Angeles Dodgers (2009–10) On January 26, 2009, Ausmus agreed to a 1-year, $1 million deal (plus incentives) to be a back-up catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"There's no question he can be a manager", Joe Torre said. "He's a smart cookie, everybody knows that, and he has an engaging personality.""Astute Ausmus Frames Future In Baseball", The Hartford Courant, , July 12, 2009, accessed July 15, 2009 At the end of the season Torre had Ausmus manage the Dodgers for a game.Padilla, Doug. "Dodgers catcher Ausmus is manager for a day" LA Daily News, October 5, 2009, accessed October 6, 2009