A Windsor native has returned to the big leagues, this time as a coach.
The St. Louis Cardinals announced Monday afternoon that they have promoted Stubby Clapp, manager of their top minor-league club in Memphis. He will be the Cardinals' new first-base coach, under manager Mike Schildt.
Clapp, 45, was born and raised in Windsor and played baseball and hockey in his youth. He played hockey for the former Windsor Bulldogs (now the LaSalle Vipers) as a teenager, helping them to a first-place finish in 1991. He was named a team captain the following season.
He was drafted by the Cardinals out of Texas Tech University in the 36th round of the 1996 MLB Draft, but spent most of his 11-season professional playing career in the St. Louis farm system. He did bat .200 in 23 games with the Cardinals in 2001, with one career run-batted-in.
After retiring as a player, he worked as a coach in the farm systems of the Houston Astros and the Toronto Blue Jays. In 2016, he was named manager of the Memphis Redbirds, the triple-A minor league club in the St. Louis system. He guided them to the 2017 Pacific Coast League championship and was named the league's manager of the year.
There had been speculation that Clapp was being considered for several managerial openings at the big-league level, including with the Jays.
Clapp had also played for Team Canada at the 2004 Athens Olympics and in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. He won a gold medal as a coach for Canada at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.
