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WASHINGTON – The last season in the major leagues for Brian Daubach was the first year for the Nationals.
So while the Illinois native – who turns 50 today – didn’t play against Washington very much, Daubach has enjoyed a long tenure in player development with the Nationals.
He will return as the hitting coach for Triple-A Rochester for the 2022 season. The Red Wings’ manager will once again be Matt LeCroy, a former catcher for the Nationals and Twins.
Daubach was born on Feb. 11, 1972, in Belleville, Illinois.
He was drafted in 1990 in the 17th round out of high school by the New York Mets – but it took him eight years to make the majors.
The former first baseman and outfielder broke in with the then-Florida Marlins in 1998.
Daubach played for Boston from 1999 through 2003 and he hit between 20 and 22 homers each season. He appeared in the postseason for Boston in 1999.
The right-handed batter played for the White Sox in 2003 and was back in Boston for the 2004 season. He got a World Series ring for being part of the Red Sox in 2004.
In July of 2005, Daubach played in three games for the New York Mets at Nationals Park and was hitless in four at-bats.
In 30 at-bats against the Montreal/Washington franchise, he hit .242 in his career.
He hit 93 homers with an average of .259 in a career that spanned 661 games overall.
Daubach has been in Washington’s system in player development since 2010 when he was the manager of low Single-A Hagerstown in what was then the South Atlantic League.
He’s also managed Single-A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg during his tenure with the Nationals, which is among the longest stints of minor league uniform personnel in the system.
Daubach has worked with some of the top hitters to come up through the Washington system, including Bryce Harper.
The Nats’ front office praised the work Daubach did with Harper.
“He looks like the same old Harp,” Daubach told a newspaper in 2013 when the outfielder was on a rehab assignment under the manager at Potomac.
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