Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of meeting longtime Dodgers minor league manager John Shoemaker has had the pleasure of meeting the nicest guy on the planet. As such, it should come as a surprise to no one that contrary to popular belief (and Leo Durocher), nice guys do finish first.

On Tuesday afternoon it was announced that “Shoe” (as he is affectionately known by everyone) was named the recipient of the prestigious Mike Coolbaugh Award, which will be presented to him at the MLB Winter Meetings on Sunday, December 6 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

John Shoemaker has had a huge influence on professional baseball players for three decades.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

“With numerous qualified instructors eligible for this award, I feel extremely fortunate to be the recipient of this year’s Mike Coolbaugh Award,” said Shoemaker, who led the Dodgers Pioneer Rookie League affiliate Ogden Raptors to a 43-33 mark this past season – his 22nd as a minor league manager in the Dodgers organization. “Past, present and future winners of this award have the distinct privilege on honoring the legacy of Mike Coolbaugh, who throughout his career displayed passion, determination and perseverance, all valuable traits for a professional athlete. I am grateful to Pat O’Conner, Minor League Baseball, the entire Los Angeles Dodgers organization and most importantly, the Coolbaugh family for recognizing me with this award.”

The Mike Coolbaugh Award is presented annually to an individual who has shown outstanding baseball work ethic, knowledge of the game and skill in mentoring young players on the field. Coolbaugh spent nearly 20 seasons in the minor league as both a player and coach. He died on July 22, 2007 after being struck in the head by a line drive while coaching first base for the Tulsa Driller – then the Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies and currently the Dodgers Double-A affiliate. As a result of this tragic accident, MLB imposed a rule requiring that all base coaches must wear a helmet during play.

“Each year, we recognize one individual who exemplifies the principles and values that Mike represented both on and off the playing field, and John is certainly deserving of this recognition,” said Minor League Baseball president and CEO Pat O’Conner. “I am honored that we are able to pay tribute to Mike’s legacy through this award, and on behalf of Minor League Baseball, I congratulate John on being selected as this year’s recipient.”

Shoemaker’s professional baseball career began in 1977 when he was drafted by the Dodgers in the 35th round out of Miami (Ohio) University. After playing four seasons in the Dodgers minor league system, he spent the next 22 years as a hitting coach, instructor and manager. In 1996 he led the Single-A Savannah Sand Gnats to the South Atlantic League championship and the Double-A Jacksonville Suns to the Southern League championship in 2001 and 2005 . He was named Southern League Manager of the Year in 2001 and 2006 and has a career mark of 1363-1328 (.507) as a minor league manager.

“On behalf of the Dodger organization, I would like to commend John Shoemaker on winning the Mike Coolbaugh Award,” said Dodgers Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda. “I have known Shoe for a long time and I can say without a doubt that he is one of the hardest workers I know. He continues to leave a great impression on the young ballplayers in the organization and I couldn’t be prouder of him on all of his accomplishments.”