Marc Hill obit

Former Cardinals Catcher, Longtime Baseball Coach and Manager, Passes Away

 

He was not on the list.

Marc Hill, a veteran of 14 major league seasons, passed away on Sunday according to a Facebook post by his son, Kevin. He was 73.

Hill played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1973-74), San Francisco Giants (1975-80), Seattle Mariners (1980) and Chicago White Sox (1981-86) before moving on to a career in coaching. Of his 700 career games, 687 found Hill behind the plate.

Primarily a backup in the majors, Hill reached the 100-games threshold twice in his career: in 1977 and 1978 with the Giants. He retired with a .223/.295/.317 slash line, with 34 home runs and 198 RBIs.

Hill was a 10th-round draft pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1970. He played 475 games at the minor league levels, primarilly with the Cardinals from 1970-74.

Blocked by future Hall of Fame catcher Ted Simmons in St. Louis, a trade to San Francisco in October 1974 (for Ken Rudolph and Elias Sosa) set Hill on the career path that would sustain him for another decade.

Known for his strong throwing arm and defensive skills, Hill was never a star. But he was a reliable enough backup to future stars including Simmons, Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk, and Tim McCarver.

After being released by the White Sox in May 1986, Hill served as an unofficial coach with the team under general manager Ken Harrelson. In 1987, the White Sox hired him to manage for one season in the Florida State League.

Hill would go on to work a variety of managing and coaching jobs in professional baseball. He was the bullpen coach for the Houston Astros in 1988, and the New York Yankees in 1991, in between stints as a minor league catching instructor and bullpen catcher. He also served as a roving minor league instructor and manager for the Pittsburgh Pirates, managed the Seattle Mariners' Double-A affiliate, and piloted the independent River City Rascals.

Nicknamed "Booter" — a moniker given him by future Hall of Famer Willie McCovey, a teammate on the Giants — Hill was born in Elsberry, Missouri in 1952.

"Crushed to learn of Marc Hill's passing, as he was consistently one of the most fun big league players and great guys I've ever been around," longtime major league executive Dan Evans wrote on Twitter/X. "'The Booter' was loved by his teammates, and was an example of our 1983 White Sox team's phenomenal chemistry."

Hill split the 1974 season between the Cardinals & triple A Tulsa Oilers. His 14 home runs for Tulsa tied for team lead.

Hill platooned with Dave Rader behind the plate for two seasons with the Giants. He hit his first major league home run off the Atlanta Braves' Carl Morton on April 12, 1975.

Hill saw little playing time with the M's. Following just a half season in Seattle, Hill joined the Chicago White Sox as a Spring training invitee, and ended up signing as a free agent with them.

Hill would spend six seasons in Chicago serving as Carlton Fisk's back up. He scored from second base on a sacrifice fly on May 15, 1983 against the New York Yankees, and batted .226 with one home run & 11 RBIs for the 1983 team that won the American League West. He did not appear in the 1983 American League Championship Series.

He received the most playing time of his tenure with the White Sox in 1984, as Fisk battled injuries all season. His 20 RBIs were his most since 1978.

Once his playing days ended, Hill took a job managing the class A Florida State League Daytona Beach Admirals in 1987, their only year of existence. In 1992, he joined the Seattle Mariners organization as manager of the Peninsula Pilots, who also folded at the end of the season. In their final season, Hill managed Peninsula to a 74-64 record & the Carolina League championship. He spent the next two seasons in the Mariners organization managing the Jacksonville Suns. From there, he moved over to the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, managing the Lynchburg Hillcats for a season, and the Carolina Mudcats for two.