Terry Steinbach

[William Malone]

Terry Lee Steinbach was born on March 2, 1962 in New Ulm, Minnesota.

The Oakland Athletics selected him in round nine of the 1983 MLB Draft out of the University of Minnesota. He made his Major League debut for them in 1986, and spent 11 seasons with the Athletics. Steinbach was an All-Star three times, winning All-Star Game MVP in 1988. Oakland won three straight AL pennants in 1988, 1989 and 1990. They won the World Series in 1989.

Steinbach had his best offensive season in 1996, hitting a career high 34 home runs for the Athletics. He signed a two year deal with the Minnesota Twins in free agency, turning down several larger offers to return to his home state. Steinbach had always maintained an off-season home in Minnesota, and thought this move would be best with his kids finally getting old enough to start school.

He hit .248 with 12 home runs and 54 RBI during his first season with the Twins, starting 112 games behind home plate. His offense was especially good in front of the home fans, posting a .778 OPS at home compared to a .611 clip on the road. Steinbach hit .242 with 14 home runs and 54 RBI during the 1998 campaign.

Minnesota re-signed him in 1999. Steinbach battled a few injuries at age 37, but was still able to hit .284 over 101 games. He caught the Eric Milton no-hitter on September 11, 1999. The no-hitter was also his final career game with multiple extra base hits, as Steinbach delivered a double and a triple at the plate. The Twins won 7-0. He announced his retirement after the season.

The St. Louis Cardinals, who were managed by his former Oakland skipper Tony La Russa, tried to coax him out of retirement early in the year. USA Baseball also offered him a roster spot for the upcoming Olympics. Steinbach was seriously considering both offers, but wound up tearing his hamstring in a water skiing accident before making any decisions.

He was the varsity baseball coach at Wayzata High School in Plymouth, Minnesota from 2008 to 2012. When the high school season ended, Steinbach would then work as a roving minor league catching instructor for the Twins. They hired him as the Major League bench coach for Ron Gardehire in 2013. The Twins interviewed him for the managerial position when Gardenhire was fired after the 2014 season, but the job went to Paul Molitor. Steinbach was not retained on the coaching staff.

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