John Shoemaker


John Shoemaker is a former minor league baseball player who is currently manager of the Great Lakes Loons.
Shoemaker attended Waverly High School and Miami University before he was drafted in the 35th round of the 1977 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Shoemaker was also drafted in the 6th round by the Chicago Bulls in the 1978 NBA Draft. He played in the Dodgers minor league system, primarily as a second baseman, from 1977-1980, making it all the way up to AAA before retiring to become a coach after the 1981 season. Has been part of the Dodgers organization since 1977. The Dodgers named him "Captain of Player Development" in 2015 as recognition of his "continual demonstration of superior teammate behavior" according to the Dodgers head of player development, Gabe Kapler. At the end of the 2015 season, he was awarded with the Mike Coolbaugh Award presented by Minor League Baseball to the person "who has shown outstanding baseball work ethic, knowledge of the game and skill in mentoring young players on the field." He was also named to the Southern League Hall of Fame in 2016.

Coaching/Managing career