William McKinley "Max" Venable (born June 6, 1957) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, Montreal Expos, Cincinnati Reds, and California Angels. Venable also played for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), and coached for the SK Wyverns of the KBO League.

Max Venable
Outfielder
Born: (1957-06-06) June 6, 1957 (age 66)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 8, 1979, for the San Francisco Giants
Last MLB appearance
October 6, 1991, for the California Angels
MLB statistics
Batting average.241
Home runs18
Runs batted in128
Teams

Early years edit

Venable went to Cordova High School in Rancho Cordova, California, where he was a multi-sport star. He excelled in all sports but, in high school, football was his best. He turned down football scholarships to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers.[1]

Career edit

Major League Baseball edit

He played for the San Francisco Giants, Montreal Expos, and Cincinnati Reds, all of the National League, and the California Angels of the American League. He also played two seasons in Japan, 1992 and 1993, for the Chiba Lotte Marines.

 
Venable with the San Francisco Giants

He coached for the Atlanta Braves in the minor leagues, along with the San Diego Padres. He is a hitting instructor in the Seattle Mariners farm system to date.

SK Wyverns edit

Max signed with Korean Baseball team SK Wyverns as a hitting coach in 2013.

Personal life edit

Max's older son, Will, is a former Major League outfielder and current associate manager for the Texas Rangers. Will previously played baseball and basketball for Princeton University. He joined his father as a member of the Portland Beavers in 2008. Max's younger son Winston Venable is a former National Football League player for the Chicago Bears and in college was a standout safety for the Boise State Broncos football team for the 2009–10 and 2010–11 seasons.

References edit

  1. ^ "Rancho Cordova Sports Hall of Fame To Be Unveiled". City of Rancho Cordova. August 24, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2020.

External links edit