Kelly Shoppach is in his sixth season (2022) as an assistant coach at Texas Wesleyan. A veteran of nine seasons of Major League Baseball, Shoppach brings a wealth of experience to the baseball program.
Shoppach, a catcher, played nine seasons for six different MLB franchises. A DFW Metroplex product, he attended Brewer High School before playing three seasons at Baylor University. For the Bears, he hit .333 with 26 HR’s and 121 RBI’s while recording a .993 career fielding percentage.
In his junior year he batted .397 with 12 HR’s and 61 RBI’s while making only one error in 406 chances (.998). Following the season, he received the Johnny Bench Award (given to the nation’s top collegiate catcher) and was named Big 12 Player of the Year and 1st-team All-American.
The Boston Red Sox selected Shoppach in the second round of the 2001 MLB Draft following his junior season. In 2004 he was named an International League (Triple A) All-Star while hitting a franchise record 21 home runs as a catcher for the Pawtucket Red Sox.
On May 28, 2005, he made his Major League debut for the Boston Red Sox against the New York Yankees. In 2006 he was traded to the Cleveland Indians where he played the next four seasons. His career then moved to the Tampa Bay Rays (2010-2011), back to Boston (2012), to the New York Mets (2012), Seattle Mariners (2013), and finally back to Cleveland (2013).
During his career, he caught five Cy Young Award winners in R.A. Dickey, Cliff Lee, David Price, CC Sabathia, and Curt Schilling.
His best offensive season came in 2008 when he batted .261 with 21 HR’s and 55 RBI’s for the Indians. That season he became the second American League player and eighth overall in MLB history to record five extra-base hits in a game when he notched three doubles and two home runs (including a game-tying HR in the ninth inning) against the Detroit Tigers. Shoppach also recorded the first ever RBI at the New Yankee Stadium with a fourth-inning double that drove in Ben Francisco.
In 2010, Shoppach caught the first no-hitter in Tampa Bay’s franchise history when he called the signals for Matt Garza against the Tigers. The following year, he hit two home runs and drove in five during a 9-0 Tampa Bay victory over the Texas Rangers in game one of the American League Division Series.
Shoppach currently resides in Fort Worth with his wife, Jen, and three daughters Alex, Addison, and Aubrey.
