Shoemaker was drafted out of Miami University in Ohio by the Dodgers in 1977, one year before he was also drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the NBA. After four years as an infielder in the minors, Shoemaker retired as a player and began his coaching career in 1981 as a hitting coach in Vero Beach of the Florida State League.
He’s served in a variety of roles, including hitting coach and roving coordinator, and Shoemaker in 2015 was given the additional title of captain of player development by the Dodgers, which comes with a C upon his jersey.
This will be Shoemaker’s 50th season with the Dodgers, including his 32nd as manager. He managed one year in Triple-A, in 2003 in Las Vegas, and managed The Jacksonville Five in the first of his four years in then-Double-A Jacksonville. But the bulk of Shoemaker’s time at the helm has been at the lower levels, Class-A and rookie levels, befitting his player development role.
Managing the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes since 2021 was Shoemaker’s longest stint with any one team. The Dodgers’ Class-A shift to Ontario gives us a chance to revisit all the minor league cities in which Shoemaker has managed: