Former MLBer Jeff Schaefer Coaching Baseball's Future

In 2006, former major leaguer and Patchogue-native Jeff Schaefer and partners created Carolinas Baseball Center, a 50,000 square-foot indoor baseball nirvana.

Schaefer, who spent six seasons in Major League Baseball from 1989-1994 with the Chicago White Sox, Seattle Mariners and Oakland A’s, said he stopped doing anything with the game for several years after his playing days ended before he began coaching.

“I started helping to teach at a local indoor facility,” said Schaefer from the CBC in Charlotte, N.C. “It started to evolve from there. I built a business plan for [the center], and then we opened up the CBC about five years ago, and it’s been successful. We’re doing a good job with it.”

In the five years since CBC opened its doors, Schaefer has seen the facility evolve and grow to even include professional ball players, including current Baltimore Orioles and former New York Mets player Ty Wiggington, and Boston Red Sox pitcher Daniel Bard.

USA Baseball has also approached CBC to assist in the national team roster selection. It is Schaefer’s and the CBC’s job to recruit players from their region and form several teams based on age groups to face 10 other regions selected by other organizations. From there, USA Baseball begins to select the players who will represent Team USA.

“It’s fun, and it’s exciting,” said Schaefer. “It’s fun to be apart of that process. When you get to pick a team that goes to play for your country, that’s wild.”

He played his high school ball at Patchogue-Medford, and during his senior year he began to realize his skills could separate him from others on the field.

“You start to match yourself up and see where you stand amongst the other kids who are out there,” he said. “I thought I had a chance to do something different.”

Near the end of high school, Schaefer didn’t know what was the next step. While playing in a tournament in New Mexico, he got the call that told him he’d be heading to the University of Maryland.

“I had no idea that I was going to one of the highest, most competitive divisions in the country,” he said. “I didn’t follow college baseball, I followed pro baseball. When I got there, I didn’t really know where I was at,” he said with a laugh. “I just went and played, and figured I had to be better than the guy next to me.”

The awards rolled in for Schaefer, a second baseman at UM, including First Team All-ACC, and Honorable Mention All-America. The majors came calling shortly after when he was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 12th round of the 1981 draft.

“When it all starts to materialize, it’s really special,” he said. “You’re excited, you’re nervous. You don’t really know what that brings at the next level. But you get the opportunity to go and play the game, with nothing else to worry about, and the first and the 15th of the month you get a paycheck.”

Although he never played for the Orioles, he did finally start a professional game for the Chicago White Sox, and made his debut on the biggest stage baseball has to offer: Yankee Stadium.

“I got my first start in Yankee Stadium with all my family and friends there to share it with me,” Schaefer, a life-long Yankee fan, said. “It was amazing to see my name on the board and hear Bob Sheppard announce you.” Although he went 0-2 at the plate, he did say that he played great defense.

His first hit in the big leagues came off Rob Murphy of the Boston Red Sox in Fenway Park. “That was pretty cool,” said Schaefer, who was inducted into the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame, “especially being a Yankee fan.” 

Schaefer finished his big league career having played more than 220 games in five seasons. He hit two home runs, recorded 20 RBI and had a .203 lifetime average in 359 at-bats.