{{Short description|American baseball coach and scout}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2026}} {{Infobox baseball biography | name = Jim Stoeckel | image = Jim Stoeckel 1988 (cropped).jpg | caption = Stoeckel in 1988 | position = Manager / coach | birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|29|1982|1|21|noage=yes}} | birth_place = [[North Tonawanda, New York]] | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Manager for {{NED}}}} {{MedalGold| [[1981 European Baseball Championship|1981 Haarlem]] | [[Netherlands national baseball team|National team]]}} {{MedalSilver| [[1983 European Baseball Championship|1983 Grosseto]] | [[Netherlands national baseball team|National team]]}} {{MedalSilver| [[1989 European Baseball Championship|1989 Paris]] | [[Netherlands national baseball team|National team]]}} {{MedalSilver| [[1991 European Baseball Championship|1991 Nettuno]] | [[Netherlands national baseball team|National team]]}} {{MedalSilver| [[2010 European Baseball Championship|2010 Germany]] | [[Netherlands national baseball team|National team]]}} }} '''James A. Stoeckel''' (born {{birth based on age as of date|29|1982|1|21|noage=yes}}) is a former [[baseball]] manager, coach, and scout. He was the head baseball coach of the [[Davidson Wildcats baseball|Davidson Wildcats]] from 1988 to 1990 and [[Piedmont Lions]] in 2001. He also managed the [[Netherlands national baseball team|Netherlands national team]] in four separate stints from 1981 to 2011, also serving as a coaching in 2009. He also managed the [[France national baseball team|France national team]] in 2012. He also worked as a scout and minor league coach for the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] and [[Cincinnati Reds]].
Stoeckel was also an all-[[Ivy League]] quarterback with the [[Harvard Crimson football|Harvard Crimson]].
==Amateur career== Stoeckel attended [[Miami Killian Senior High School|Miami Killian High School]] in [[Miami|Miami, Florida]] and then [[Harvard University]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=James Stoeckel - 1973 - Football |url=https://gocrimson.com/sports/football/roster/james-stoeckel/15234 |access-date=2026-01-23 |website=[[Harvard Crimson|Harvard University]]}}</ref> He was the starting quarterback for the [[Harvard Crimson football|Crimson football team]] from [[1971 Harvard Crimson football team|1971]] to [[1973 Harvard Crimson football team|1973]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 6, 1971 |title=Jim Stoeckel Is Thriving on Adversities {{!}} News |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1971/11/6/jim-stoeckel-is-thriving-on-adversities/ |access-date=2026-01-23 |website=[[The Harvard Crimson]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Jim Stoeckel College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/jim-stoeckel-1.html |access-date=2026-01-23 |website=College Football at [[Sports Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> His first season ended early due to knee surgery in November.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gammons |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Gammons |date=1971-11-10 |title=Harvard's Stockel undergoes knee surgery, lost for season |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/435873811/ |access-date=2026-01-23 |website= |publisher=[[The Boston Globe]] |language=en-US |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> He was the school's first-ever [[Ivy League]] football player of the year in 1973, when he set several school passing records. He also won the 1973 [[Nils V. "Swede" Nelson Award|Swede Nelson Award]].<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=James W. Stoeckel '74 |url=https://harvardvarsityclub.org/hall-of-fame/james-w-stoeckel/ |access-date=2026-01-23 |website=Harvard Varsity Club}}</ref> He was an all-Ivy League [[Punter (gridiron football)|punter]] in 1972.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 15, 1972 |title=Stoeckel Makes First Team Of All-Ivy Punters' Roster {{!}} Sports |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1972/12/15/stoeckel-makes-first-team-of-all-ivy/ |access-date=2026-01-23 |website=The Harvard Crimson}}</ref> Stoeckel signed with the [[Hamilton Tiger-Cats]] of the [[Canadian Football League]]. He was on the team's roster in 1974 and 1975 but did not play in a game.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Phillips |first=Randy |date=1982-01-21 |title=Jim Stoeckel Dodgers' intern |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/indian-river-press-journal-jim-stoeckel/189596071/ |access-date=2026-01-23 |work=[[Indian River Press Journal]] |pages=21}}</ref>
Stoeckel also played for the [[Harvard Crimson baseball|Crimson baseball team]]. He hit a home run off [[Mike Flanagan (baseball)|Mike Flanagan]] out of [[Fenway Park]] in May 1973 to send Harvard to the [[1973 NCAA University Division baseball tournament|College World Series]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Crimson Batmen Head for Omaha, World Series {{!}} Sports |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1973/5/30/crimson-batmen-head-for-omaha-world/ |access-date=2026-01-23 |website=The Harvard Crimson}}</ref><ref name=":4" /> That season, he was named to the all-[[Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League]] team.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reinig |first=James W. |date=March 26, 1974 |title=Baseball: A Hard Act to Follow {{!}} News |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1974/3/26/baseball-a-hard-act-to-follow/ |access-date=2026-01-23 |website=The Harvard Crimson}}</ref> He was the captain of the team in 1974, thought he was ruled ineligible after signing a professional contract with the Tiger-Cats.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Aronson |first=Thomas |last2=Stedman Jr. |first2=William E. |date=April 11, 1974 |title=Harvard Declares Stoeckel Ineligible {{!}} Sports |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1974/4/11/harvard-declares-stoeckel-ineligible-pjim-stoeckel/ |access-date=2026-01-23 |website=The Harvard Crimson}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=April 18, 1974 |title=Ivy League Deans' Committee Declares Stoeckel Ineligible {{!}} Sports |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1974/4/18/ivy-league-deans-committee-declares-stoeckel/ |access-date=2026-01-23 |website=The Harvard Crimson}}</ref> Stoeckel was drafted by the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] in the 37th round of the [[1974 Major League Baseball draft]] but did not play professionally.<ref>{{Cite web |title=James Stoeckel Leagues Statistics |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=stoeck000jam |access-date=2026-01-23 |website=[[Baseball Reference]]}}</ref>
Stoeckel was inducted into the Harvard Varsity Club's Hall of Fame in 1997.<ref name=":5" />
==Baseball career==
===United States=== Stoeckel coached baseball and football at [[Saint Andrew's School (Florida)|St. Andrew's High School]] in [[Boca Raton, Florida]] from 1977 to 1979.<ref name=":4" /> He then was an assistant baseball coach and assistant [[athletic director]] at Harvard from 1979 to 1981.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Summer Roundup: The Beat Went on ...Slowly {{!}} Sports |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1980/9/8/summer-roundup-the-beat-went-on/ |access-date=2026-01-23 |website=The Harvard Crimson}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/cincinnati-reds-2014-media-guide-cover/page/17/ |title=Cincinnati Reds 2014 Media Guide |date=2014 |pages=17|publisher=[[Cincinnati Reds]]}}</ref>
He began working for the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] in 1981 at the team's [[spring training]] facility in Florida in 1981. From 1983 to 1987, he was a minor league coach.<ref name=":0" /> He was scheduled to manage the [[Great Falls Dodgers]] in 1987 but left the organization to become the head coach of the [[Davidson Wildcats baseball|Davidson Wildcats]] in June, before the start of the [[Rookie league|Rookie-league]] season.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1987-06-03 |title=DC names coach |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/winston-salem-journal-dc-names-coach/189593625/ |access-date=2026-01-23 |work=Winston-Salem Journal |pages=13}}</ref> In three years under Stoeckel, Davidson went 67–76–1. He recruited Dutch infielder [[Robert Eenhoorn]], who later played in [[Major League Baseball]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020 |title=Davidson Baseball Official Record Book |url=https://static.davidsonwildcats.com/custompages/baseball/Baseball%20Recordbook-%206-30-20.pdf |website=[[Davidson Wildcats]] |pages=2, 19}}</ref>
Stoeckel returned to the Dodgers in 1990, working as a global scouting coordinator through 1998. He joined the [[Vero Beach Dodgers]] coaching staff that July<ref>{{Cite news |last=Megargee |first=Steve |date=1998-07-14 |title=Stoeckel back in uniform |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/indian-river-press-journal-stoeckel-back/189596381/ |access-date=2026-01-23 |work=Indian River Press Journal |pages=17}}</ref> and was the team's pitching coach in 1999.<ref name=":0" /> He signed Australian pitcher [[Luke Prokopec]] to the Dodgers.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/los-angeles-dodgers-1999-media-guide-c/page/n251/ |title=Los Angeles Dodgers 1999 Media Guide |date=1999 |pages=251}}</ref>
Stoeckel then returned to college coaching. In 2001, he coached the [[Piedmont Lions]], who went 15–25.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Baseball Program History |url=https://piedmontlions.com/sports/2011/6/30/BSB_0630111240.aspx |access-date=2026-01-23 |website=Piedmont University Athletics |language=en}}</ref> He also was a pitching coach for [[Indian River State College|Indian River Community College]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-01-05 |title=Jim Stoeckel this Season's Pitching Coach for the Netherlands |url=https://www.mister-baseball.com/jim-stoeckel-seasons-pitching-coach-netherlands/ |access-date=2026-01-23 |website=mister-baseball.com|last=van Nes|first=Pim}}</ref>
Stoeckel joined the [[Cincinnati Reds]] in late 2006 and was named director of international operations in 2007. His title later changed to coordinator of global scouting<ref name=":0" /> and director of global scouting. He remained with the Reds through 2017.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/cincinnati-reds-2017-media-guide-cover/page/20/ |title=Cincinnati Reds 2017 Media Guide |date=2017 |pages=20}}</ref> As a scout, he signed [[Didi Gregorius]],<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/philadelphia-phillies-2022-media-guide/page/96/ |title=Philadelphia Phillies 2022 Media Guide |date=2022 |pages=96}}</ref> [[Jose Barrero]],<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/cincinnati-reds-2022-media-guide-c/page/88/ |title=Cincinnati Reds 2022 Media Guide |date=2022 |pages=88}}</ref> and [[Chadwick Tromp]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/san-francisco-giants-2021-media-guide-c/page/n215/ |title=San Francisco Giants 2021 Media Guide |date=2021 |pages=215}}</ref>
===International=== Stoeckel managed the [[Netherlands national baseball team|Netherlands national team]] four separate times and also coached the team in international competitions. He first managed the team from 1981 to 1983, winning the [[1981 European Baseball Championship|1981 European Championship]]<ref name="Chetwynd">{{Cite book |last=Chetwynd |first=Josh |url=https://archive.org/details/baseballineurope0000chet/page/245/ |title=Baseball in Europe: a country by country history |date=2008 |publisher=McFarland & Co. |isbn=978-0-7864-3724-5 |location=Jefferson, N.C. |pages=245 |url-access=registration}}</ref> and finishing second to [[Italy national baseball team|Italy]] in the [[1983 European Baseball Championship|1983 championship]], losing out on a place in the [[Baseball at the 1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Summer Olympics]]. He briefly returned to lead the team in a 1984 tournament in [[Taiwan]]. He returned to managed the Dutch from 1989 to 1991.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Stoovelaar |first=Marco |date=November 1, 2010 |title=Manager Jim Stoeckel leaves National Team |url=https://catcher.home.xs4all.nl/bb10-0111nl.htm |access-date=2026-01-23 |website=Grand Slam * Stats & News Netherlands}}</ref> He led the Dutch to their first [[World Port Tournament]] win in 1989.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-01-30 |title=Jim Stoeckel new Head Coach of Dutch National Team |url=https://www.mister-baseball.com/jim-stoeckel-head-coach-dutch-national-team/ |access-date=2026-01-23 |website=mister-baseball.com|last=Würfel|first=Phillipp}}</ref> However, the Dutch again lost to Italy in the [[1989 European Baseball Championship|1989]] and [[1991 European Baseball Championship|1991 European championships]], failing to qualify for the [[Baseball at the 1992 Summer Olympics|1992 Summer Olympics]].<ref name=":2" /> He was the bullpen coach for the Netherlands in the [[2009 World Baseball Classic]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=World Baseball Classic Roster {{!}} The Netherlands |url=https://www.mlb.com/world-baseball-classic/roster/netherlands?season=2009 |access-date=2026-01-23 |website=MLB.com }}</ref> In early 2010, he returned to a managerial role, with the team finishing second in the [[2010 Haarlem Baseball Week|Haarlem Baseball Week]] tournament and [[2010 European Baseball Championship|European Championship]], Stoeckel's fourth loss to Italy in the continental tournament. His last tournament with the Netherlands was the [[2010 Intercontinental Cup (baseball)|2010 Intercontinental Cup]], with another second-place finish.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-12-07 |title=Q&A with Jim Stoeckel, Cincinnati Reds Scout and former Dutch NT Manager |url=https://www.mister-baseball.com/qa-jim-stoeckel-cincinnati-reds-scout-dutch-nt-manager/ |access-date=2026-01-23 |website=mister-baseball.com}}</ref>
Stoeckel also coached the [[France national baseball team|France national team]] at a [[2013 World Baseball Classic – Qualifier 1|World Baseball Classic qualifying tournament]] in 2012.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Bloom |first=Barry M. |date=2012-09-16 |title=Humble beginnings for French club in Classic |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/humble-beginnings-for-french-club-in-classic/c-38515398 |access-date=2026-01-23 |website=MLB.com }}</ref><ref name=":0" />
==Personal life== Stoeckel and his wife reside in [[Vero Beach, Florida]]. They have four children and nine grandchildren.<ref name=":1" /> Their son, Jeff, also played baseball at Harvard.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fisher |first=Jake I. |date=May 1, 2008 |title=Narrow Victory Sends Seniors Out In Style {{!}} Sports |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2008/5/1/narrow-victory-sends-seniors-out-in/ |access-date=2026-01-23 |website=The Harvard Crimson}}</ref> Jeff also coached [[Paris Université Club (baseball)|Paris Université Club]] in the [[French Division 1 Baseball Championship|French domestic baseball league]].<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-02-10 |title=Interview with new Paris UC Head Coach Jeff Stoeckel |url=https://www.mister-baseball.com/interview-puc-head-coach-jeff-stoeckel/ |access-date=2026-01-23 |website=mister-baseball.com|last=Würfel|first=Philipp}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Netherlands national baseball team managers}} {{Netherlands roster 2010 European Baseball Championship}} {{Netherlands roster 2009 World Baseball Classic}} {{Harvard Crimson quarterback navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stoeckel, Jim}} [[Category:1950s births]] [[Category:Date of birth missing (living people)]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from North Tonawanda, New York]] [[Category:Players of American football from New York (state)]] [[Category:Players of American football from Miami]] [[Category:American football quarterbacks]] [[Category:American football punters]] [[Category:Harvard Crimson football players]] [[Category:American players of Canadian football]] [[Category:Hamilton Tiger-Cats players]] [[Category:Baseball players from Niagara County, New York]] [[Category:Baseball players from Miami]] [[Category:Harvard Crimson baseball players]] [[Category:Baseball coaches from Florida]] [[Category:Baseball coaches from New York (state)]] [[Category:High school baseball coaches in the United States]] [[Category:Harvard Crimson baseball coaches]] [[Category:Los Angeles Dodgers scouts]] [[Category:Cincinnati Reds scouts]] [[Category:European baseball coaches]] [[Category:Minor league baseball coaches]] [[Category:Davidson Wildcats baseball coaches]] [[Category:American expatriate baseball people in the Netherlands]]