{{Short description|American baseball player (born 1951)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox baseball biography |name=Tom Poquette |position=Outfielder |image=Tom Poquette Kansas City Royals.jpg |bats=Left |throws=Right |birth_date={{Birth date and age|1951|10|30}} |birth_place=Eau Claire, Wisconsin, U.S. |debutleague = MLB |debutdate=September 1 |debutyear=1973 |debutteam=Kansas City Royals |finalleague = MLB |finaldate=July 9 |finalyear=1982 |finalteam=Kansas City Royals |statleague = MLB |stat1label=Batting average |stat1value=.268 |stat2label=Home runs |stat2value=10 |stat3label=Runs batted in |stat3value=136 |teams= *Kansas City Royals (1973, 1976–1979) *Boston Red Sox (1979, 1981) *Texas Rangers (1981) *Kansas City Royals (1982) }} '''Thomas Arthur Poquette''' (born October 30, 1951) is an American former outfielder who spent seven seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Kansas City Royals (1973, 1976–79, 1982), Boston Red Sox (1979, 1981) and Texas Rangers (1981).
==Biography== Poquette is a 1970 graduate of Memorial High School in his hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Playing on the varsity team in three sports, he was a starter in both baseball and football for three years and basketball for two.<ref>Tom Poquette, Class of 1970 – Eau Claire (WI) Area School District.]</ref> He was a member of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association baseball champions during his sophomore year in 1968.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wiaawi.org/Portals/0/PDF/Results/Baseball_Spring/State_Records/teamchamps.pdf|title=Spring Baseball Champions 1948–2012 – Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.}}</ref> He was honored as one of 25 charter inductees into the school's athletic hall of fame, in 2005.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.weau.com/home/headlines/1889087.html|title=2005 Memorial Athletic Hall of Famers to be Enshrined|first=Andrew|last=Fefer|website=www.weau.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ecasd.k12.wi.us/schools/high/memorial/athletics/MHS_HallOfFame.cfm|title=Eau Claire Area School District - Hall Of Fame|website=www.ecasd.k12.wi.us}}</ref> He was also among the second induction class into the Eau Claire Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009.<ref>[http://volumeone.org/articles/2009/01/22/355_Six_Join_Hank_in_Hall_of_Fame Widmark, Brent. "Six Join Hank in Hall of Fame"] ''VolumeOne'' (Chippewa Valley, Wisconsin magazine), Thursday, January 22, 2009</ref>
He was selected in the fourth round (80th overall) by the Royals in the 1970 MLB draft.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://prosportstransactions.com/baseball/DraftTrades/1970-1-10.htm|title=1970 MLB June Draft Pick Transactions|website=prosportstransactions.com}}</ref> He was a platoon starter on the Royals' American League (AL) West title teams in 1976, 1977 and 1978 and appeared in the League Championship Series in each of those three years.
Poquette was most noted for an injury he sustained on an inside-the-park grand slam hit by Kevin Bell in the third inning of a 14–8 loss to the Chicago White Sox at Royals Stadium on June 22, 1976. In pursuit of a deep line drive to left field, Poquette was unable to stop because his spikes got caught in the AstroTurf playing surface, and he violently crashed face-first into the outfield wall. He was knocked unconscious and fractured his left cheekbone in four places. After being placed on the disabled list, he was activated by the Royals less than a month later. The stadium's outfield wall was consequently lined with protective cushions to reduce the chances of such an occurrence.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7uQcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vo4EAAAAIBAJ&dq=tom-poquette%20cheek&pg=4318%2C3803158 "Bell Fills Chisox Needs"] United Press International, Wednesday, June 23, 1976. Retrieved August 11, 2012</ref><ref>Tucker, Doug [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=f_EfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xNkEAAAAIBAJ&dq=tom-poquette&pg=3845%2C852184 "Tom Poquette returns to Royals as bat coach"] Associated Press, Sunday, July 20, 1997. Retrieved August 11, 2012</ref>
Poquette spent several seasons as a minor league baseball manager in the Royals organization, most recently with the Spokane Indians in {{baseball year|2002}}.
[[File:Royals Stadium 1976.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Chris Knapp pitching to Poquette at Royals Stadium on September 19, 1976]]
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== {{Baseballstats | br=p/poqueto01 | fangraphs=1010443 | brm=poquet001tho}}
{{Memphis Chicks (Southern league) managers}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poquette, Tom}} Memphis Chicks (Southern League) managers Category:1951 births Category:Living people Category:Major League Baseball outfielders Category:Baseball players from Wisconsin Category:Kansas City Royals players Category:Boston Red Sox players Category:Eugene Emeralds managers Category:Texas Rangers players Category:Kansas City Royals coaches Category:Spokane Indians managers Category:Sportspeople from Eau Claire, Wisconsin Category:20th-century American sportsmen