Dennis Lee "Denny" Hocking (born April 2, 1970 in Torrance, California

Torrance, California

Torrance is a city incorporated in 1921 and located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance has of shore-front beaches on the Pacific Ocean, quieter and less well-known by tourists than others on the Santa Monica Bay, such as those of neighboring...

) is a former Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 utility player. After playing at El Camino College

El Camino College

El Camino College is a two-year public community college located partially in the unincorporated area of Alondra Park and partially in the City of Torrance in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is commonly referred to as "Elco" or "ECC"...

 in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, he was drafted in the 52nd round of the 1989 Major League Baseball Draft

1989 Major League Baseball Draft

-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1989 Major League Baseball draft.-Supplemental first round selections:-External links:*...

 by the Minnesota Twins

Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

 and made his major league debut in . He played with the Minnesota Twins until when he went to the Colorado Rockies

Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...

 as a free agent

Free agent

In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....

. Hocking was a utility player for his entire career, playing every position except pitcher

Pitcher

In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

 and catcher

Catcher

Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...

. Hocking's best year was when he hit

Batting average

Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

 .298 with 4 home run

Home run

In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

s and 47 RBI

Run batted in

Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...

, a year where he also played in 10 or more games at 7 different positions. Hocking was never a regular starter in one position, but played over 100 games at shortstop

Shortstop

Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...

, second base, third base

Third Base

is a 1978 Japanese film directed by Yōichi Higashi.-External links:...

, and right field. He is currently the batting coach for the Bowie Baysox

Bowie Baysox

The Bowie Baysox are a minor league baseball team located in Bowie, Maryland. They are the class-AA affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, and play in the Eastern League...

.

In February 1987, Hocking hit a full court shot right before halftime in a basketball game for West Torrance High, his hometown team.

In 2000, Hocking's wife gave birth to fraternal twins

Twin

A twin is one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy. Twins can either be monozygotic , meaning that they develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos, or dizygotic because they develop from two separate eggs that are fertilized by two separate sperm.In contrast, a fetus...

, making him the first player in Twins franchise history to become the father of a set of twins.

When the Twins clinched the 2002 American League Division Series

2002 American League Division Series

-Oakland Athletics vs. Minnesota Twins:-Game 1, October 1:Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkThe game went back and forth with the Angels taking a 5–4 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning. Anaheim manager Mike Scioscia brought in Scott Schoeneweis to pitch to Jason Giambi, who tied the game...

 against the heavily favored Oakland Athletics

Oakland Athletics

The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....

, Hocking broke his hand in the ensuing celebration. Hocking caught the final out of Game 5 and players piled on top of him. A player he believed to be teammate Jacque Jones

Jacque Jones

Jacque Dewayne Jones is a Major League Baseball outfielder who currently is a free agent-Early life:...

 stepped on the middle finger of his right hand and split the nail in two places. This injury forced Hocking to miss the entire 2002 American League Championship Series

2002 American League Championship Series

-Game 1:Tuesday, October 8, 2002 at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, MinnesotaJoe Mays outdueled Kevin Appier as the Twins won Game 1. A.J. Pierzynski hit a sac fly to put the Twins out in front first, but the Angels tied it the next inning on an error by Cristian Guzmán. The Twins...

.

Hocking served as an analyst and reporter for MLB.com

MLB.com

MLB.com is the official site of Major League Baseball and is overseen by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P. . MLB.com is a source of baseball-related information, including baseball news, statistics, and sports columns...

 and teamed with Rob Dibble

Rob Dibble

Robert Keith Dibble is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and television analyst.-Personal life:Dibble is a graduate of Southington High School in Southington, Connecticut...

 on Fox Sports Radio

Fox Sports Radio

Fox Sports Radio, abbreviated FSR, is an international radio network consisting of sports talk programming. The network is a service of Premiere Networks...

. in 2008. He co-hosted with Derrick Deese

Derrick Deese

Derrick Deese is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League. He co-hosts a radio show on Fox Sports Radio weekends from 9am to 1pm Pacific Time.-Professional career:...

 on Saturdays from 5pm to 8pm Pacific Time.

In January 2010, Hocking was named assistant manager of the single-A Frederick Keys, a Baltimore Orioles affiliate.

External links