Pac-12 Conference Baseball Player of the Year
Winners -- South Division ( 1978–1998 )
Table:
Season

Player

School

Position

Reference

1978

Tim Tolman

Southern California

OF

[1]

1979

Jim Auten

UCLA

OF

[1]

1980

Terry Francona*

Arizona

OF

[1]

1981

Mike Sodders

Arizona State

IF

[1]

1982

Alvin Davis

Arizona State

1B

[1]

1983

Erik Hardgrave

Stanford

1B

[1]

1984†

Oddibe McDowell*

Arizona State

OF

[1]

1984†

Mark McGwire

Southern California

1B

[1]

1985

Rick Lundblade

Stanford

1B

[1]

1986†

Torey Lovullo

UCLA

IF

[1]

1986†

Alex Sanchez

UCLA

P

[1]

1987†

Torey Lovullo (2)

UCLA

IF

[1]

1987†

Chip Hale

Arizona

IF

[1]

1988

Linty Ingram

Arizona State

P

[1]

1989†

Scott Erickson

Arizona

P

[1]

1989†

Alan Zinter

Arizona

1B

[1]

1990

Paul Ellis

UCLA

C

[1]

1991

David McCarty

Stanford

OF

[1]

1992†

Troy Penix

California

1B

[1]

1992†

Jon Zuber

California

P

[1]

From the accompanying table as well as the textual context provided at the end.

Respond to the question below: Jim Auten played in a position where , if you catch a ball , where do you send it ? Provide just your answer in a JSON object {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Do not introduce information beyond the provided sources.

Timothy Lee Tolman ( born April 20 , 1956 ) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder . Tolman played his college baseball at the University of Southern California and was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 12th round of the 1978 amateur draft . He reached the major leagues in 1981 after batting .322 , hitting 14 home runs and having 99 runs batted in for the Tucson Toros of the Pacific Coast League . His OPS was .927 . In his seven major league seasons ( with the Astros from 1981 through 1985 , and the Detroit Tigers in 1986-1987 ) , Tolman could never gain a regular job and hit only .168 for his career , never batting higher than the .196 he posted in 1983 . Defensively , Tolman posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in his major league career ( 135 putouts , 5 assists ) . He played two more seasons in the International League ( for the Tidewater Tides in 1988 and the Syracuse Chiefs in 1989 ) before retiring . After his playing career , Tolman managed from 1991-1996 in the Astros ' minor-league system . He was a scout in 1997-1999 and a scouting supervisor for the Astros in 2000-2002 , then became minor league field coordinator for the Cleveland Indians from 2003 to 2006 . Tolman was the third base coach for the Washington Nationals in 2008 and was the subject of criticism . Tolman was fired on September 28 , 2008 , after the final game of the 2008 season . On January 13 , 2009 , Tolman was named the Seattle Mariners coordinator of instruction .
The USC Trojans baseball program represents the University of Southern California in college baseball . Established in 1888 , the team is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Pac-12 Conference . USC home 's field is Dedeaux Field , which is named in honor of former head coach and National College Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Rod Dedeaux . The USC Trojans are one of the most successful programs in the history of college baseball . The Trojans have won more baseball national championships than any other program across all divisions of college baseball . With 12 national championships , USC is far and away the leader in that category ; no other Division I school has more than six . As of June 30 , 2018 , USC also ranked fifth in all-time College World Series ( CWS ) appearances with 21 , trailing only Texas ( 36 ) , Miami ( FL ) ( 25 ) , and Arizona State ( 22 ) , and Florida State ( 22 ) . The Trojans have won more individual CWS games ( 74 ) than any program but Texas ( 85 ) . USC also ranked fourth in all-time NCAA Tournament wins with 173 - trailing only Texas ( 240 ) , Miami ( 192 ) , and Florida State ( 192 ) - and eighth in total NCAA Tournament appearances with 37 . The Trojans have compiled an all-time record of 2,884-1,685-28 ( .630 ) - ranking fifth in all-time wins and 18th in all-time win percentage - and have captured outright or tied for 38 conference championships , as of the end of the 2018 season . USC 's most notable baseball coach was Rod Dedeaux , who coached from 1942 from 1986 and led the school to 11 of its NCAA championships , including five straight from 1970 to 1974 . The first Trojan national championship came in 1948 .
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball , farthest from the batter . These defenders are the left fielder , the center fielder , and the right fielder . As an outfielder , their duty is to catch fly balls and/ ground balls then to return them to the infield for the out or before the runner advances , if there is any runners on the bases . As an outfielder , they normally play behind the six players located in the field . By convention , each of the nine defensive positions in baseball is numbered . The outfield positions are 7 ( left field ) , 8 ( center field ) and 9 ( right field ) . These numbers are shorthand designations useful in baseball scorekeeping and are not necessarily the same as the squad numbers worn on player uniforms . Outfielders named to the MLB All-Century Team are Hank Aaron , Ty Cobb , Joe DiMaggio , Mickey Mantle , Willie Mays , Stan Musial , Pete Rose , Babe Ruth , Ted Williams and Ken Griffey Jr .
The UCLA Bruins baseball team is the varsity college baseball team of the University of California , Los Angeles . Having started playing in 1920 , the program is a member of the NCAA Division I Pac-12 Conference . It plays its home games at Jackie Robinson Stadium . The program has appeared in five College World Series and won the 2013 National Championship .
Terrence Jon Francona ( born April 22 , 1959 ) , nicknamed Tito , is the manager of the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball ( MLB ) . Previously , he was the manager of the Boston Red Sox , whom he led to two World Series titles , ending the franchise 's 86-year championship drought . After an unsuccessful four-year stint as the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies , Francona was hired to manage the Red Sox in 2004 and led the team to their first championship since 1918 . He won another World Series with Boston in 2007 and continued to manage the team until the end of the 2011 season , when his contract was not renewed following a September collapse . In 2013 , Francona was hired to manage the Cleveland Indians and led them to an American League pennant in 2016 . In August and September 2017 , he led the Indians to a 22-game win streak , the longest win streak in American League history and the longest without ties in MLB history .
The Arizona Wildcats baseball team is the intercollegiate men 's baseball program representing the University of Arizona in Tucson , Arizona , United States . They compete in the Pac-12 Conference ( Pac-12 ) of NCAA Division I . The baseball team had its first season in 1904 . The baseball team has captured four national championship titles in 1976 , 1980 , 1986 and 2012 , with the first three coached by Jerry Kindall and the most recent by Andy Lopez . The team has appeared in the NCAA National Championship title series eight times ( 1956 , 1959 , 1963 , 1976 , 1980 , 1986 , 2012 , and 2016 ) . They have appeared in 34 baseball tournaments in their rich history . Arizona is ranked seventh in all-time regular season game wins with 2,347 .
The Arizona State Sun Devils baseball program at the Arizona State University ( ASU ) is part of the Pac-12 Conference . Since it became a member of the Pac-12 , it had the highest winning percentage , at .681 , of all schools that participate in Division I baseball within the conference . ASU 's NCAA leading 54 consecutive 30 win seasons was the longest streak in the nation . The Sun Devils ' only losing seasons occurred in 1963 , 2017 , & 2018 The Sun Devils had been nationally ranked during at least a part of every season of their 58-year history until 2017 . The Sun Devils have finished 27 times in the Top 10 , 22 times in the Top 5 , and 5 times as the No . 1 team in the nation . ASU is one of the most successful college baseball programs in the country . The Sun Devils have won five national championships , the fourth-most by any school , and are 1st in total number of alumni to ever play in Major League Baseball . Notable Sun Devil baseball alumni include Barry Bonds , Reggie Jackson , Sal Bando , Dustin Pedroia , Andre Ethier , Bob Horner , Paul Lo Duca , and Rick Monday .
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive infield positions on the baseball field .
Alvin Glenn Davis ( born September 9 , 1960 ) , nicknamed Mr. Mariner , is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and designated hitter . He played eight of his nine seasons for the Seattle Mariners and won the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 1984 .
First base , or 1B , is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner to score a run for that player 's team . A first baseman is the player on the team playing defense who fields the area nearest first base , and is responsible for the majority of plays made at that base . In the numbering system used to record defensive plays , the first baseman is assigned the number 3 . Also called first sacker or cornerman , the first baseman is ideally a tall player who throws left-handed and possesses good flexibility and quick reflexes . Flexibility is needed because the first baseman receives throws from the other infielders , the catcher and the pitcher after they have fielded ground balls . In order for the runner to be called out , the first baseman must be able to stretch towards the throw and catch it before the runner reaches first base . First base is often referred to as the other hot corner - the hot corner being third base - and therefore , like the third baseman , he must have quick reflexes to field the hardest hit balls down the foul line , mainly by left-handed pull hitters and right-handed hitters hitting to the opposite field . They often are power hitters who have a substantial number of home runs and extra base hits while maintaining a .270 plus batting average . [ citation needed ]
The Stanford Cardinal baseball team represents Stanford University in NCAA Division I college baseball . Along with most other Stanford athletic teams , the baseball team participates in the Pac-12 Conference . The Cardinal play their home games on campus at Klein Field at Sunken Diamond , and they are currently coached by David Esquer .
Oddibe McDowell ( born August 25 , 1962 ) is an American former center fielder in Major League Baseball ( MLB ) who played from 1985 to 1994 for the Texas Rangers , Cleveland Indians , and Atlanta Braves . His first name is pronounced owed a bee or oh-ta-bee . Because it also sounds vaguely like a slurred rendition of oh to be , ESPN personality and announcer Chris Berman dubbed him Oddibe Young Again McDowell .
Mark David McGwire ( born October 1 , 1963 ) , nicknamed Big Mac , is an American former professional baseball first baseman . His Major League Baseball ( MLB ) playing career spanned from 1986 to 2001 while playing for the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals , winning one World Series championship each with Oakland as a player in 1989 and with St. Louis as a coach in 2011 . One of the most prolific home run hitters in baseball history , McGwire holds the major league career record for at bats per home run ratio ( 10.6 ) , and is the former record holder for both home runs in a single season ( 70 in 1998 ) and home runs hit by rookie ( 49 in 1987 ) . He ranks 11th all time in home runs with 583 , and led the major leagues in home runs in five different seasons , while establishing the major league record for home runs hit in a four-season period from 1996 to 1999 with 245 . Further , he demonstrated exemplary patience as a batter , producing a career .394 on-base percentage ( OBP ) and twice leading the major leagues in bases on balls . Injuries cut short the manifestation of even greater potential as he reached 140 games played in just eight of 16 total seasons . A right-handed batter and thrower , McGwire stood 6 feet 5 inches ( 1.96 m ) tall and weighed 245 pounds ( 111 kg ) during his playing career . A part of the 1998 Major League Baseball home run record chase of Roger Maris ' 61 with the Cardinals , McGwire set the major league single-season home run record with 70 , which Barry Bonds broke three years later with 73 . McGwire also led the league in runs batted in , twice in bases on balls and on-base percentage , and four times in slugging percentage . Injuries significantly cut into his playing time in 2000 and 2001 before factoring into his retirement . He finished with 583 home runs , which was fifth all-time when he retired . McGwire was a central figure in baseball 's steroids scandal .
Salvatore Anthony Torey Lovullo ( born July 25 , 1965 ) is an American professional baseball manager for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball ( MLB ) , appointed November 4 , 2016 . Lovullo served as the first base coach for the Toronto Blue Jays from 2011 to 2012 , then as the bench coach for the Boston Red Sox from 2013 until 2016 . He also served as Boston 's interim manager for the final seven weeks of the 2015 season when his boss , John Farrell , stepped aside for successful treatment for lymphoma . Lovullo compiled a win-loss record of 28-20 ( .583 ) from August 14 , 2015 , through the final day of the season , October 4 . His earlier managing career included service in the Cleveland Indians ' and Red Sox ' farm systems ( 2002-10 ) . Lovullo is from Santa Monica , California , and attended University of California , Los Angeles .
Alex Anthony Sanchez ( born April 8 , 1966 ) is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball . He played professionally for the Toronto Blue Jays .
In baseball , the pitcher is the player who throws the 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 pitcher is assigned the number 1 . The pitcher is often considered the most important player on the defensive side of the game , and as such is situated at the right end of the defensive spectrum . There are many different types of pitchers , such as the starting pitcher , relief pitcher , middle reliever , lefty specialist , setup man , and the closer . Traditionally , the pitcher also bats . Starting in 1973 with the American League and spreading to further leagues throughout the 1980s and 1990s , the hitting duties of the pitcher have generally been given over to the position of designated hitter , a cause of some controversy . The National League in Major League Baseball and the Japanese Central League are among the remaining leagues that have not adopted the designated hitter position .
Walter William Chip Hale ( born December 2 , 1964 ) is an American former Major League Baseball ( MLB ) second baseman and third baseman , and current bench coach for the Washington Nationals . He played for the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Dodgers , and managed the Arizona Diamondbacks .
Scott Gavin Erickson ( born February 2 , 1968 ) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher .
Alan Michael Zinter ( born May 19 , 1968 ) is an American former professional baseball player and current hitting coach for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball ( MLB ) . He played in MLB in 2002 and 2004 with the Houston Astros and the Arizona Diamondbacks , and played in Nippon Professional Baseball in 1999 with the Seibu Lions . He served as the minor league hitting coordinator for the Cleveland Indians , the assistant hitting coach for the Astros , and was former the hitting coach of the San Diego Padres .
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player . When a batter takes his/her turn to hit , the catcher crouches behind home plate , in front of the ( home ) umpire , and receives the ball from the pitcher . In addition to this primary duty , the catcher is also called upon to master many other skills in order to field the position well . The role of the catcher is similar to that of the wicket-keeper in cricket , but in cricket , wicketkeepers are increasingly known for their batting abilities . Positioned behind home plate , the catcher can see the whole field , and is therefore in the best position to direct and lead the other players in a defensive play . The catcher typically calls for pitches using hand signals . The calls are based on the pitcher 's mechanics and strengths , as well as the batter 's tendencies and weaknesses . Foul tips , bouncing balls in the dirt , and contact with runners during plays at the plate are all events to be handled by the catcher , necessitating the use of protective equipment . This includes a mask , chest and throat protectors , shin guards , and a heavily padded catcher 's mitt . Because the position requires a comprehensive understanding of the game 's strategies , the pool of former catchers yields a disproportionate number of managers in both Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball , including such prominent examples as Connie Mack , Steve O'Neill , Al López , Mike Scioscia , and Joe Torre . The physical and mental demands of being involved on every defensive play can wear catchers down over a long season , and can have a negative effect on their offensive output . Because of the strategic defensive importance of catching , if a catcher has exceptional defensive skills , teams are often willing to overlook their relative offensive weaknesses .
David Andrew Dave McCarty ( born November 23 , 1969 ) is a former first baseman and outfielder in Major League Baseball . From 1993 through 2005 , McCarty played with the Minnesota Twins ( 1993-1995 ) , San Francisco Giants ( 1995-1996 ) , Seattle Mariners ( 1998 ) , Kansas City Royals ( 2000-2002 ) , Tampa Bay Devil Rays ( 2002 ) , Oakland Athletics ( 2003 ) and Boston Red Sox ( 2003-2005 ) . He batted right-handed and threw left-handed .
The California Golden Bears baseball team represents the University of California in NCAA Division I college baseball . Along with most other California athletic teams , the baseball team participates in the Pac-12 Conference . The Bears play their home games at Evans Diamond .
Jon Edward Zuber ( born December 10 , 1969 ) is a former professional baseball first baseman . He played parts of two seasons in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1996 and 1998 . He also played one season in Nippon Professional Baseball for the Yokohama BayStars in 2001 . He is currently an assistant coach at his alma mater , The University of California , Berkeley .