Chihuahuas Chatter presented by Budweiser Select Features El Pasoan and Former MLB Player Rocky Coppinger

Rocky Coppinger was a standout two-way baseball player at Coronado High School, which lead him to get drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 19th round of the 1993 MLB Amateur Draft.

El Paso native and former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher Rocky Coppinger headlines the 2020 class of the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame, which selects the best athletes from El Paso. He will appear on Chihuahuas Chatter presented by Budweiser Select on Thursday, July 9 at 4 p.m. MDT, hosted by the voice of the Chihuahuas Tim Hagerty.

“I’m excited for my daughters,” said Coppinger in his pre-taped interview. “They’re all younger, so they now get to hear about their dad, about how he was a baseball player. They’re excited; I’m excited for them so they can be part of my baseball history.”

Rocky Coppinger, now 46, was born and raised in El Paso. He was a standout two-way baseball player at Coronado High School, which lead him to get drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 19th round of the 1993 MLB Amateur Draft.

“I was good. But it wasn’t about that I was more talented than the rest of the team, because I played with some good ballplayers here in El Paso, I think what set me apart was my competitiveness.”

It was going through the process of those stressful games playing in front of scouts and general managers in high school, and then pitching in the big leagues for parts of 5 seasons, that he says shaped him, for the better, into who he is today.

“Those moments have led me to this point, and it’s made me a better person, a better father and a better husband. I’m thankful for those moments for who I am today.”

Coppinger worked his way quickly through the Orioles farm system, reaching Triple-A in just his second professional season. In his third pro season, he made it to the big leagues in June of 1996. He immediately joined the starting rotation, and started 22 games at just 22 years of age.

He was a part of a second half resurgence for Baltimore that year, helping them to win the wild card before eventually falling to the division rival New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series. That roster included names like Cal Ripken Jr., Bobby Bonilla, Rafael Palmeiro, Roberto Alomar, Mike Mussina and David Wells.

After the season concluded, he finished fourth in the American League Rookie of the Year voting, behind only Tony Clark (Detroit), James Baldwin (Chicago) and the winner, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter.

Injuries limited him a little the next few seasons and he played the next three years in Baltimore before being traded in July 1999 to the Milwaukee Brewers. He transitioned to the bullpen that year, serving as the setup man for closer Bob Wickman and had his best season numbers wise.

“As a kid from El Paso now moving to Wisconsin, it was a culture shock, but I loved it. The town smelt like beer and cheese and I loved it. I went over there and did well.”

That offseason however, while playing in a Winter League to transition back into a starter and get some more innings, Coppinger blew out his elbow, and after sitting out all of 2000 to come back, he only pitched one more season in the majors, 2001.

Not done yet, Coppinger got the chance he never had as a professional – to play in front of his hometown fans and family. In 2005, he pitched in one game for the El Paso Diablos, a team playing in the Independent Central League.

“It was a thing I wanted to do, pitch in front of my family; I never got the chance to pitch in front of my hometown fans in El Paso. It was one of those things I had the opportunity to do.”

In his interview, Coppinger also talks about his major league debut in Detroit, what it was like playing in the postseason, what he is doing now, and much more. You can catch Rocky Coppinger on Chihuahuas Chatter presented by Budweiser Select on Thursday, July 9 at 4 p.m. MDT, hosted by the voice of the Chihuahuas Tim Hagerty.