Tim Ireland (baseball)

Infobox MLB retired
name=Tim Ireland
position=Infielder


bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1953|3|14
city-state|Oakland|California
debutdate=September 20
debutyear=by|1981
debutteam=Kansas City Royals
finaldate=May 25
finalyear=by|1982
finalteam=Kansas City Royals
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.143
stat2label=Home runs
stat2value=0
stat3label=Runs batted in
stat3value=0
teams=
*Kansas City Royals (1981-82)
*Hiroshima Toyo Carp (1983-84)

Timothy Neal Christopher Ireland is a former Major League Baseball player for the Kansas City Royals. He played 11 games in the majors over two seasons, by|1981 and by|1982. He has also managed twelve seasons at various levels of the minor leagues.

Ireland was originally selected in the 25th round of the 1973 Major League Baseball Draft by the Montreal Expos. He was released by Montreal in April of by|1973, and over the next four seasons was under contract to five different organizations, ending up with the Royals in May of by|1977. He spent four more seasons with the Royals organization before making it to the majors in 1981, when he played four games at first base without coming to bat. He did score one run that season as a pinch runner. In 1982 he played in 7 additional games, including a pair of starts in right field, going 1-for-7 at the plate. In December, he was released. He then played two seasons for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Japan, and for the Fort Myers Sun Sox in the Senior Professional Baseball Association in by|1989.

After his playing career, he managed the Salinas Spurs in the California League in 1989. He then managed from by|1992 until by|1997 in the Milwaukee Brewers farm system, winning league titles with the Stockton Ports in the California League in 1992 and with the El Paso Diablos in the Texas League in by|1994.

He spent the next three seasons as a scout for the Colorado Rockies, mostly in the Pacific Rim, signing Chin-hui Tsao among other players. In by|2001, he returned to minor league managing with the independent Sonoma County Crushers. The following season, he was hired by the Texas Rangers, and managed in their system until by|2004, when he won another league title with the Frisco RoughRiders of the Texas League.

In by|2005, the Rangers made Ireland their minor league baserunning coordinator. In by|2006 he started the season as manager of the Oklahoma RedHawks, but was replaced after 33 games by Mike Boulanger.

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