Joe Charboneau

Joseph Charboneau (born June 17, 1955) is an American former professional baseball left fielder and designated hitter who played three seasons with the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the early 1980s.

After winning the AL Rookie of the Year award in 1980, Charboneau's career quickly flamed out amidst injuries, specifically a back ailment that never properly healed and restricted him for the next three years. He is one of the most oft-cited examples of baseball's fabled sophomore jinx, holding the record for the fewest career games played in the Major Leagues by a Rookie of the Year, with 201. That record has now been broken by Kyle Lewis, who won the Rookie of the Year award in 2020, but finished his Major League career appearing in only 146 games.

Early life Charboneau was born fifth of seven children. When he was young, his family relocated to Santa Clara, California and his father left the family shortly thereafter. He was raised in poverty by his single mother who worked as a hospital receptionist. In order to make money, Charboneau would fight in illegal bare-knuckle boxing matches in boxcars and warehouses. He broke his nose and was stabbed three times apiece.

Charboneau attended and played baseball for Buchser High School in Santa Clara. He was not highly recruited by colleges or scouted by professional teams. While still in high school, he did get the attention of Philadelphia Phillies scout Eddie Bockman, who attended one of Charboneau's games in order to scout his teammate, Steve Bartkowski.

Charboneau soon became a fan favorite. Long before Dennis Rodman came on the scene, Charboneau became known for dyeing his hair, as well as his unusual way of consuming beer: through his nose. Other stories emerged about how he did his own dental work and fixed a broken nose with a pair of pliers and a few shots of Jack Daniel's whiskey, stood out; by mid-season, Charboneau was the subject of a song, "Go Joe Charboneau", that reached #3 on the local charts.

Prior to managing the Ironmen, Charboneau spent the 2014 baseball season as the hitting coach for the Lake Erie Crushers of the independent Frontier League.

He was the hitting coach at Notre Dame College in South Euclid, Ohio from 2016 through 2021.

Personal life Charboneau lives in North Ridgeville, Ohio with his wife Ellen. He has two children, Tyson (born 1979) and Dannon (born 1981) and six grandchildren.

In 2020 Charboneau suffered a stroke.