Rob Mackowiak

Robert William Mackowiak (; born June 20, 1976) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. During his Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres, and Washington Nationals.

Personal life Mackowiak was born on June 20, 1976, in Oak Lawn, Illinois. He grew up playing baseball for Oak Lawn Community High School in Oak Lawn, Illinois, and then at Lake Central High School in St. John, Indiana, where he graduated in 1994. Mackowiak was excited about playing in Chicago because it was where he grew up and still had relatives. He played in 28 games, and finished the year with a .263 average. At the end of the season, he underwent surgery for a double sports hernia.

2008, Washington National and Cincinnati Reds

In December 2007, Mackowiak signed with the Washington Nationals, but was released in June. He appeared in 38 games for the Nationals, hitting .132.

Newark Bears On May 8, 2009, Mackowiak signed with the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. A month later, Cleveland signed him to play with AAA Columbus. After his release there, he rejoined the Bears in July and helped them to a playoff run, hitting .323.

Cleveland Indians On June 6, 2009, Rob was signed by the Cleveland Indians and reported to their AAA team, the Columbus Clippers. On July 7, the Clippers released him and he rejoined the Newark Bears to finish the 2009 season.

Windy City Thunderbolts In 2010, the Windy City ThunderBolts announced that Rob Mackowiak was hired as the team's hitting coach. The Windy City hitting coach job was Mackowiak's first coaching experience in professional baseball.

Mackowiak came out of retirement in 2010 to be the starting 3rd baseman for the Windy City Thunderbolts. He played in 113 games batting .255 19 home runs and 77 RBIs.