Born in Windsor, Ontario on February 24, 1973, Stubby Clapp’s career has been marked by achievement both as a player and a coach on the international and professional stages. A fan-favourite nicknamed “Captain Canada” and the “Mayor of Memphis,” Clapp has left his mark on baseball in both the Great White North and the “Bluff City”.
Clapp’s career representing Canada on the international stage started in 1991 as a member of the Junior National Team. Their gold medal at that year’s World Youth Baseball Championship in Brandon, MB was Canada’s first international gold, and the beginning of a career filled with many memorable moments for Clapp as a member of Team Canada (Item 1.1). In the 1999 Pan American Games, Clapp famously hit a walk-off extra-innings single to beat a heavily-favoured United States team, with Canada eventually taking home the bronze. Clapp also represented Canada at the 2004 Olympics and again in the 2006 qualifiers for the Beijing Olympics. He played a pivotal role in the latter, scoring key runs against Taiwan and South Korea, and breaking up an extra-innings double play against Germany (Item 1.2). Clapp then went on to play for Canada at the 2006 World Baseball Classic, the 2008 Olympics, and the 2009 World Baseball Classic before retiring from playing at the end of the ‘09 season (Items 1.4). In retirement, Clapp has become a frequent fixture of Team Canada’s coaching staff, winning bronze at the 2011 Baseball World Cup, and gold at the 2011 and 2015 Pan Am Games, as well as coaching with the 2013 and 2026 World Baseball Classic staffs.
(Item 1.1) Photo of the Canadian Junior National Team after winning the World Youth Baseball Championship, Canada’s first international championship in baseball. Clapp is in the middle row, second from the left. The photo is autographed by manager and fellow CBHFM inductee John Haar (Class of 2004).
(Item 1.2) Baseball autographed by members of the 2004 Canadian Baseball Olympic team, including Stubby Clapp, who wore #11 for the tournament.
(Item 1.4) Baseball Bat autographed by members of the 2008 Canadian Baseball Olympic team, including Stubby Clapp.
(Item 2.1) Life-size poster growth chart of Stubby Clapp from his time with the Memphis Redbirds.
(Item 2.2) Baseball card of Stubby Clapp made in advance of the 2001 season. Clapp is shown playing second base for the Cardinals with his autograph overlaid.
Outside of international play, Clapp has become a fixture in professional baseball as well. Drafted out of Texas Tech University by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 36th round of the 1996 draft, Clapp landed with the Cardinals Triple-A affiliate, the Memphis Redbirds. Between 1999 and 2002, Clapp became beloved among Memphis fans. Clapp was consistently among the Redbirds leaders in hits, runs, triples, and assists, and regularly did backflips when taking the field (Item 2.1). Clapp earned a 23-game call-up to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2001, playing primarily as a pinch hitter (Item 2.2).
After time in the Atlanta Braves’ and Toronto Blue Jays’ minor league systems, Clapp served as player-coach of the independent Edmonton Cracker-Cats of the Northern League (Item 2.3). After moving through coaching positions with the Houston Astros’ and Blue Jays’ minor league teams, Clapp returned to Memphis in 2017 as the new manager of the Triple-A Redbirds. The “Mayor” turned Memphis around immediately, taking the team from a 14th place finish the year before, to first, winning back-to-back Pacific Coast League championships in 2017 and 2018. The effort earned Clapp Minor League Manager of the Year honours in both years (Items 3.1 & 3.2). After his success with Memphis, Clapp was brought to St. Louis in 2019 to serve as the Cardinals’ first base coach, a role which he occupies to this day (Item 3.3).
(Item 3.1) Memphis Redbirds jersey worn by Stubby Clapp while managing the team in 2017. Clapp has signed the jersey on its back underneath his number 10.
(Item 3.2) Bobblehead of Stubby Clapp from his time as manager of the Memphis Redbirds. Clapp has signed the bobblehead on the right side of the helmet.
(Item 3.3) St. Louis Cardinals jersey worn by Stubby Clapp as the first base coach during the 2025 season.
Over his career Clapp has collected multiple honours for both his play and coaching. The Memphis Redbirds made him the first player with a retired number in 2007, and Baseball Canada inducted him to their Wall of Excellence in 2025. Baseball Canada also created the Stubby Clapp Award in his honour, “presented annually to a Canadian player who has stood out for their hard work, perseverance, positive attitude and strong performance on the field.” The award serves as a strong reminder of his undeniable impact on Canadian baseball both on the field and from the dugout.