Baseball Victoria Life Members: Jon Deeble

Jon Deeble has one of the most successful baseball careers in Australia and is a worthy recipient of life membership from Baseball Victoria. His contribution to Victorian and Australian baseball for over 35 years is surpassed by few people. 

Jon was a distinguished pitcher who played for Australia at the 1988 Olympics and the Melbourne Monarchs in the old Australian Baseball League. He was named in the Victorian Claxton Shield 'Team of The Century' (1934 – 2000) as a utility. Jon has long contributed to elite Victorian men’s teams. As a manager, Jon coached Victoria’s Claxton Shield team, the Melbourne Monarchs in the old Australian Baseball League and twice managed the Melbourne Aces in the new Australian Baseball League, including a championship in 2020-21.

In 2005, he became the first Victorian and Australian to coach in the Major Leagues for the Boston Red Sox, creating opportunities for other Victorians and Australians to coach at the Minor and Major League levels. Jon was the manager of the Australian national team for nearly 20 years, including three Olympics and several World Baseball Classics. He has also coached elite juniors and was the head coach for ten years at the MLB Academy on the Gold Coast. Jon’s contribution to baseball saw him inducted to the Baseball Australia Hall of Fame.

Jon was involved with school holiday camps in Victoria for over 10 years and assisted many clubs with coach accreditation through the National Coaches Accreditation Scheme. Jon has been an international scout for over two decades with the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers and he has signed numerous Victorians to professional contracts.