Christopher Andrew Sabo (born January 19, 1962) is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, and St. Louis Cardinals between 1988 and 1996. He was the head baseball coach of the Akron Zips (2020–2022). Early life Sabo was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of a plumber and a waitress. The Sabos lived in Rosedale Park, three blocks from the 1968 Championship Detroit Tiger Willie Horton. Sabo attended Detroit Catholic Central High School. In high school, he excelled as both a hockey goalie and a golfer in addition to being one of the area's best baseball players, twice earning all-state honors. Sabo played hockey on two national championship 17-and-under teams and, before enrolling at Michigan, also played hockey as a goaltender in one game in the Ontario Junior Hockey League for the Niagara Falls Flyers in the 1979–80 season. As a senior, he was torn between pursuing a hockey career or a baseball career but ultimately chose baseball and a scholarship to the University of Michigan despite being drafted in the 1980 Major League Baseball Draft by the Montreal Expos. In 1982, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Orleans Cardinals of the Cape Cod Baseball League. A third baseman, Sabo was a key component on a strong Michigan team that finished third in the College World Series in 1983, a season in which Sabo was joined as a starting infielder by future Reds teammate and Baseball Hall of Famer Barry Larkin. That season, Sabo earned first-team All-American honors from The Sporting News and Baseball America. Professional career Sabo was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the second round of the 1983 Major League Baseball Draft. Sabo spent five seasons in the Reds' minor league system, during which he never put up impressive numbers, although in two of those seasons he was named the Most Valuable Player of his team. By , he was given little chance of making the big-league team out of spring training, but his ability combined with his grit and hustle was reminiscent of, and endeared him to, Reds manager Pete Rose. With Buddy Bell starting the season on the disabled list and the Reds needing a third baseman, Sabo stepped in and was the opening day starter. Batting eighth, Sabo collected his first hit, stolen base and run scored in the seventh inning