Background and career
Covelli Loyce "Coco" Crisp (born November 1, 1979) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and MiLB team manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, and Oakland Athletics. While primarily a center fielder throughout his career, Crisp also played left field for the Athletics and during his stints with the Indians. With the Red Sox, he won the 2007 World Series over the Colorado Rockies. He served as manager of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers of the MLB Draft League in 2021.
Crisp was born in Los Angeles on November 1, 1979. He is the son of Loyce Crisp, a fast food restaurant owner and former amateur boxer, and Pamela Crisp, a former champion sprinter. He graduated from Inglewood High School in Inglewood, California before playing one season at Los Angeles Pierce College. Crisp is a graduate of Major League Baseball's Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities Program. His maternal grandfather is Nick Newton, a masters high jump world record holder from 1994 to 1996 and inventor of cast aluminum starting blocks. He played on the 1995 Senior Division RBI World Series champions from Los Angeles.
Crisp was originally nicknamed "Coco" by his sister who teased him that he looked like one of the characters on the Cocoa Krispies cereal box. The nickname was short-lived, until he started playing AA baseball when the team had all the players fill out a questionnaire to get to know one another. Covelli listed "Coco" as his nickname on the form and his teammates thought the name was funny so they had it put on the scoreboard during the game. He was traded to another team after a week and a half, but the nickname stuck and he has been "Coco Crisp" ever since. He officially changed his name on March 5, 2013.
The St. Louis Cardinals selected Crisp in the seventh round of the 1999 MLB draft. In his minor league career, Crisp played for Cardinals Minor League Baseball affiliates in four different leagues from 1999 to 2001 and was the Cardinals 2001 Minor League Player of the Year. He opened the 2002 season with the New Haven Ravens, then the Double-A Eastern League affiliate of the Cardinals. Crisp was traded to the Cleveland Indians on August 7, 2002, to complete an earlier trade for pitcher Chuck Finley. In the Indians organization, he played for their Double-A affiliate, the Akron Aeros, and their Triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons. Crisp had 69 hits, one home run, and 24 runs batted in (RBIs) before being called up by the Indians.
Crisp became the starting center fielder with the Indians in mid-2002, replacing the injured Matt Lawton. For the next few seasons, Crisp established a reputation as an excellent fielder and speedy baserunner. Despite his success, Crisp had to fight for his roster spot each spring. In 2005, Crisp moved to left field following the emergence of another young outfielder, Grady Sizemore. In his final two seasons with the Indians, Crisp showcased his offensive talent by batting .297 and .300 with 31 total home runs and 35 steals.
After Johnny Damon signed with the New York Yankees, the Red Sox sought Crisp to fill Damon's role as both leadoff hitter and in center field. In January 2006, the Red Sox sent prospect third baseman Andy Marte, pitcher Guillermo Mota, catcher Kelly Shoppach, a player to be named later (minor leaguer Randy Newsom), and cash considerations to the Indians for Crisp, catcher Josh Bard and pitcher David Riske.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
