Playing Sarbaugh attended
Lamar University, where he was an all-conference
shortstop, graduating with a degree in
kinesiology. In 1995, he was a
replacement player during the
ongoing strike for Cleveland during
spring training.
Coaching Sarbaugh later became a minor league coach, being named the hitting coach for the
Kinston Indians in 1995, when the "K-Tribe" won the Carolina League championship. He next moved on to the
Columbus RedStixx of the
South Atlantic League in 1996 and 1997, then was back to Kinston in 1998 and 1999. He also served as the hitting coach for the
Akron Aeros from 2000 to 2003. In 2004, he was named manager of the
Mahoning Valley Scrappers, leading them to a
New York–Penn League championship. The next season, he managed the
Lake County Captains. Sarbaugh won both the 2010 and 2011 Triple-A championships with Columbus.
Cleveland Indians/Guardians Sarbaugh was named the third base coach/infielders coach for the
Cleveland Indians in 2013. During the 2020 season, Sarbaugh filled in as Cleveland's bench coach as
Sandy Alomar Jr., the bench coach, filled in for manager
Terry Francona, who was away from the team due to a medical condition. On August 5, 2023, Sarbaugh was ejected for the first time in his MLB career by
Mark Wegner for his role in the infamous
Jose Ramirez and
Tim Anderson fight. The
Chicago White Sox defeated their division rivals, 7-4. On October 31, 2023, the Guardians announced that Sarbaugh would not return for the 2024 season.
New York Mets In November 2023, the
New York Mets hired Sarbaugh to be their third base coach for the 2024 season. He coached two seasons for the Mets. On October 3, 2025, it was announced that Sarbaugh would not return for the 2026 season. ==Personal life==