Cooper attended Pattonville High School in nearby Maryland Heights, Missouri, where he was a standout at baseball,[1] and played on their 1986 state championship team.

Appearing for Carlos Quintana as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning of a 10–0 A's win, Cooper struck out looking, which was his only MLB at bat that season.

[5] With future Hall of Fame third baseman Wade Boggs playing for the Red Sox, Cooper struggled to find time on the active roster and in ballgames.

When Boggs signed with the Yankees as a free agent in the offseason, Cooper became the starting third baseman and was selected to two All-Star teams.

Cooper's Cardinals career got off to a good start when he made his debut with St. Louis on April 26, 1995, in a 7–6 Cards win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Busch Stadium.

Cooper filed for free agency at the end of the season but found himself without a job in MLB for 1996, instead signing a one-year deal with the Seibu Lions in Japan.

Cooper was signed just three days after the Royals traded incumbent third baseman Joe Randa and three other players to the Pittsburgh Pirates for infielders Jay Bell and Jeff King.

His final MLB at bat came September 26, 1997, at Comiskey Park, striking out as a pinch hitter against Chicago White Sox lefty Jim Abbott.

A free agent at season's end, Cooper signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers,[16] but was released in March 1998,[17] without appearing in a game with the club.