Major League Baseball Coaches

[Merkle923]

The shot of Red Adams dates to 1975. It's an unused image from the SSPC series photographer.

[Merkle923]

Not the greatest of shots, but I took it, so have fun - and the year is 1980.

[Merkle923]

This does not, I think, date to 1977, but it's a solid image, taken by the impeccable J.D. McCarthy in Detroit.

[Merkle923]

One of mine. Might be 1979 or 1980.

[Merkle923]

Topps Vault is also good for these guys. The former American League infielder coached for the Twins from 1961 through 1964 (Yankee Stadium shot is 1962, I think; home shot, Spring Training 1964)

[Merkle923]

Padres' coach 1977-80. I took this one in August, 1978.

[Merkle923]

Later Orioles and Braves manager, a Detroit coach, 1955-60. The date of the photo is an informed guess.

[Merkle923]

Pirates' pitching coach under Danny Murtaugh, 1958 through 1962, Topps Vault, obviously.

[Merkle923]

Pitching coach of the Dodgers in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, 1955-64, the Cardinals in 1965-66, and the Cubs 1967-70.

In his broadcast of the last Brooklyn broadcast ever, in September 1957, Vin Scully talked of the off-season occupations of the Dodgers players and staff. It's hard to imagine that the pitching coach of the team that had won the World Series two years previously (and the first big league pitching coach of Koufax and Drysdale and so many others) needed the work, but it was a different era. Vin explained with a laugh that Becker would do a little hunting and then report to his off-season job in Arkansas: training mules!

[Merkle923]

The one-time pitcher, long-time minor league manager, and Dodgers coach for one season.

[Merkle923]

First-year pitching coach for the American League champion Royals in a shot I took at the 1980 World Series.

17 years on the job for four different clubs including two stints with the Cubs and three with the Yankees. He had spent a number of years as the "pitching coordinator" in the Mets system in the '70s, often spending time in uniform with the big league club without being officially identified as a coach (depicted in the 1972 or 1973 team picture).

[Merkle923]

Two I took in '78: Phil Roof in his lone year on the job, Hall of Famer Billy Herman in his first of two seasons with the Padres.

[Merkle923]

Two I took, dated to 1976 (top) and 1981 (bottom). Clear coached for the Angels from 1976 through 1987 (including his son's entire tenure as an Angels' pitcher).

[Merkle923]

Bob Skinner, Pirates, from an unpublished photo taken in 1975 for the SSPC set.

Then, from his Angels tenure in 1978, photographer unknown.

Lastly, two I took when he returned to Pittsburgh (In the home pinstripes at the 1979 NLCS, and in the Bucco gold at Shea in 1980).

[Merkle923]

Mets coach, 1964-67 and again in 1972 succeeding Yogi Berra after the latter ascended to the manager's chair following the death of Gil Hodges.

The photo is from the 1972 Mets' yearbook but it certainly dates to 1967 or 1966.

[Merkle923]

This is the singer/coach/veteran minor league manager in an uncredited slide picked up on eBay - officially spent just one year as a big league coach, though he did something in uniform and traveled with Texas during part of 1977 (when they went through three managers and a bunch of coaches).

[Amazin69]

Originally Posted by Merkle923

Mets coach, 1964-67 and again in 1972 succeeding Yogi Berra after the latter ascended to the manager's chair following the death of Gil Hodges.

The photo is from the 1972 Mets' yearbook but it certainly dates to 1967 or 1966.

Sheriff managed Jim Bouton in the minors (Amarillo Gold Sox, Texas League, 1961) and is remembered in Ball Four for his unchanging pitching advice, regardless of the opposing hitter: "Jam him". Once, Bouton recounts, he asked another manager or coach what kind of hitter Robinson was in his day. "He was pretty good," the source said, "but we used to jam the hell out of him."

Smoke 'em inside!

[Amazin69]

We have some black and whites of Harold "Lefty" Phillips on a previous page, but Topps Vault did post a color shot of him back in the old "uu" series. Here it is, color-adjusted by me:

[Cusick]

Listed as part of the 2015 Cubs' coaching staff on the team's MLB website. Serves as bullpen catcher. I'm not sure how long he has been there, which is why I'm posting on this thread instead of the Debuts thread.

[tnfoto]

Originally Posted by Cusick

Listed as part of the 2015 Cubs' coaching staff on the team's MLB website. Serves as bullpen catcher. I'm not sure how long he has been there, which is why I'm posting on this thread instead of the Debuts thread.

I don't include Noble and other bullpen catchers because they do not fit into the official MLB definition of coaches. The Cubs and several other teams use the term "coach" liberally in their roster listings. For the coaches included in the Facepack I use, at least to the best of my ability, the MLB coaching roster limitations. For 2015 that limit is seven active coaches. For most teams they are:

Bench coach
Hitting coach
Assistant hitting coach (the newest role added to the definition)
Pitching coach
First base coach
Third base coach
Bullpen coach

Other coaches I've seen listed on team rosters such as catching, base running, infield, outfield, assistant pitching, strength & conditioning, special assistant, coaching assistant, QA or mental conditioning coaches may be carried on the team's payroll but are not "official" coaches according to MLB. They do not accrue service time and are not eligible for MLB pension.

Team personnel such as senior advisors (e.g. Don Zimmer for the Rays), bullpen catchers and translators may also be shown in the coaching section of the MLB.com rosters but as with those above are not included in the MLB coaching definition.