Tim Belcher pitching coach for new manager Manny Acta

[sjeppe]

Cleveland Indians name Tim Belcher pitching coach for new manager Manny Acta
By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer

Chuck Crow, The Plain DealerTim Belcher, in 2002
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Tim Belcher is the Cleveland Indians' new pitching coach under first-year manager Manny Acta.

Belcher, 48, has served the Indians as a special assistant to the baseball operations department for the last eight years. He will replace Carl Willis, who was fired along with manager Eric Wedge and the rest of his coaching staff on Sept. 30.

In 14 big-league seasons, the native of Sparta, Ohio, went 146-140 with 4.16 ERA. Belcher pitched with seven big league teams, winning 10 or more games in nine seasons.

As a special assistant, Belcher worked with the Indians player development system in instructing and evaluating pitching talent at every level in the minor league system. He also scouted other teams, providing advance scouting reports for the last several years for the Tribe's big-league coaching staff.

Belcher pitched at Nazarene University in Mount Vernon, Ohio and was the No.1 pick in the 1983 draft by the Minnesota Twins. He did not sign and was the No.1 pick of the Yankees in the now defunct secondary phase of the draft in January of 1984.

 

[Gunther]

Lastoria's thoughts:

Quick Thoughts On Belcher
Posted by Tony at 12:16 PM

Without any comments from Mark Shapiro or Manny Acta yet on the hiring of Tim Belcher as the Major League Pitching Coach, here are some quick thoughts on the hiring off the top of my head:

•When assessing the pitching coach possibilities, I think it was a foregone conclusion that that job was going to be filled from within. As a result, a lot of the focus was on Triple-A Columbus pitching coach Scott Radinsky and minor league pitching coordinator Dave Miller as the top candidates to fill the job. In hindsight this was very narrow thinking, and I like many others in the media completely forgot about Tim Belcher and Jason Bere and their roles as special assistants to the Indians Baseball Operations Department.


•Like Radinsky and Miller, Belcher fit the mold of someone who was very familiar with all the young talent up and down the Indians system having observed and also worked with them all many times over his eight years in the organization. He was a teacher and helped facilitate the development of the young players like Radinsky and Miller, but what set Belcher apart from Radinsky and Miller is his experience working in the big league environment. Having done a lot of advanced scouting and player evaluation at the big league level recently he was probably more in touch with the demands at that level.

•Bere and Belcher shared a lot of the same duties as special assistants to baseball operations, with Bere a little more ingrained with the minor league guys and development whereas Belcher was used a little more in player decisions at the minor/major league level and also evaluation of players in the minors/majors inside and outside the organization.

•From what I understand a lot of times Belcher was GM Mark Shapiro’s “eyes” in evaluating and observing the pitching in the system, particularly in the upper levels of the system at Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus.

•It looks like with this move that Miller likely remains as the minor league pitching coordinator, but it is still unclear where Radinsky will fit. There is a possibility he could be a bullpen coach, or very well return to Columbus and assume his pitching coach duties again. There is also the possibility that Radinsky could leave the organization for a big league job or minor league coaching job elsewhere.

•The hiring of Belcher may bring to light who they may be looking at as their hitting coach. I still believe they will go outside the organization and fill the role, but if they do happen to fill the role from within it seems very possible that Ellis Burks could be named to the position. Like Belcher, Burks was a special assistant to the Baseball Operations Department and had the same responsibilities as he assisted in the facilitation of instruction and development at the major league and minor league level. Just like Belcher, Burks assisted Shapiro in player decisions and his primary duty was to evaluate position players, particularly the outfielders. If he does not end up the hitting coach, he could still end up on Acta’s staff as an outfield coach.

•In the end I like many Indians fans was surprised by the announcement this morning that Belcher was named the big league pitching coach. But while I was surprised, I was not shocked as given a few minutes to take it in the hiring certainly makes a lot of sense. He brings with him a lot of success and experience as a big league pitcher, and more importantly he also has experience with instruction, evaluation, and developing young talent. I still may have preferred Radinsky, but I understand that they probably wanted a guy with more experience recently working at the big league level.

 

[AZ_]

Countdown until cmstophe posts something sarcastic about Belcher getting us to the World Series......

 

[Real Deal]

hope everything goes well

 

[Ajak0410]

Countdown until cmstophe posts something sarcastic about Belcher getting us to the World Series......

Nah, one pitching coach won't put us over the top.

However, I am looking forward to see what up and coming coaching prospects we trade him for come midseason.

 

[Chardon]

Countdown until cmstophe posts something sarcastic about Belcher's name sounds like a burp

I know, how immature of him.

 

[Coyote850]

I remember Belcher as a pretty good pitcher. Never great, but steady, knew how to pitch. Good hire.

 

[Chardon]

I remember Belcher as a pretty good pitcher. Never great, but steady, knew how to pitch. Good hire.

Being a good player and being a coach are two different things. People know how to ride a bike. But have you tried to teach someone how to ride a bike, its hard.

 

[PIP]

The highly esteemed Tim Belcher.

 

[Coyote850]

Being a good player and being a coach are two different things. People know how to ride a bike. But have you tried to teach someone how to ride a bike, its hard.

Yes it is. Being a great player (Jordan) doesn't mean you can teach. But alot of times if you take an average player they turn out to be really good coaches/teachers. And once in awhile someone who never played becomes a really good coach. (Mike Fratello)
Have to wait and see, but its nice to recognize the name.

 

[DougHeil]

I like it. Belcher knows his stuff. I'm liking how Acta and Shapiro are thinking.

 

[Chris]

Belcher? Great.

So who are we playing in the Series next season? I'm thinking the Phillies might be back; would you guys go with a 3-man rotation of Huff, Carmona, and Sowers? Hopefully Belcher can have them figured out by next October.

(Hey, you asked for it BoobTube)