Hatcher returns to Dodgers as special assistant to GM
Hatcher returns to Dodgers as special assistant to GM
The Dodgers, the team Hatcher spent six years with as a player, announced Monday that they have hired the former hitting coach as a special assistant to general manager Ned Colletti. In his new position, the 57-year-old Hatcher will "devote time helping with player development as well as assisting the Major League staff," a club-issued release specified.
"I talked to him last week, and he's very, very excited for the opportunity," said Angels skipper Mike Scioscia, a former teammate of Hatcher's with the Dodgers, who then brought him into his coaching staff in Anaheim. "He'll certainly be an asset to that organization. I think his knowledge, his enthusiasm, is something that will be very strong for the Dodgers, and I'm sure he's excited about it."
A fifth-round Draft pick by the Dodgers in 1977, Hatcher spent his first two Major League seasons (1979-80) and his last four (1987-90) as a member of the Dodgers and is best remembered for his impact on the 1988 World Series, playing a vital role in helping the Dodgers claim their sixth championship.
Hatcher then coached and managed in the Dodgers organization in Albuquerque (1991-92), Great Falls (1995-97) and San Bernardino (1998) before being hired as Scioscia's hitting coach in 2000.
"It's a great feeling being a Dodger again," Hatcher said in a statement. "It feels like I've come back home. This is where my roots were and where I was taught everything about the game and where I learned about professionalism. I'm excited about the opportunity to meet everyone in the organization and about the energy created by the new ownership. I couldn't be happier right now."