Indians Announce Completion Of Major League Coaching Staff

The Cleveland Indians and Manager Terry Francona today announced the formation of the 2013 Major League coaching staff.

Francona today appointed SANDY ALOMAR (Bench Coach), MICKEY CALLAWAY (Pitching Coach), KEVIN CASH (Bullpen Coach), BRAD MILLS (Third Base Coach), MIKE SARBAUGH (First Base Coach) and TY VAN BURKLEO (Hitting Coach) to the Major League coaching staff for the upcoming season.  The staff owns a combined 148 years of experience in professional baseball.

Alomar, 46, begins his fourth season on the Tribe’s Major League coaching staff, having spent the 2012 season in the same capacity.  The Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame inductee is entering his 30^th season in professional baseball and his 6^th in the coaching ranks.  During his 20-year Major League playing career from 1988-2007, Alomar hit .273 (1236-4530) with 249 2B, 112 HR and 588RBI in 1377 games.  He played 11 seasons with the Indians from 1990-2000, was selected to six American League All-Star teams and caught the third most games (950) in the 112-year history of the franchise.

Callaway, 37, spent the 2012 season as the Tribe’s Minor League Pitching Coordinator in his third campaign in the Indians organization.  He was previously the Pitching Coach at Class-A Lake County in 2010 and at Class-A Kinston in 2011 after hanging up his cleats after the 2009 season. Mickey pitched professionally from 1996-2009, appearing in 40 Major League games with Tampa Bay, Texas and Anaheim from 1999-2004 and made 6 starts for the 2002 World Champion Anaheim Angels.

Cash, 34, spent the 2012 season as the Major League Advance Scout for the Toronto Blue Jays after concluding his playing career in 2011.  He enjoyed a 12-year career from 2000-11, including parts of 8 seasons in the Major Leagues with five different teams from 2002-10. The Tampa, FL native signed his first professional contract with Toronto in 1999 and made his Major League debut with them during the 2002 season and was Toronto’s opening day catcher in 2004. He played for Terry Francona in Boston in 2007 and 2008 and caught for Brad Mills in Houston in 2010. In 2008 he appeared in a career-high 61 games, caught all 30 of Tim Wakefield’s starts and homered during the ALCS for Boston.

Mills, 55, is beginning his 35^th year in professional baseball, reuniting with Francona after spending the last three seasons (2010-12) managing the Houston Astros.  During his first season with the Astros (2010), the Astros finished 59-52 over their final 111 games and finished 1.0 game out of 3rd place in the NL Central.  Mills owns 14 seasons of experience coaching or managing at the big league level, having previously served with Francona in Philadelphia (1997-2000) and for five playoff appearances in Boston (2004-09). Mills played collegiately (University of Arizona) and professionally (Montreal) with Francona, compiling a 4-year Major League batting average of .256 (43-168) over 106 games with the Expos from 1980-83 before retiring as a player in 1986

2013 Major League Coaching Staff

MEMBER                    POSITION         YRS/PRO EXP

Sandy Alomar               Bench Coach                 29

Mickey Callaway           Pitching Coach              17

Kevin Cash                    Bullpen Coach               13

Brad Mills                      Third Base Coach        34

Mike Sarbaugh              First Base Coach           24

Ty Van Burkleo              Hitting Coach                31

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Sarbaugh, 45, has been a member of the Indians organization since 1990 as a Minor League player, coach and manager and is beginning his first season on the Major League staff. He is entering his 25^th season in professional baseball, having guided the Triple-A Columbus Clippers over each of the last three seasons since 2010, leading the Clippers to the International League and Triple-A championships in back-to-back seasons of 2010-11. During his nine seasons (since 2004) piloting Cleveland Minor League affiliates, Mike’s teams compiled winning records in each campaign and captured five league titles.   The Shillington, PA native became a coach in the Tribe’s Player Development system in 1995 after a six-year Minor League playing career from 1989-94.

Van Burkleo, 50, owns five years of Major League coaching experience, having spent the last seven weeks of the 2012 season as the Hitting Coach of the Houston Astros after previous stints with the Oakland A’s (Hitting Coach, 2007-08) and Seattle Mariners (Bench Coach, 2009-2010). Prior to his interim stint with the Astros in August he served as the Hitting Coordinator in the Houston Player Development system in 2011-12 and also held the same position with the Anaheim Angels (2001-06). The Oakland, CA native enjoyed a 15-year player career from 1982-96, appearing in 14 Major League games in 1993 (California) and 1994 (Colorado) before beginning his coaching career in the Angels system in 1996.