NewsMets finalize their 2010 coaching staff
Jauss added as bench coach, Hale as third-base coach
By Marty Noble / MLB.com
11/24/09 9:05 PM EST
NEW YORK -- With two moves that were foreshadowed in the media for weeks, the Mets addressed one of the flaws that undermined their performance during the 2009 season -- fundamentals. The club finally made public the appointments of coaches Chip Hale and Dave Jauss on Tuesday, completing the renovations of the big league staff.Hale, late of the D-backs, will replace Razor Shines as third-base coach, and Jauss, the bench coach for the Orioles the past two seasons, replaces Sandy Alomar Sr. as bench coach for Jerry Manuel.
The Mets also announced the appointment of former Angels and Astros manager Terry Collins as Minor League field coordinator, replacing Luis Aguayo.
Hale and Jauss will serve on Manuel's staff with incumbents Howard Johnson (hitting instructor), Dan Warthen (pitching coach), Randy Niemann (bullpen coach) and Shines, who has been shifted to first base after a difficult season at third.
"Chip learned from [former Twins manager] Tom Kelly in Minnesota where everything is about fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals," Manuel said. "The third-base coach is such a critical position and we think it's a great plus that he comes to us with a ready-made knowledge of the National League." Hale, 44, had been the D-backs third base and infield coach from 2007-09. His teams produced a .562 winning percentage in his six seasons as a Minor League manager in the D-backs' organization.
Jauss, 52, was the Dodgers' bench coach for two years before moving to the Orioles. He spent 10 years with the Red Sox as a coach, scout and administrator, coaching first base from 1997-99 and serving as the advance scout in 2004 when the Sox overcame the Yankees in the playoffs and won the World Series.
"Dave was schooled under Felipe Alou in Montreal, and Felipe always stressed speed and the running game," Manuel said. "He will be an exceptional resource."
Manuel and Jauss worked together in the Expos organization from 1988-89 when Jauss was a Minor League manager and Manuel was the Minor League field coordinator. Jauss graduated from Amherst College with a bachelor's degree in psychology and has a Master's degree in sports management from the University of Massachusetts.
"Jerry and I thought it was crucial that we explore changes to the staff to help us achieve our goal of returning a championship-caliber team to the field," general manager Omar Minaya said. "Innovative and creative are two words that I would use to describe Dave and Chip. That's what impressed me during the interview process with each."
Collins, 60, will oversee all on-field aspects of the Mets' Minor League Spring Training, mini-camps and Instructional League. He will be involved in all phases of Minor League on-field operations, including instruction, discipline and player and staff evaluations.
He managed the Astros from 1994-96 and the Angels from '97-99. Collins' teams produced a .506 winning percentage. This year, he managed Team China in the World Baseball Classic and won the country's first game in Classic history. He directed the Duluth Huskies in the Northwoods Summer League in 2009 and was the manager of the Orix Buffaloes in the Japanese Professional League in '07 and '08.
During his career, Collins also served as bullpen coach with the Pirates (1992-93), an advance scout with the Cubs (2000), a bullpen coach and third-base coach with the Rays ('01), a field coordinator for the Dodgers ('02-04) and the director of player development for the Dodgers ('05-06). He was an infielder for 10 seasons in the Minor Leagues with the Pirates before beginning a 10-year career as a Minor League manager in '81.
The club also announced that Ken Oberkfell will return as manager and Ricky Bones as pitching coach for their Triple-A Buffalo Bisons affiliate. Jack Voigt has been promoted from the Brooklyn Cyclones to take over as the Bisons' hitting coach, replacing Luis Natera. Oberkfell, 53, returns for his sixth season as manager of the Mets' Triple-A affiliate (Norfolk Tides: 2005-06, New Orleans Zephyrs: '07-08) and Buffalo last year.
Marty Noble is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
