Ty Van Burkleo

Ty Van Burkleo
Cleveland Indians – No. 29
First baseman / Bench coach
Born: October 7, 1963
Oakland, California
Batted: Left Threw: Left
Professional debut
NPB: 1988 for the Seibu Lions
MLB: July 28, 1993 for the California Angels
Last professional appearance
NPB: 1991 for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp
MLB: July 30, 1994 for the Colorado Rockies
NPB statistics
Batting average .239
Hits 157
Home runs 55
MLB statistics
Batting average .132
Hits 5
Home runs 1
Teams

As player

As coach

Career highlights and awards

Tyler Lee Van Burkleo (born October 7, 1963) is the current hitting coach for the Cleveland Indians. He is a former bench coach for the Seattle Mariners and a former first baseman in Major League Baseball. He played for two different major league teams in his career: the California Angels (1993) and Colorado Rockies (1994). He also played for two teams in Japan: the Seibu Lions (1988–1990) and the Hiroshima Toyo Carp (1991). At 24, he was player of the year with the Seibu Lions, hitting 38 home runs and driving in 90 runs for the 1988 Japan Champions.

Biography

A graduate of Chatsworth High School,[1] he signed a minor league contract for $30, 000 with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1981.[2] He was released in 1984 and signed a contract with the Angels' minor league system. He was blocked by Wally Joyner for most of his first stint with the Angels.[3] Van Burkleo's Angels contract was bought by the Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball in 1987.[4] He was traded to the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in 1991 for cash considerations.[5] Upon returning to the United States for the 1992 season, he signed with the Angels again, then played for the Rockies for two seasons, and in 1996 returned to the Angels for his last playing season. The following year, he began his coaching career with the High Desert Mavericks, an Arizona Diamondbacks affiliate.[6] In 2001, he found himself working for the Angels again, as the minor league hitting coordinator.

For the 2007–2008 seasons, Van Burkleo was the hitting coach for the Oakland Athletics.[7][8] In 2009, he was signed by the Mariners to be the bench coach to manager Don Wakamatsu.[7]

In 2010, he was hired by the Astros to be the minor league hitting coordinator. On August 19, 2012, Van Burkleo was named the interim hitting coach for the Houston Astros.[9]

He was named hitting coach of the Cleveland Indians on October 31, 2012, beginning with the 2013 season.[10]

Personal

He is married to Chris and has five children.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Fletcher, Jeff (April 28, 1996). "Back in Minors, Van Burkleo Preaches What He Practices". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
  2. ↑ Hiserman, Mike (August 7, 1994). "Ex-Angel Reconsiders His Moves : Van Burkleo Ponders Path of His Careers". Los Angeles Times. p. 3. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  3. ↑ Henson, Steve (July 20, 1986). "Van Burkleo Seeks Texas Address". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  4. ↑ Hiserman, Mike (August 7, 1994). "Ex-Angel Reconsiders His Moves : Van Burkleo Ponders Path of His Careers". Los Angeles Times. p. 1. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  5. ↑ Penner, Mike (March 26, 1993). "Van Burkleo Enjoys Japan from Distance". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Fast Fact". Los Angeles Times. November 13, 1997. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Astros Announce Minor League Coordinators and Medical Staff". MLB.com. December 19, 2011. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
  8. ↑ "A's name Ty Van Burkleo hitting coach". MLB.com. December 4, 2006. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
  9. ↑ McTaggart, Brian (August 19, 2012). "Astros tab DeFrancesco as interim manager". MLB.com. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
  10. ↑ Bastian, Jordan (October 31, 2012). "Familiar faces among Francona's coaching staff". MLB.com. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
  11. ↑ Brewer, Jerry (February 23, 2009). "Mariners' new bench coach Ty Van Burkleo is a Renaissance man". Seattle Times. Retrieved March 4, 2014.

External links