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Tomlin returns home to serve as LCA’s baseball… |
Former Amherst High School, Liberty University and Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Randy Tomlin will serve as Liberty Christian Academy’s baseball coach, starting Jan. 23. Tomlin, a southpaw who went 30-31 with a 3.43 ERA with the Pirates from 1990 to 1994 before his pitching career was sidetracked by a shoulder injury, spent 10 years as LU’s pitching coach and the past five in the same capacity with the Washington Nationals’ single-A affiliate at Potomac (2007 and 2008) and AA franchise in Harrisburg, Pa. “I thought it was a good move for me to be at home to take care of the needs at home,” said Tomlin, whose father-in-law was diagnosed with cancer in October of 2010 and died last June. “I loved being with the Nationals and still do, but I needed to take care of my family.” He is looking forward to his first head coaching position. “I’m excited about it … to be able to be back at home and continue to do what I love doing,” said Tomlin, who has lived in Lynchburg since starting his coaching career at LU in 1997 and has an 18-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter at E.C. Glass and another son who’s 9. “This was a great opportunity at LCA to be at home, make an impact on kids’ lives and teach them about baseball and life.” The Bulldogs’ current coach, Mike Morris, who guided them to the VIS Division I state quarterfinals last year, will stay on as Tomlin’s assistant. “It was a classy move by Mike,” said LCA athletic director Frank Rocco, who was a fan of Tomlin’s when he pitched for the Pirates and coached football at LU at the same time Tomlin coached baseball. “To have a former Major League pitcher and professional baseball coach on staff, [Morris] agreed to step aside and learn from him.” After coaching predominantly pitchers throughout his career, Tomlin will have his first chance to work with positional players and manage games at the high school level. “It’s going to be a great challenge for me,” Tomlin said, noting the talent is in place to make a return trip to the state playoffs. “They’ve got a great group of young kids coming up through there, a core group of sophomores and a couple older kids who are going to be graduating next year, and I’m looking forward to spending time with them.” Rocco believes the transition from coaching at the professional to the high school ranks will be a smooth one. “He’s been working with high school kids for all the years he’s been coaching in the minor leagues,” Rocco said. “He’s stayed very connected to Lynchburg.” Tomlin is close to receiving his teaching certificate and will work temporarily as a substitute teacher at LCA next semester. “Anything I do, I’m committed to what I do,” he said. “I trust God for the plan He would have for me and opening those doors. For now, I’m committed to helping LCA to continue to build a baseball program. I’m just going to try to go out and win a state championship and pursue that as long as I can.” However, he wouldn’t rule out a return to coaching in the Nationals’ organization in the future. “I will miss them and do,” Tomlin said. “The Nationals and [Harrisburg] Senators treated me great. I made a lot of great friendships and loved working with the guys I did. “I’m very happy with the opportunity they gave me,” he added. “They understood the decision I had to make. They said they would keep in touch with me. The door’s still open. It wasn’t closed when I left.” Leave any suggestions in the comment box. Posted in pirates-news | Comments Off
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Santa Cruz native McGehee letting trade to Pirates… |
One day after third baseman Casey McGehee was traded from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Santa Cruz native was still absorbing the deal. The Pirates acquired McGehee for reliever Jose Veras late Monday night, hours after the Brewers agreed to terms with Chicago Cubs free-agent third baseman Aramis Ramirez. In recent weeks, McGehee’s future at third base in Milwaukee became questionable. The Brewers spoke of McGehee seeing action at first base, if free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder signed elsewhere. “The last 24 hours have been pretty hectic,” said McGehee, a Soquel High alum, on Tuesday. “I saw the writing on the wall and put two and two together. But it moved a lot quicker than I thought it would. In some ways, I feel relieved to have an end to it. It’s starting to sink in a little bit, but it hasn’t hit home yet.” McGehee, 29, had a strong rookie season in 2009 and a big year in 2010, but slumped at the plate in 2011 and lost his starting job to Jerry Hairston Jr. late in the season. McGehee batted .223 with 13 homers and 67 RBIs for the NL Central champions in 2011 after hitting .285 with 23 home runs and 104 RBIs in 2010. The Dodgers signed Hairston Jr., a free agent, in December. “Casey McGehee adds a quality option for us at both corner infield positions and adds depth to our position player group,” said Neal Huntington, Pirates general manager, in a statement. McGehee will enter spring training competing for the starting job at third base with Pedro Alvarez. McGehee could also split time at first with Garrett Jones and is an option to play outfield. The Sentinel’s All-County Player of the Year in 1999 and 2000, McGehee views the competition as wide open. “I’m going to go in and do what I’ve always done,” he said. “And if that’s the case, things will work out like they’re supposed to. … I’m going to go in with a fresh mindset. I think I learned a lot about myself last year. You can’t make up for what happened in the past all at once. You’ve got do things day-by-day and be patient.” Brewers general manager Doug Melvin called McGehee on Monday evening and informed him of the trade. After that, McGehee took calls from Huntington and Pirates manager Clint Hurdle. “He seems like a great guy, like my kind of guy,” McGehee said of Hurdle. “It seems like we hit it off good, but that’s just an assessment of 20 minutes of conversation.” McGehee is a .265 career hitter with 52 home runs and 242 RBIs in three-plus major league seasons. He was chosen by the Chicago Cubs in the 10th round of the 2003 draft and made his big league debut with Chicago on Sept. 2, 2008. Milwaukee claimed him off waivers on Oct. 29, 2008. Ramirez, who started his career in Pittsburgh, was the starting third baseman in Chicago while McGehee climbed through the minors. And Ramirez was the player who ultimately led to McGehee’s trade Monday. “I don’t begrudge him one bit,” McGehee said. “If your best friend was offered $36 million over three years to do your job, he’d take it. It’s ironic because he started his career in Pittsburgh. If you look at the back of our baseball cards, we’ve played for all the same teams, but in just a little different order.” McGehee is hoping he can rekindle his offensive approach and stroke from two years ago and find himself in the heart of the Pirates’ batting order daily. He is a career .219 hitter [14 for 64 in 21 games] with five extra-base hits at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. “That’s such a small sample size,” said Barry Meister, McGehee’s Illinois-based agent. “I think the Pirates value his right-handed bat in the middle of the lineup. And he has an opportunity to get at-bats at first and third. It’s a bigger park, but if he goes the other way and hits gap-to-gap, it has a chance to be a good place for him.” Meister said three other teams expressed interest in McGehee on Monday — two from the AL and one from the NL. But the Pirates it was. McGehee said he thinks they are on the cusp of doing something special. They had a 53-47 record and were in first place on July 25 last season before going 19-43 in their final 62 games. “I think they’ve gotten to the point where they’re not rebuilding anymore,” he said. “They’re adding pieces to go to the next level. They’ve got enough talent. If everything falls into place, there’s no reason to believe that this year couldn’t be the year they make the playoffs. … The park is beautiful, one of the nicer parks and kind of out of the mold of the [San Francisco] Giants’ stadium. I remember as a visitor thinking this would be an unbelievable place to play when they’re doing well.” The Associated Press contributed to this report. Comment Below!. Posted in pirates-news | Comments Off
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McLouth returns to Pittsburgh |
Written byThe Sports Network
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Pirates sign shortstop Barmes |
Published: Nov. 21, 2011 at 7:22 PM Listen
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 21 (UPI) — Free-agent shortstop Clint Barmes has agreed to a 2-year contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team announced Monday. Barmes, who comes to the Pirates from Houston, hit 12 homers and drove in 39 runs while batting .244 in 123 games last season with the Astros. He posted a .978 fielding percentage while committing only 12 errors in 539 chances. “With the signing of Clint Barmes, we have added an above-average defensive shortstop who will bring quality experience and reliability to the club on the playing field as well as a positive veteran presence in the clubhouse,” Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington said. Barmes, who has spent most of his career with Colorado, has totaled 61 homers, 131 doubles and 285 RBI with a .254 average for his career.
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Pirates reach two-year deal with Barmes |
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to terms with shortstop Clint Barmes. The two-year deal, worth about $10.5 million, reunites Barmes with Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle. The two worked together in Colorado from 2003-09. The 33-year-old Barmes is a .252 lifetime hitter, with 73 home runs and 324 RBI. He spent the first eight seasons of his career with Colorado before moving to Houston last season. Barmes hit .244 with 12 home runs and 39 RBI in 123 games last season for Houston. He’ll immediately step in as Pittsburgh’s starting shortstop. The Pirates let go veteran Ronny Cedeno after the season and Chase d’Arnaud hit just .217 in 48 games. To make room for Barmes on the roster, the Pirates designated catcher Brian Jeroloman for assignment. Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Thanks for visiting our blog =). Posted in pirates-news | Comments Off
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Pirates reach two-year, $10.5M deal with Barmes |
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to terms with shortstop Clint Barmes. The two-year deal, worth about $10.5 million, reunites Barmes with Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle. The two worked together in Colorado from 2003-09. The 33-year-old Barmes is a .252 lifetime hitter, with 73 home runs and 324 RBI. He spent the first eight seasons of his career with Colorado before moving to Houston last season. Barmes hit .244 with 12 home runs and 39 RBI in 123 games last season for Houston. He’ll immediately step in as Pittsburgh’s starting shortstop. The Pirates let go veteran Ronny Cedeno after the season and Chase d’Arnaud hit just .217 in 48 games. To make room for Barmes on the roster, the Pirates designated catcher Brian Jeroloman for assignment. Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. If you like reading our blog, remember to bookmark it. Posted in pirates-news | Comments Off
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