Mick Billmeyer
Michael Frederick Billmeyer (born April 24, 1964) is a former baseball player who most recently served as the bullpen coach for the Detroit Tigers during the 2017 season. Mick now retired in Maryland.
Career
[edit]Playing career
[edit]Billmeyer was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the second round of the 1985 Major League Baseball Draft. As a catcher, he played in the Orioles, Texas Rangers, and California Angels organizations. Billmeyer played nine seasons in the minor leagues, mostly at the Single-A level, and advanced as far as Triple-A.[1] He did not play in the Major Leagues. Early in his playing career, Billmeyer went by "Mickey", a shorthand form of his given name of Michael.[2] Later in his playing career, "Mickey" was shortened further to "Mick".[3]
Coaching career
[edit]Billmeyer began a career in coaching after his playing career came to an end. From 1994 to 1999 he was the bullpen/workout coordinator for the Angels. He joined the Phillies organization in 2000, working as a catching coordinator for the organization through the 2003 season. From 2004 to 2008 he served as the Phillies Major League catching coach, and then served as the bullpen coach from 2009 to 2012. For the 2013 season, Billmeyer returned to the role of major league catching coach. During his time with the Phillies, Billmeyer served under managers Larry Bowa, Gary Varsho, Charlie Manuel, and Ryne Sandberg. As the catching coach, he was a member of the 2008 World Series Championship team.
Following the 2013 season, the Phillies announced they would not be renewing Billmeyer's contract.[4]
On November 18, 2013, the Tigers announced the hiring of Billmeyer as their bullpen coach.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ "Mick Billmeyer". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
- ^ "Mickey Billmeyer Baseball Cards - COMC". Archived from the original on November 18, 2013. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
- ^ "#453a - Mick Billmeyer - Midland Angels". The Trading Card Database LLC. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
- ^ Zolecki, Todd (October 5, 2013). "Phils not renewing longtime coach Billmeyer's contract". MLB.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
- ^ Beck, Jason (November 18, 2013). "Vizquel to be part of Tigers coaching staff". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics from MLB, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- 1964 births
- Living people
- American expatriate baseball players in Canada
- Anaheim Angels coaches
- Baseball coaches from Maryland
- Baseball players from Washington County, Maryland
- Bluefield Orioles players
- California Angels coaches
- Charlotte Rangers players
- Detroit Tigers coaches
- Edmonton Trappers players
- Hagerstown Suns players
- Major League Baseball bullpen coaches
- Miami Marlins (FSL) players
- Midland Angels players
- NC State Wolfpack baseball players
- Palm Springs Angels players
- Philadelphia Phillies coaches
- Quad Cities Angels players
- Rochester Aces players
- 20th-century American sportsmen