Stanley, White to return to Bisons coaching staff
The Toronto Blue Jays today announced that both BOB STANLEY and DEVON WHITE will return as Bisons coaches for the 2018 season. Stanley will remain as the Herd's pitching coach while White takes over as the club's position coach under returning manager Bobby Meacham. The Blue Jays have also appointed
The Toronto Blue Jays today announced that both BOB STANLEY and DEVON WHITE will return as Bisons coaches for the 2018 season. Stanley will remain as the Herd's pitching coach while White takes over as the club's position coach under returning manager Bobby Meacham. The Blue Jays have also appointed COREY HART as the Bisons' new hitting coach.
The Bisons will also welcome two other newcomers to staff. Athletic trainer BOB TARPEY and strength and conditioning coach BRIAN PIKE have both received promotions from the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
Hart is entering his third season as a coach in the Blue Jays system, spending the last two seasons with the organization's Single-A Dunedin club. Last year, Dunedin captured the Florida State League title and scored 62 more runs than any other club in the league (642, 4.7 R/G). The Dunedin Blue Jays also finished 3rd in the FSL both in team average (.255) and home runs (83) and 2nd with a .332 on-base percentage. Hart has also coached in the Brewers organization from 2006-2009 and with Marlins affiliates from 2010-2015.
Hart is a veteran of eight minor league seasons as a player from 1998-2005, reaching the Triple-A level with Omaha in 2002 and again in 2004. In 713 career games, the infielder hit .242 with 17 home runs and 248 RBI and a .371 on-base percentage. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 23rd round of 1998 MLB Amateur Draft out of the University of Oklahoma.
For Stanley, this is his fourth season as pitching coach for the Bisons. He held the position in 2013 and then returned to the Herd in 2016. Last year, Buffalo's 3.58 ERA was the 5th best in the International League, while the club also ranked 5th in walks allowed (421), T5th in shutouts (12) and T3rd in fewest home runs allowed (102). In each of his previous three seasons, the Bisons have ranked 5th or better in the league in fewest walks allowed.
Stanley has been a coach since 1997, working six years in the Mets (1997-2002) and Giants (2003-2008) minor league systems. He first joined the Blue Jays organization in 2012 as the pitching coach with the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s and was Toronto's Major League bullpen coach in 2014. He played 13 years in the Major Leagues, all of them with the Boston Red Sox. Stanley was Boston's all-time saves leader with 132 until Jonathan Papelbon passed him during the 2009 season. Overall, Stanley was 115-97 with a 3.64ERA and 693 strikeouts in 637 career games. He was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2000.
White made his coaching debut in the Blue Jays system last year as the Bisons' hitting coach. The 2017 Herd led the International League with 143 stolen bases, including team MVP
In his coaching career, White also served as the outfielder and baserunning coordinator in the Nationals farm system from 2008-2010 and as the minor league baserunning coordinator for the White Sox from 2011-2012. He spent five seasons of his 17-year Major League playing career with the Blue Jays, helping the club to their back-to-back titles in 1992 and 1993. He won a Gold Glove in each of his five years with Toronto and was an American League All-Star for the Blue Jays in 1993. Overall, 'Devo' averaged .263 with 1,934 hits, 208 home runs, 846 RBI and 346 stolen bases playing for six Major League teams from 1985-2001. He won his third World Series Championship with the Florida Marlins in 1997.
Tarpey joined the Blue Jays organization in 2006 and has spent the previous eight seasons with New Hampshire. He was Minor League Baseball's 2014 Athletic Trainer of the Year. Pike spent the past nine seasons as the strength and conditioning coach with the Fisher Cats, meaning he has worked together with Tarpey since the 2010 season.