Bodie Back for 2014
CORPUS CHRISTI - Keith Bodie is returning to Corpus Christi for his third season as manager of the Hooks, the Houston Astros announced Wednesday.
Pitching coach Gary Ruby, hitting coach Tim Garland, athletic trainer Bryan Baca and strength coach Trey Wiedman remain on Corpus Christi's staff. Former Hooks manager Tom Lawless joins the club as a developmental specialist.
Bodie, who has led Corpus Christi to back-to-back playoff appearances, stands 164-116 (.586) as Hooks skipper. Corpus Christi set franchise records for victories each of the last two seasons and has won three consecutive halves in Texas League South Division play. He was a member of the U.S. coaching staff at the 2013 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game.
Bodie, 57, embarks upon his seventh consecutive year in the Astros system and his 39th professional season. He served as Hooks hitting coach in 2009.
Bodie's current run in the Houston organization began in 2008, when he worked as hitting coach for Salem (Va.) of the Carolina League. The Brooklyn native also tutored Astros Triple-A hitters in Round Rock (2010) and Oklahoma City (2011).
In 17 seasons as a manager from short-season Class A through Triple-A, Bodie's teams have compiled a regular-season record of 1,150-1,041 for an overall winning percentage of .525. Ten of his clubs have qualified for post-season play.
In six campaigns as a Texas League manager, Bodie's clubs have won six second-half championships. He was 2012 Texas League Manager of the Year.
Bodie's circuit record is 470-363 for a .564 winning percentage, fourth all-time among TL managers with at least 500 games.
A third-round pick of the New York Mets in the 1974 draft out of South Shore High School in Brooklyn, Bodie spent nine seasons as a player in the Mets and Astros farm systems, reaching Triple-A with Tucson in 1981. Primarily a third baseman and outfielder, Bodie posted a career .256 batting average with 42 home runs, 294 RBIs and 98 stolen bases over 869 games.
Bodie is the fifth manager in Hooks history, following Lawless (2011), Wes Clements (2010), Luis Pujols (2008-09) and Dave Clark (2005-07).
Ruby returns for his seventh season as a pitching coach in the Houston system and third in Corpus Christi. He was the Mike Coolbaugh Texas League Coach of the Year in 2013. Ruby came to South Texas after three years as pitching coach for the New York-Penn League's Tri-City ValleyCats.
Ruby, 64, has worked as a pitching coach or a minor league pitching coordinator since 1987, when he was hired by the California Angels. His nine-year stint with the Angels included stops in Midland, Edmonton and Vancouver. He then worked two seasons (1996-97) as pitching coach for Cleveland's Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo.
Ruby spent four seasons (1998-2001) in the Phillies organization, concluding his term as the system's director of player personnel for a year and a half. He then moved on to Pittsburgh, where he spent six seasons (2002-07) as the Pirates' minor league pitching coordinator. He joined the Astros in 2008 as the pitching coach for Salem of the Carolina League.
This winter, Ruby was in the Dominican Republic, serving as pitching coach for Los Toros del Este. He spent parts of the past three off-seasons with Leones del Escogido. Escogido captured the Dominican Winter League title in 2012, posting a team ERA of 3.28.
Garland begins his second season with the Astros organization following seven years as a coach in Oakland's system. Garland, 43, served as hitting coach of the rival Midland RockHounds in 2011 and 2012. The 16-year minor league veteran made his coaching debut in 2006 with Kane County of the Midwest League and tutored High-A Stockton hitters from 2007-10.
Drafted by the New York Yankees in 1989 out of Pensacola Junior College, Garland notched a career .281 batting average in 1,356 games and 5,138 at-bats. He tallied 1,445 hits, 41 home runs, 471 RBIs and 388 stolen bases.
Garland played four seasons as a Yankee farmhand, reaching the Carolina League before moving to the independent ranks. He finished a two-year term in the Texas-Louisiana League with Rio Grande Valley in 1995. Garland hit .301 with 20 doubles, nine home runs, 44 RBIs and 37 stolen bases in 96 games for the White Wings, prompting San Francisco to sign him as a free agent the following year.
He played in the Giants and Orioles systems over the next three seasons before being picked up by the Athletics. Garland played for the RockHounds in 1999, the first season of their Oakland affiliation, batting .289 with six home runs, 55 RBIs and 28 stolen bases.
Lawless, 57, begins his sixth consecutive season in the Astros system. He will work with the Hooks and scout the Texas League on home dates. When Corpus Christi travels, Lawless will tour other Houston affiliates.
The former major league infielder worked in the same role at Triple-A Oklahoma City last season. Lawless began 2012 as Houston's roving infield instructor. He closed out the campaign as the RedHawks' interim manager in the wake of Tony De Francesco's promotion to Houston on August 19.
Lawless took charge of the Hooks in 2011 in what was his 10th season as a minor league manager. He piloted the High-A Lancaster JetHawks in 2010 and was at the helm of the South Atlantic League's Lexington Legends in 2009.
A Pennsylvania native, Lawless played portions of eight seasons in the major leagues with Cincinnati, Montreal, St. Louis and Toronto. Primarily a second and third baseman, Lawless appeared in 343 games.
Lawless is well known for two events during his big-league playing career. In August of 1984 he was traded by Cincinnati to Montreal in exchange for Pete Rose - the only deal involving Rose in his 24-year career. And in the 1987 World Series, Lawless clubbed a three-run home run off eventual Series MVP Frank Viola to help the Cardinals beat the Twins 7-2 in Game 4.
Selected by Cincinnati in the 17th round of the 1978 draft out of Penn State Erie, Lawless spent five seasons in the minors before making his major league debut with the Reds on July 15, 1982. Lawless fashioned three consecutive seasons in the Reds system (1979-1981) in which he stole 60 or more bases, including a total of 123 steals with Double-A Waterbury of the Eastern League in 1980 and 1981.
Baca, 33, is in his eighth season with the Astros organization and his second at Corpus Christi. Baca came to the Sparkling City after a two-year stay at Lancaster of the California League.
The Santa Fe, New Mexico, native began his tenure with Houston in 2007 as Rookie League Greeneville's athletic trainer. He then served three seasons for the Tri-City ValleyCats in the New York-Penn League.
Prior to his employment with the Astros, Baca worked for the Santa Fe RoadRunners of the North American Hockey League. He graduated from New Mexico State with a B.S. in Athletic Training.
Wiedman is in his second season with the Hooks and his third as a strength and conditioning coach in the Astros organization. He was stationed at Lexington in 2012.
Prior to his tenure with Houston, Wiedman served area high schools in his hometown of Memphis.
A four-year letterman in baseball at the University of Memphis, he posted a .290 career batting average, totaling 31 doubles, 21 home runs and 111 RBIs. Wiedman led the Tigers in average (.302), slugging percentage (.467), total bases (93), hits (60), RBIs (39) and home runs (8) as a sophomore. The 27-year-old graduated in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science.