Chukars Announce Coaching Staff

By Tyler Petersen

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – The Idaho Falls Chukars announced its new coaching staff for the 2021 season on Monday, introducing longtime minor league coach Billy Gardner Jr. as the new manager of the Chukars. Joining Gardner on the coaching staff are former MLB pitcher Bob Milacki as pitching coach and former Chukar Billy Butler as hitting coach.

Gardner spent 22 of the last 25 years as a minor league manager with the Red Sox, Royals, Reds, Rays and Nationals organizations and was set to manage the Double-A Harrisburg Senators in 2020 before the season was cancelled due to COVID-19. “I’m really looking forward to bringing professional baseball back to Idaho Falls again,” Gardner said at his introductory press conference, “I think we’re very fortunate to have the staff in place.”

Milacki played eight seasons in the major leagues from 1988-1996 and has been an MiLB coach since 2001. He served as pitching coach at all four levels of the minors, most recently at Double-A Biloxi in 2019. Milacki also previously coached alongside Gardner with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs from 2015-2017.

Butler will be making his professional coaching debut with the Chukars in 2021. The former 1st round pick of the Kansas City Royals played for the Chukars in 2004, hitting .373 AVG with 10 HR. In 2005, Butler played for Gardner at the High-A High Desert Mavericks where Gardner was the manager of the team. His 10-year MLB career includes an All-Star appearance in 2012 and an American League pennant in 2014. Butler lives in Idaho Falls and started the Idaho Athlete Project in 2020, a facility to train local athletes.

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