Collins Hired as Mets Minor League Field Coordinator
Collins, 60, managed the Bisons form 1989-1991 and was 246-186 during his time with the club. The .569 winning percentage is the 8th highest in the 124-year history of the Buffalo Bisons. Collins won 80 games in each of his three years on the bench and took the Herd to the American Association playoffs in 1991.
In 1992, Collins was inducted into the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame.
Collins, who is in his 40th season in professional baseball, will oversee all on-field aspects of the Mets Minor League Spring Training, Mini-Camps and Instructional League. In addition, he will be involved in all phases of minor league on-field operations, including instruction, discipline as well as player and staff evaluations.
Collins managed the Houston Astros from 1994-1996 and the Anaheim Angels from 1997-1999 and compiled a 444-434 record as a manger (.506 winning percentage). This year, he managed Team China in the World Baseball Classic and won the country's first game in WBC history. He directed the Duluth Huskies in the Northwoods Summer League in 2009.
In 2007 and 2008, he was the manager of the Orix Buffaloes in the Japanese Professional League.
During his career, Collins also was the bullpen coach with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1992-1993), an advance scout with the Chicago Cubs (2000), a bullpen coach and third base coach with the Tampa Bay Rays (2001), a Field Coordinator for the Los Angeles Dodgers (2002-2004) and the Director of Player Development for the Dodgers (2005-2006).
Collins was an infielder for 10 seasons in the minor leagues with the Pirates (1971-1975) and the Dodgers (1975-1980) before beginning a 10-year career as a minor league manager in 1981.