Bogar New Travs Manager, Hampton Joins Staff
"We are excited to welcome Tim and Mike to the Angels family as they bring a wealth of Major League experience to our minor league development program," said Angels Assistant General Manager Scott Servais. "Tim has a great track record in the minors as a manager and teacher. Mike can't wait to get his coaching career going and start passing his knowledge to the pitchers in Little Rock."
Bogar, 46, served as Boston's bench coach for the 2012 season after spending 2010 and 2011 coaching first base for the Red Sox. His first Major League coaching job was as quality assurance coach focusing on infield and base running instruction with the 2008 AL Champion Tampa Bay Rays. Now he returns to the minor leagues where he managed in the Cleveland and Houston organizations from 2004 through 2007 and compiled a 289-200 record. Bogar's last managerial post was with the Akron Aeros (Cleveland - Double A) in 2006 and 2007. Voted the Eastern League's Manager of the Year and the league's top managerial prospect by Baseball America in 2006 when Akron finished with the EL's best record at 87-55, Bogar also took the Aeros to the EL Championship Series both years he was at the helm. He also piloted the Lexington Legends (Houston - A) to the best record in the South Atlantic League in 2005 finishing that season 81-58. In his first managing job Bogar won an Appalachian League title with the Greeneville Astros in 2004.
"This is a great opportunity to do what I love to do and that's to work with young prospects teaching and furthering careers," Bogar said. "I'm excited to get reacquainted with managing and to join the Angels organization. I have ties with both (Angels GM) Jerry DiPoto and (Assistant GM) Scott Servais that go back to our playing days and I'm happy they wanted to bring me on board."
Bogar played nine years in the Major Leagues with the New York Mets, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers primarily as a utility infielder. He compiled a .228 batting average over 701 MLB games and added 24 home runs. He and Hampton were teammates on the Astros teams that won three straight NL Central Division pennants from 1997-1999.
"My strengths are infield instruction and base running, which is one aspect of the game I feel is overlooked sometimes," Bogar quipped. "That's one reason I'm happy to be with the Angels because they value fielding and base running as very important parts of teaching young players how to play the game properly."
Hampton, 40, is taking his first job as a coach after spending the last two seasons out of baseball following his retirement. Over a 16-year Major League career Hampton put together a 148-155 record and 4.06 ERA. He finished second in the NL Cy Young voting in 1999 when he won a league-high 22 games for the Astros and held a 2.90 ERA. Hampton was traded to the Mets for the 2000 season where he won 15 games and earned the 2000 NLCS Most Valuable Player helping New York to the World Series with two victories of his own. He appeared in 419 games in the Majors with the Mariners, Astros, Mets, Rockies, Braves and D-Backs and retired with Arizona just before the 2011 season.
"Mike is one of the deepest competitors that I've ever been around," Bogar added. "I feel the most important aspect of a pitching coach is the ability to take someone who has talent and teach them to use it to be successful. Mike knows how to pitch and how to get batters out. He will be a great asset."
"The Travelers are extremely pleased with these two men that the Angels are sending to Little Rock as our manager and pitching coach," said Travelers President Russ Meeks. "They bring great name recognition and knowledge of the game of baseball to our club. I am looking forward to welcoming both to our franchise."
The position of hitting coach with the Travelers remains an unfilled position as of now.