Timothy John Laker (born November 27, 1969) is an American professional baseball catcher and coach. He is the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was previously the hitting coach for the Seattle Mariners. He played in MLB for the Montreal Expos, Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Cleveland Indians from 1992 to 2006.
| Tim Laker | |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Angels – No. 83 | |
| Catcher / Coach | |
| Born: November 27, 1969 Encino, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 18, 1992, for the Montreal Expos | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 18, 2006, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .226 |
| Home runs | 11 |
| Runs batted in | 79 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
As coach
| |
Early life
editLaker was born in Encino, California and graduated from Simi Valley High School in Simi Valley, California.[1] He played college baseball at Oxnard Community College in Oxnard, California.[2]
Career
editThe Montreal Expos selected Laker in the sixth round of the 1988 Major League Baseball draft.[3] During his professional baseball career, Laker played for the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, Montreal Expos, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He last played professional baseball with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons in 2006.
Mitchell Report
editLaker was named in the Mitchell Report, which detailed anabolic steroid use in MLB, on December 13, 2007. As a current ball club employee, Laker was required to consent to an interview, in which he admitted to purchasing Deca-Durabolin and testosterone from Kirk Radomski from 1995 to 1999. Laker claimed he was introduced to Radomski by teammate David Segui.[4] In March 2008, Laker admitted regretting his decision to take performance-enhancing drugs, stating:
"I made a poor decision, a mistake, and all I can do is ask for forgiveness and move on."[5]
Coaching and Managing
editLaker first managed the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, then the Cleveland Indians' Short-Season A affiliate, in 2007.[6] He led the New York–Penn League side to a 37-37 record. However, after just one season, he was moved to the position of "Roving Catching Instructor" within the Indians organization and replaced by Travis Fryman.[7] Laker cited health concerns related to colitis, as the reason for the change.[5]
In December 2009, Laker was named the Manager of the Double-A West Tenn Diamond Jaxx of the Southern League, an affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.[8]
Laker became Hitting Coach for the Chicago White Sox triple-A affiliate, the Charlotte Knights for the 2011 season. In 2016, he was the Hitting Coach for the Akron Rubber Ducks in the Cleveland Indians minor league system.[9]
In December 2016, Laker was named Assistant Hitting Coach of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the 2017 season.
The Seattle Mariners announced their hiring of Laker as their Hitting Coach for the 2019 season.
On November 15, 2021, the Mariners announced that Laker declined the club's offer to return as its Hitting Coach.[10]
On November 21, 2023, Laker joined the Los Angeles Angels coaching staff as their offensive coordinator.[11]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "Tim Laker Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
- ^ "Archives". Los Angeles Times. July 9, 1994.
- ^ "Tim Laker". Baseball-Reference.Com. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
- ^ "Mitchell Report pp. 159-61" (PDF).
- ^ a b "Laker admits taking steroids, regrets shortsightedness". ESPN. March 2, 2008. Retrieved March 3, 2008.
- ^ "Indians finalize 2007 staff alignment for player development system". Archived from the original on March 10, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
- ^ "Cleveland Indians hire Travis Fryman to manage at Mahoning Valley". November 30, 2007.
- ^ "Mariners announce Minor League coaching staff for 2010 season". Major League Baseball. seattle.mariners.mlb.com. December 7, 2009. Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2009.
- ^ http://www.sportspagemagazine.com/content/baseb/mp-baseb/ln-mp-baseb/joe-mcewing-named-charlotte-knights-manager.shtml?44317 [dead link]
- ^ Daniel Kramer (November 15, 2021). "Mariners announce 2022 coaching staff". MLB.com. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
- ^ Jeff Fletcher (November 21, 2023). "Angels hire Barry Enright as pitching coach, Tim Laker as offensive coordinator". ocregister.com. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Tim Laker at Baseball Almanac