Former Angel Mike Butcher is new pitching coach for Arizona Diamondbacks
Mike Butcher sits in the Angels dugout before a game against the Oakland Athletics on April 10, 2013.
It didn’t take Mike Butcher long to land on his feet. The former Angels pitching coach, whose contract was not renewed by the team earlier this month, was named pitching coach of the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday.
Butcher, 50, just completed his ninth season with the Angels, who had a 3.94 earned-run average this season, sixth best in the American League. The Angels, picked to win the AL West, finished one game out of the playoffs.
The former big league pitcher decided after lengthy meetings with new Angels General Manager Billy Eppler and team President John Carpino that he wouldn’t return, saying, “We mutually agreed this might be a good time for a change.”
Butcher, who lives in the Phoenix area, replaces Mike Harkey, who was fired by the Diamondbacks in early October after two seasons with the club. Arizona went 79-83 this season and had a 4.04 team ERA, ninth-best in the National League.
Eppler said he has spoken to several candidates about replacing Butcher. He is believed to have had informal conversations with Bud Black, the former Angels pitching coach who was fired as San Diego’s manager this past season and is a finalist for the Washington Nationals manager job.
Dave Hansen is expected to be promoted from assistant hitting coach to primary hitting coach, replacing Don Baylor, whose contract was not renewed.
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
