Brad Mills (manager)
James Bradley Mills (born January 19, 1957) is a former manager of the Houston Astros and a former Major League Baseball (MLB) player. He currently serves as a bench coach for the Cleveland Indians. He is the father of retired professional baseball player Beau Mills.
| Brad Mills | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Mills with the Cleveland Indians | |||
| Cleveland Indians – No. 00 | |||
| Infielder / Manager / Bench coach | |||
| Born: January 19, 1957 Exeter, California | |||
| |||
| MLB debut | |||
| June 8, 1980, for the Montreal Expos | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| October 2, 1983, for the Montreal Expos | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .256 | ||
| Home runs | 1 | ||
| Runs batted in | 12 | ||
| Games managed | 445 | ||
| Win–loss record | 171–274 | ||
| Winning % | .384 | ||
| Teams | |||
| As player
As coach
As manager | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
| |||
Early life
Mills was educated at Exeter High School in California, College of the Sequoias, and the University of Arizona, where he was drafted in the 17th round by the Montreal Expos.[1]
Baseball career
Playing career
Mills reached the major leagues in 1980 and went on to post a .256 batting average with one home run and 12 RBI in 106 games played for the Expos (1980–83). He divided his time between Triple-A and the majors in each of those seasons, and sustained a right knee injury that ended his playing career at the age of 29. A full-time left-handed hitter and primarily a third baseman, he also saw time at first base and second. Mills became a part of major league trivia, when in 1983 he was Nolan Ryan's 3,509th career strikeout victim, lifting Ryan past Walter Johnson as the all-time strikeout leader.
Post-playing career
Mills managed eleven seasons in the minors in the Cubs, Rockies and Dodgers organizations (1987–2002),[2] and also served as an advance scout for the Cubs. Mills was Terry Francona's first-base coach with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1997–2000. In 2003, Mills served as the Montreal Expos bench coach. From 2004 to 2009, Mills was teamed again with Francona when he served as the bench coach for the Boston Red Sox.[2]
Houston Astros Manager
On October 27, 2009, Mills was named manager of the Houston Astros, replacing interim manager Dave Clark.[2]
Mills holds the dubious distinction of guiding the Astros to the franchise's first ever 100-loss season, which he did in 2011, the trend continued the following season, as his Astros holding the worst record in the majors, Mills was fired on August 18, 2012 along with hitting coach Mike Barnett and first base coach Bobby Meacham.[3] He was succeeded on an interim basis by Oklahoma City RedHawks manager Tony DeFrancesco.[4] The team would go on to finish the season with 100+ losses for the second consecutive year.
Cleveland Indians
On October 31, 2012, Mills was hired as the third base coach of the Cleveland Indians, to work with Francona again. Mills was reassigned as the Indians bench coach in 2014. While coaching for the Boston Red Sox under Francona from 2004 to 2009 he was in the same position.[5] On July 11, 2017, Mills managed the American League All-Star team while Francona dealt with a health issue.
On July 5, 2020, Mills announced he would be opting out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Managerial record
- As of October 2, 2014
| Team | From | To | Regular season record | Post–season record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | Win % | W | L | Win % | |||
| Houston Astros | 2010 | 2012 | 171 | 274 | .384 | — | ||
| Cleveland Indians** | 2017 | 2017 | 1 | 4 | .200 | — | ||
| ** Interim while Terry Francona is out with issue | ||||||||
References
- "The Newark Star Ledger section 5 pg 5, August 26, 2012".
- McTaggart, Brian (2009-10-27). "Mills named Astros manager". MLB.com. Retrieved 2009-10-27.
- Astros fire manager Brad Mills. ESPN.com. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
- Tony DeFrancesco in for Brad Mills. ESPN.com. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
- Bastian, Jordan (October 31, 2012). "Familiar faces among Francona's coaching staff". MLB.com. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Brad Mills managerial career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com
| Managerial/Coaching Positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Tony Franklin |
Wytheville Cubs Manager 1987 |
Succeeded by Steve Roadcap |
| Preceded by Hal Dyer |
Charleston Wheelers Manager 1988 |
Succeeded by Greg Mahlberg |
| Preceded by Jim Tracy |
Peoria Chiefs Manager 1989 |
Succeeded by Greg Mahlberg |
| Preceded by Jay Loviglio |
Winston-Salem Spirits Manager 1990–1991 |
Succeeded by Bill Hayes |
| Preceded by Mick Kelleher |
Iowa Cubs Manager 1992 |
Succeeded by Marv Foley |
| Preceded by Charlie Manuel |
Colorado Springs Sky Sox Manager 1993–1996 |
Succeeded by Paul Zuvella |
| Preceded by Dave Cash |
Philadelphia Phillies First Base Coach 1997–2000 |
Succeeded by Tony Scott |
| Preceded by Rick Sofield |
Las Vegas 51s Manager 2002 |
Succeeded by John Shoemaker |
| Preceded by Wendell Kim |
Montreal Expos Bench Coach 2003 |
Succeeded by Eddie Rodriguez |
| Preceded by Jerry Narron |
Boston Red Sox Bench Coach 2004–2009 |
Succeeded by DeMarlo Hale |
| Preceded by Steve Smith |
Cleveland Indians Third base Coach 2013 |
Succeeded by Mike Sarbaugh |
| Preceded by Sandy Alomar Jr. |
Cleveland Indians Bench Coach 2014– |
Succeeded by |