Perry Hill (baseball)

Perry Hill
Hill with the Miami Marlins
Seattle Mariners – No. 16
Coach
Born: (1952-03-19) March 19, 1952 (age 72)
Salina, Kansas, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Teams
As coach
Career highlights and awards

Perry Wendell Hill, (born March 19, 1952), nicknamed "Bone,"[1][2] is an American professional baseball coach. He is the infield coach for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He formerly coached for the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Montreal Expos, Florida / Miami Marlins, and Pittsburgh Pirates. He is widely regarded as a top infield coach, repeatedly helping improve his teams' defense.[3][4][2][5]

Career

Playing career

Hill graduated from L.D. Bell High School in Hurst, Texas. He played college baseball at Paris Junior College and for the Pan American University Broncs in Texas. He played professionally for the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings in 1976, then played for five seasons in the Mexico.[6][4][7]

Coaching career

Hill began his coaching career with the Texas Rangers' Class-A Tri-City Triplets in 1984. He coached for the Daytona Beach Islanders in 1985 and 1986, then became a Rangers' roving instructor from 1987 to 1991. In 1992, he became the Rangers' infield and first base coach, holding that post through 1995. He spent three years with the Detroit Tigers from 1997 through 1999, which in 1997 became the first MLB club to go from last to first in fielding percentage. He coached the Montreal Expos in 2000 and 2001, then coached the Florida Marlins from 2002 to 2006.[8] He announced his retirement in March 2007,[9] but returned to coaching in 2009 with the Pittsburgh Pirates for one season.[6] The Pirates exercised an option to have Hill coach in 2010, but he declined the team's offer multiple times.[10][3]

Hill was rehired by the Marlins to coach first base and infield for the 2011 season.[11] After not coaching for the team in 2012 under new manager Ozzie Guillén,[12] Hill returned to the Marlins in 2013.[13] In 2017, he was named the best infield coach by MLB Network.[14] He stayed in Miami until the end of the 2018 season.[15]

Hill was hired by the Seattle Mariners as their first base and infield coach prior to the 2019 season.[16] He coached remotely in 2020, due to health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.[17] He stopped being the Mariners' first base coach in 2022, replaced by Kristopher Negrón, but remained the infield coach.[18]

Personal life

Hill runs a baseball coaching company, Gold Glove Defense.[19]

Hill was inducted into the Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD Sports Hall of Fame in 2002,[20] the Clarinda A's Hall of Fame also in 2002,[21] and the Paris Junior College Dragons Hall of Fame in 2014.[22][4]

Hill's favorite baseball player is Mickey Mantle.[23]

References

  1. ^ Brock, Corey (September 14, 2020). "Captain's Log: Perry Hill's voice, lessons resonate from afar". The Athletic. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 26, 2024. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  2. ^ a b Kepner, Tyler (February 26, 2016). "Perry Hill Delivers a Simple Message for a Complex Task". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 26, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Olney, Buster (2009-10-21). "Pirates infield coach Hill has no plans to return". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  4. ^ a b c "Perry Hill named new Seattle Mariners first base/infield coach". MLB.com. November 20, 2018. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  5. ^ Cafardo, Nick (January 25, 2014). "The Boston Globe". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on February 14, 2015. Retrieved 2024-09-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ^ a b Finder, Chuck (2009-03-15). "Pirates Spring Training: Infield guru Perry Hill". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-28.
  7. ^ "Perry Hill Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  8. ^ "Marlins Roster & Staff: Perry Hill". Marlins.com. Archived from the original on August 9, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  9. ^ "Hill decides it's time to quit". Sun Sentinel. 2007-03-24. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  10. ^ Langosch, Jenifer (October 17, 2009). "Hill declines Bucs' offer to return". MLB.com. Archived from the original on October 22, 2009. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  11. ^ Capozzi, Joe (November 3, 2010). "Florida Marlins make it official - Edwin Rodriguez will manage team through 2011; Perry Hill returns". Palm Beach Post. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2011-06-19.
  12. ^ "Marlins Name 2012 Coaching Staff". MLB.com. 2011-11-01. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  13. ^ "Miami Marlins name 2013 Major League coaching staff". MLB.com. 2012-11-16. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  14. ^ "Hill honored as top infield coach by Network". MLB.com. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  15. ^ Adams, Steve (October 8, 2018). "Marlins To Make Several Coaching Changes". MLB Trade Rumors.
  16. ^ Ryan Divish (November 20, 2018). "Mariners announce the hire of Perry Hill to serve as infield and first base coach". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  17. ^ Kramer, Daniel (February 25, 2021). "Baseball lifer Hill back in his element". MLB.com. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  18. ^ "Mariners add McKay, Negron to coaching staff". ESPN.com. 2021-11-16. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  19. ^ "About". Gold Glove Defense. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  20. ^ "Hall of Fame - Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District". www.hebisd.edu. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  21. ^ "A's Hall of Fame". Clarinda A's Baseball. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  22. ^ "Paris Junior College". www.parisjc.edu. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  23. ^ "Checking in with Mariners First Base/Infield Coach Perry Hill". Medium. Seattle Mariners. 2020-04-24. Retrieved 2024-09-26.