Timothy James Hyers (born October 3, 1971) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and current hitting coach for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers, and Florida Marlins. He has also served as the hitting coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, and Texas Rangers.
| Tim Hyers | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Hyers at the White House in 2024 | |
| Atlanta Braves | |
| Coach / First baseman | |
| Born: October 3, 1971 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 4, 1994, for the San Diego Padres | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 5, 1999, for the Florida Marlins | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .217 |
| Home runs | 2 |
| Runs batted in | 19 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Playing career
editHyers attended Newton County High School in Georgia and was selected in the second round by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1990 Major League Baseball Draft.[1]
During his ten-year (1990–99) minor league career in the Blue Jays, Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks and Marlins organizations, he batted .261 with 847 hits.
Hyers was selected in the Rule 5 draft by the San Diego Padres in 1993, playing in 54 major league games the following season, while recording a .254 batting average, seven runs batted in, and nine walks in 118 at bats. After six games with the Padres in 1995, Hyers signed with the Detroit Tigers and recorded two hits in 26 at-bats. Hyers returned to the major leagues in 1999 with 81 at-bats for the Florida Marlins, hitting .222 with four doubles and twelve RBI.[2] He threw and batted left-handed, stood 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighed 185 pounds (84 kg). In total, Hyers batted .217 with two home runs and 17 runs batted in in 133 games played during his MLB career.[3]
Post-playing career
editAfter retiring from the playing ranks, Hyers worked as a hitting coach in the Tigers' farm system, and also taught physical education at Victory Christian School in Conyers, Georgia. He then was an area scout for the Boston Red Sox in Georgia during 2009–2012.[4] In 2013, Hyers was appointed the Red Sox' minor league hitting coordinator and served three seasons in that post. During the 2014 season, he served as interim hitting coach for the Red Sox, while Greg Colbrunn was recovering from a cerebral hemorrhage.[5]
Hyers returned to MLB full-time when he was named assistant hitting coach of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 2016 season,[6] serving under new manager Dave Roberts. Hyers was a member of Roberts' staff through the 2017 season. On November 4, 2017, Hyers was named hitting coach of the Boston Red Sox on the staff of new manager Alex Cora.[7] Hyers served as hitting coach for the Red Sox through the 2021 season, including the team's 2018 championship. On November 1, 2021, Hyers declined the team's offer to return for the 2022 season.[8] On November 10, 2021, he was named the hitting coach of the Texas Rangers.[9] Hyers joined the Atlanta Braves in the same role on October 24, 2024.[10][11]
Personal life
editHyers is the eldest of three sons of parents James and Brenda Hyers.[12] Tim Hyers and his wife Kristin raised three children.[13]
References
edit- ^ Awetry, Stan (August 4, 2017). "Newton product Tim Hyers enjoying role as hitting coach with Los Angeles Dodgers". Rockdale Newton Citizen. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
- ^ "America's pastime". The Covington News. April 2, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
- ^ "Braves Hire Rangers' Hitting Coach for Same Capacity". Morgan County Citizen. October 24, 2024. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
- ^ Boston Red Sox official website
- ^ Lauber, Scott (June 30, 2014). "Hitting coach Greg Colbrunn feels 'lucky' to be back with Red Sox". Boston Herald. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
- ^ Weisman, Jon (December 17, 2015). "Dodgers name coaches for 2016". Dodgers.com. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
- ^ Browne, Ian (November 4, 2017). "Red Sox choose Tim Hyers as hitting coach". MLB.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
- ^ Speier, Alex (November 1, 2021). "Hitting coach Tim Hyers declines Red Sox' offer to return next season". The Boston Globe. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
- ^ "Hyers rejoins Woodward as Texas' hitting coach". ESPN.com. November 10, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
- ^ Bowman, Mark (October 24, 2024). "Braves hire Hyers as new hitting coach". MLB.com. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
- ^ "Braves hire Tim Hyers as hitting coach, replacing Kevin Seitzer". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 24, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
- ^ Knapp, Brian (2018). "Diamond King". The Newton Community Magazine. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
- ^ O'Brien, David (October 24, 2024). "Braves' new hitting coach Tim Hyers brings World Series experience". The Athletic. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
But he couldn't resist the lure of coming home, where he and his wife, Kristin, raised three kids and recently became grandparents to twin girls, to join a franchise that's played in the past seven postseasons and certainly has the talent to continue that streak.
External links
edit- Career statistics from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet