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Nick Leyva

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Nick Leyva
Leyva coaching for the Cardinals, 1987.
Manager / First base coach
Born: (1953-08-16) August 16, 1953 (age 70)
Ontario, California
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB statistics
Games337
Won–loss record148–189
Winning %.439
Teams
As manager
As coach

Nicholas Tomas Leyva (born August 16, 1953) is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and manager.[1] After his retirement as a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) player, most of Leyva’s baseball career was spent as a coach. His Major League Baseball (MLB) coaching stops included the St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays (on two separate occasions), Milwaukee Brewers, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Leyva was the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies from 1989 though early 1991.

Playing career

Born in Ontario, California, Leyva, who is of Mexican-American descent, attended the University of LaVerne, and was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 24th round of the 1975 Major League Baseball Draft. He was an infielder who threw and batted right-handed, stood 5 feet 11 inches (180 cm) tall and weighed 165 pounds (75 kg). In three seasons (1975–77) in the Cardinals' farm system, he appeared in 253 games played and batted .267 with 208 hits, eight home runs and 109 runs batted in.

Uniform numbers

As a major league manager & coach, Leyva has worn #16 with every team he's been with, except for his 1st year in Toronto in 1993 where he wore #45 before switching back to his familiar #16 in 1994.

Managing career

Leyva began his managing career at age 24 with the Rookie-level Johnson City Cardinals of the Appalachian League in 1978. By 1983, he was manager of the parent Cardinals' Double-A farm team, the Arkansas Travelers of the Texas League.

Leyva (right) advising Milwaukee's Corey Hart in 2007

Leyva then served on the big-league coaching staff of Whitey Herzog's Cardinals for five seasons, 1984–1988. He was the first base coach for the National League champion 1985 Cardinals and third base coach for the NL champion 1987 Cardinals.

In 1989, Leyva was hired as manager of the Phillies by his former farm director in St. Louis, Lee Thomas. Leyva's inaugural Philadelphia team won only 67 of 162 games, and finished last in the National League East Division. In 1990, his team won ten more games and finished fourth, but still played eight games below the .500 mark. When the 1991 Phils dropped nine of their first 13 games, Leyva was ousted on April 23. His career totals as a Major League manager were 148 victories and 189 defeats (.439).

Coach with Blue Jays, Brewers and Pirates

After managing the Toronto Blue Jays' Triple-A farm team, the Syracuse Chiefs, Leyva spent 4½ seasons (July 1993 through 1997) as the third-base coach of the Blue Jays—his first term in the job. He then worked at multiple levels of the Chicago White Sox farm system before spending one season as third-base coach of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007.

Leyva was listed as the 2008 manager of the Kingsport Mets of the Appalachian League, a rookie-level affiliate of the New York Mets, before the Blue Jays rehired him as their third base coach on June 20, 2008, when Cito Gaston replaced John Gibbons as the club's manager.[2] On October 30, 2009, Leyva was reassigned as the Blue Jays' bench coach, with Brian Butterfield taking over as third base coach for the team. On November 8, 2010, former Seattle Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu was named Toronto's bench coach, ending Leyva's tenure at that post.

On November 24, 2011, Leyva was named the Pittsburgh Pirates' third base coach, under new manager Clint Hurdle.[3] On November 5, 2014, the Pirates announced that Leyva would be moved to first base coach and Rick Sofield would move from first base to third base. On October 22, 2016, the Pirates announced that Leyva was reassigned within the organization to an advisory position and would no longer coach.[4]

Coach in Venezuela

Nick Leyva he had experience as manager in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League with the Cardenales de Lara team, in the 1995-1996 season, and who took the final of that season against the Navegantes del Magallanes, losing that final 4 games for 3 , for the 2000-2001 season, he redirected the Larenses, leading them to obtain his fourth championship in the professional ball of Venezuela, defeating the team that defeated him 4 years before in 6 games and taking revenge for that defeat. 7 years later, he returned to Venezuela to direct the Navegantes del Magallanes in the 2008-2009 season, but was dismissed because of the negative record he had for that moment Leyva's younger brother, Al, is an assistant coach with the Willmar Stingers of the Northwoods League.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Baseball Notebook; Bo Jackson's Contacts Swing From Backfield to the Outfield". The New York Times. November 20, 1988.
  2. ^ Baseball America, 2008 Directory
  3. ^ Langosch, Jenifer (2010-11-24). "Bucs finalize coaching staff, with three returning". MLB.com. Retrieved 2010-11-24.
  4. ^ "Pirates-fire-third-base-coach-Sofield-reassign-1B-coach-Leyva/stories/201610220178".
  5. ^ http://newportgulls.pointstreaksites.com/view/newportgulls/team/coaching-staff-88
  • Bucek, Jeanine, ed. dir., The Baseball Encyclopedia. New York: Macmillan Books, 1996.
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