Tim Leiper

Timothy Joseph Leiper (born July 19, 1966) is an American professional baseball coach and former manager. He was the first-base coach of the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball from 2014 until 2018.[1]

Tim Leiper
Leiper with the Toronto Blue Jays
First base coach
Born: (1966-07-19) July 19, 1966
Whittier, California, United States
Bats: Left
Throws: Right

Leiper, a former outfielder, had a 12-season (1985–96) minor league playing career in the farm systems of the Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets and Kansas City Royals, batting .273 with 40 home runs in 1,166 games and 3,910 at bats.[2] The native of Whittier, California, attended Brea Olinda High School. He batted left-handed, threw right-handed, and was listed as 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and 175 pounds (79 kg). His older brother, Dave Leiper was a major league pitcher for 8 seasons.[3]

Career

Leiper's coaching career began while he was still an active player: he spent part of the 1992 season as an assistant baseball coach for North Carolina State University. In 1996, Leiper became a coach in the professional ranks, in the New York Mets' organization.[4] He moved up to managing in 2000 in the Montreal Expos' organization, working at the Short Season-A and Class A levels before his promotion to the Triple-A Ottawa Lynx of the International League in 2002. After Leiper guided the Lynx to 80 wins in 143 games that season, he spent one season as manager of the Class A Sarasota Red Sox before returning to the Lynx in 2004, who were by then the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. Leiper then spent four seasons in the Pittsburgh Pirates' system, including three as manager of the Double-A Altoona Curve, before joining the Florida Marlins in 2009.[5] In 2010, he managed the Jacksonville Suns, the Marlins' Double-A affiliate,[6] where he led them to the 2010 Southern League championship. He then served as the Marlins' roving minor league defensive coordinator in 2011 and 2012. In 2013, he was senior advisor for minor league operations for the Toronto Blue Jays before his promotion to Blue Jays manager John Gibbons' staff for 2014, his first year in Major League Baseball after 29 years as a minor league player, manager and instructor.

Outside North America, Leiper played for Cañeros de Los Mochis of the Mexican Pacific Winter League in 1993, and Águilas Cibaeñas in 1996, where his team won the Dominican Professional Baseball League championship. In 1999–2000 he coached for Pastora in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, as well as Aguilas, in 2007–08 in the Dominican winter league. Aguilas won both the Dominican championship and the Caribbean World Series.

Previously an offseason resident of Ottawa,[7] Leiper has also been a coach on the 2004 Canadian Olympic team, and Canada's 2006, 2009, and 2013 World Baseball Classic squads. He was also a part of the Baseball Canada staff that won bronze medals at both the 2008 and 2011 Baseball World Cups and the gold medal in the 2011 Pan-American Games.

After John Gibbons parted ways with the Blue Jays after the 2018 season, Leiper was fired on November 3.[8]

See also

References
  1. "Coaching Staff". Toronto Blue Jays.
  2. "Tim Leiper Minor Leagues Statistics & History - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  3. Griffin, Richard. "Jays coach Tim Leiper understands the sacrifices of a father". thestar.com. Toronto Star. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  4. Boston Red Sox 2003 Media Guide, pp. 400-401
  5. Baseball America 2009 Directory
  6. Baseball America, February 22-March 10, 2010, page 56
  7. Baseball Canada Archived 2008-12-07 at the Wayback Machine
  8. Johnston, Mike (3 November 2018). "Blue Jays fire hitting coach Jacoby, first base coach Leiper - Sportsnet.ca". Sportsnet.ca. Sportsnet. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
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