| Bill Evers | |
|---|---|
| Born: (1954-01-29)January 29, 1954 (age 71) New York, New York | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| Teams | |
William Joseph Evers (born January 29, 1954) is an Americanprofessional baseballcoach and a formerminor leagueplayer and longtimemanager and instructor. In November 2018, he was named a coach on the staff ofRocco Baldelli, the2019 manager of theMinnesota Twins ofMajor League Baseball.[1][2] The appointment marked the second MLB staff assignment of Evers' 44-year baseball career: he spent2006 and2007 as the bench coach duringJoe Maddon's first two seasons as skipper of theTampa Bay Devil Rays.[2][3]
Evers was born inNew York City. He received his BA in management and recreation fromEckerd College inSt. Petersburg, Florida, in 1976[4] and was selected by theChicago Cubs in the sixth round of the secondary phase of the June 1976Major League Baseball Draft. During his four-year playing career, Evers was acatcher andfirst baseman who batted and threwright-handed; he was listed as 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) tall and 190 pounds (86 kg). Peaking at theTriple-A level with 30games played in 1978–79, he hit 11home runs with an even 200hits in 274 total games, with 161walks and 113strikeouts.
After coaching in the Cubs' minor-league organization,[2] Evers became a manager in theSan Francisco Giants andNew York Yankees systems through 1995, then joined the fledgling Tampa Bay Devil Rays' organization in 1996, two seasons before the Rays'American League debut. He spent ten years managing in Tampa Bay'sfarm system, including eight seasons at the helm of theDurham Bulls, the club's Triple-A affiliate, where he managed Baldelli as a young player.[2] By the time he was named the MLB Rays' bench coach for 2006, Evers had spent 19 years as a minor-league pilot and compiled a 1,381–1,206 (.534)record, then the second-most wins among active minor-league managers. He won five minor league championships and managed three of the Rays' five minor league championship teams through 2005.[4]
In2008, Evers was succeeded as bench coach by former Devil Ray playerDave Martinez. He then served Tampa Bay as ascout for two seasons, and spent nine years (2010–2018) as the field coordinator for the Rays' minor league organization. In all, he was a member of the Rays' system for 23 years before his appointment to Baldelli's staff. In September 2021, Evers announced his intention to retire at the end of the season,[5][6] and served as acting manager in Baldelli's place when Baldelli took paternity leave that same month.[7]
| Preceded by | Columbus Clippersmanager 1995 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Triple-A franchise established | Durham Bullsmanager 1998–2005 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Tampa Bay Devil Raysbench coach 2006–2007 | Succeeded by |