Dana LeVangie | |
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Pitching coach | |
Born: (1969-08-11)August 11, 1969 (age 55) Whitman, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Dana Alan LeVangie (born August 11, 1969) is an Americanprofessional baseballscout andcoach, who was the pitching coach for theBoston Red Sox ofMajor League Baseball (MLB) in2018 and2019. Formerly ascout andminor leaguecatcher, as an active player he both batted and threw right-handed and was listed at 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) and 185 pounds (84 kg).
A native ofWhitman, Massachusetts, LeVangie graduated fromWhitman-Hanson Regional High School in 1987; he then attendedCape Cod Community College inWest Barnstable, Massachusetts (1987–1989), andAmerican International College (AIC) inSpringfield, Massachusetts (1989–1991).[1] He was a catcher on theAIC Yellow Jackets baseball team for two seasons (1990–1991). As a senior, LeVangiebatted .473 with 13home runs and 87RBIs,[a] and was named 1991Division II Northeast Player of the Year.[1] He was selected by the Red Sox in the 14th round of the1991 MLB draft.
LeVangie signed with the Red Sox in June 1991,[2] and played in the Bostonfarm system through 1996. He mostly played at theClass A-Advanced andDouble-A levels, along with eight games inTriple-A. He was a career .196 hitter with seven home runs and 78 RBIs in 351 games played. LeVangie participated inspring training replacement games in 1995,[3] during the1994–95 MLB strike.[4]
LeVangie became the bullpen catcher for the1997 Red Sox, and served in that role for eight years, through the2004 Red Soxchampionship season. He then worked as a scout for the Red Sox for eight seasons,[5] serving as a pro scout in 2005 and an advance scout from 2006 through 2012.[1]
In 2013, LeVangie was named to succeedGary Tuck as bullpen coach for the Red Sox. He held that role until mid-August 2015, when he became interim bench coach for the Red Sox, one of several coaching reassignments caused bymanagerJohn Farrell's medical leave of absence for the successful treatment oflymphoma. LeVangie returned to his role as the Red Sox' bullpen coach for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
LeVangie replacedCarl Willis as Boston pitching coach on November 8, 2017, on the staff of new managerAlex Cora.[5] The first non-pitcher to hold that role for the Red Sox sinceMike Roarke in 1994,[1] LeVangie received credit for his contributions to Boston's 108-win2018 regular season, itsAmerican Leaguepennant, andWorld Series championship.[6] The Red Sox finished third in their league in teamearned run average (3.75),[7] then won 11 of 14 post-season games to capture their ninth world title.
On October 8, 2019, the Red Sox announced that LeVangie would not return as the team's pitching coach for the 2020 season, but would stay with the team as a pro scout.[8]
LeVangie was inducted to the AIC Yellow Jackets Hall of Fame in 2006.[9] As of November 2017, LeVangie lives inEast Bridgewater, Massachusetts, with his wife and two children.[10]
Sporting positions | ||
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Preceded by | Boston Red Soxbullpen coach 2013–2017 | Succeeded by |
Preceded by | Boston Red Soxpitching coach 2018–2019 | Succeeded by |