Trey Hillman is heading west to continue his career in Major League Baseball.
The Athletic’s Andy McCullough reports “Hillman, most recently the Miami Marlins bench coach, has taken a job in player development with the Los Angeles Angels.”
Hillman’s coaching odyssey began in 1990 at the age of 27 when he was manager of the New York Yankees’ Low-A affiliate in Oneonta, N.Y.
Hillman rose through the Yankees’ ranks, eventually becoming manager of their Triple-A affiliate in Columbus, Ohio from 1999 to 2001.
However Hillman, now 59, is best-known for his three-year stint as manager of the Kansas City Royals from 2008 to 2010. He joined forces with former Yankees captain Don Mattingly in 2011 as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ bench coach, but Hillman was fired after the 2013 season.
Hillman returned to the Yankees in 2014 as special assistant for major and minor league operations.
Then came a two-year run as the Houston Astros bench coach in 2015 and 2016.
Hillman spent the 2017 and 2018 seasons managing in Korea. According to MLB Trade Rumors, “Hillman (is) the only person to ever manage in each of Major League Baseball, Nippon Professional Baseball and the Korea Baseball Organization.”
Hillman has managed — and won championships — in both Nippon Professional Baseball and the Korea Baseball Organization. Hillman managed the Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan from 2003-07 and won a Japan Series title in 2006. He also skippered the KBO’s SK Wyverns (now the SSG Landers) from 2017-18, capturing a Korean Series title in the second of those two campaigns.
Hillman returned to MLB in 2019, and to Mattingly in particular, becoming infield and first base coach with the Marlins. He shifted to third base in 2020.
MLB Trade Rumors reports “The Halos will be the ninth organization for which he’s worked in a career that is approaching four decades in professional baseball.”
RELATED STORIES ABOUT MLB RUMORS
Ex-Yankees, Mets outfielder graduates from college 3 years after finishing MLB career
Yankees’ Aaron Boone talks MLB lockout, spring training
Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.
Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com.
Ad Choices