WFNY’s 2014 Cleveland Browns Position Review: The Defensive Line
January 6, 2015Skip Bayless called Johnny Manziel an alcoholic and I don’t care
January 6, 2015When Kevin Cash was hired by the Tampa Bay Rays to be manager, it left a hole on the Indians’ staff. The team announced that they’ve hired Jason Bere as bullpen coach.
Bere, 43, has been a Special Assistant to the Baseball Operations Department since retiring as a player in 2005. In that role Jason provided instruction and evaluation of organizational pitchers within the Indians Player Development system and spent each Spring Training in uniform assisting the Major League and Minor League coaching staffs.
The Wilmington, MA native pitched 11 seasons in the Major Leagues with five different teams, including stints with the Indians in 2000 and 2003 before concluding his playing career at Triple-A Buffalo in 2005. During his career he compiled a Major League record of 71-65 with a 5.14 ERA in 211 games/203 starts (1111.0IP, 1095H, 634ER, 626BB, 920K) and was an American League All-Star in 1994 with the Chicago White Sox. Bere won a combined 24 games in 1993 and 1994 with the Sox and was the starting and winning pitcher for Chicago in the final game played at Cleveland Stadium on October 3, 1993.
Some of the younger folks might not remember that Bere played for the Indians, but I will remember it as the end of Richie Sexson as an Indian. Bere was traded to Cleveland by the Brewers in July of 2000 along with Bob Wickman and Steve Woodard for Richie Sexson, Paul Rigdon and Kane Davis. I remember thinking at the time that Richie Sexson was something of a disappointment and 1999 was a different era, but Sexson hit 31 homers and drove in 116 even if he did strike out a good amount.
Anyway, Bere started 11 games for the Tribe after the trade, pitching almost 55 innings. The Indians just missed the Wild Card that year with a 90-72 record. Seattle and Oakland tied out west with 91 wins each. The real key to that deal was Bob Wickman who saved 14 games for the Indians in 2000.
So Bere joins the Cleveland Indians’ staff. Interestingly enough Bere was a player who was once ranked ahead of Derek Jeter on a prospects list.
Way up at No. 8 on that prospects list (which was topped by Chipper Jones) was a 21-year-old from Wilmington signed by the White Sox three years earlier for $2,000 as a 36th-round draft pick out of Middlesex Community College. Jason Bere stood 36 places ahead of Jeter on that list, 30 ahead of Mike Piazza and five ahead of Manny Ramirez.
“We all ended up having about the same careers,” Bere jokes.
Let’s hope he has a better coaching career.
2 Comments
Signs you are getting old: Guys you remember quite vividly as players are now coaches and then you see their ages. Jason Bere is already 43yo? Where has the time gone?
Another sign: Randy Johnson is now a photographer. Absolutely love his logo 🙂
http://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2015/01/06/randy-johnson-photography-dead-bird-logo