Mike Barnett (baseball)
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Michael Lee Barnett (born February 1, 1959) is a former
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
hitting coach, most recently for the
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
, and former replay coordinator for the
Cleveland Guardians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...
.


Playing career

Barnett played catcher at Ohio University, but had his baseball career end following a shoulder injury.


Coaching career

Barnett had a six-year stint as an assistant administrator of baseball operations for the New York Yankees from 1982 to 1987. After leaving the Yankees, he spent two seasons on the coaching staff at the University of Tennessee from 1988 to 1989. Following that, Barnett served as hitting coach at all levels of the Chicago White Sox organization from 1990 to 1997. Barnett spent four seasons from 1998 to 2001 as hitting coach for Tucson (AAA) in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. Barnett served as hitting coach of the Toronto Blue Jays from 2002 to 2005, where he played a key role in the development of such hitters as Vernon Wells and Orlando Hudson. He helped lead the 2003 Blue Jays to an 86-76 record as the team ranked in the top 5 in the American League in numerous offensive categories including batting average (2nd), runs (2nd), hits (2nd) and home runs (5th). After taking over as Royals hitting coach May 1, 2006, Barnett led the Royals to a .275 (1,339-4,867) average the remainder of the season. The Royals hit a franchise-record 335 doubles in 2006, the 4th-highest total in the Majors. On August 19, 2012, Barnett was released from the Houston Astros, along with manager Brad Mills and first base coach
Bobby Meacham Robert Andrew Meacham (born August 25, 1960) is an American former professional baseball shortstop, who spent his entire six-year big league playing career with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). Since retiring from active play ...
. The Astros 39-82 record was the worst in the Major Leagues at the time. Barnett was hired by the
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
to serve as replay coordinator on January 14, 2016. On October 31, 2023, the Guardians announced Barnett would not return to the major league coaching staff for the 2024 season.


Personal

Barnett resides in Knoxville, Tenn., with his 2 children. He graduated from Ohio University with a degree in sports administration.


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnett, Mike 1959 births Living people Sportspeople from Columbus, Ohio Cleveland Indians coaches Houston Astros coaches Kansas City Royals coaches Major League Baseball hitting coaches Toronto Blue Jays coaches Ohio Bobcats baseball players Baseball catchers New York Yankees personnel Tennessee Volunteers baseball coaches Chicago White Sox coaches