Cleveland Indians name Tim Belcher pitching coach for new manager Manny Acta

By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer
\CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Tim Belcher is the Cleveland Indians' new pitching coach under first-year manager Manny Acta.

Belcher, 48, has served the Indians as a special assistant to the baseball operations department for the last eight years. He will replace Carl Willis, who was fired along with manager Eric Wedge and the rest of his coaching staff on Sept. 30.

In 14 big-league seasons, the native of Sparta, Ohio, went 146-140 with 4.16 ERA. Belcher pitched with seven big league teams, winning 10 or more games in nine seasons.

As a special assistant, Belcher worked with the Indians player development system in instructing and evaluating pitching talent at every level in the minor league system. He also scouted other teams, providing advance scouting reports for the last several years for the Tribe's big-league coaching staff.

Belcher pitched at Nazarene University in Mount Vernon, Ohio and was the No.1 pick in the 1983 draft by the Minnesota Twins. He did not sign and was the No.1 pick of the Yankees in the now defunct secondary phase of the draft in January of 1984.



Cleveland Indians interested in returning Sandy Alomar Jr. to Acta's coaching staff
By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer

Sandy Alomar Jr. has accepted a coaching job with the New York Mets, he did so before the organization fired his father, Sandy Sr.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians have talked to the New York Mets about adding former All-Star catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. to new manager Manny Acta's coaching staff.


Alomar has been added to the Mets' big-league staff after serving two years as their bullpen catcher and catching instructor, but his job hasn't been finalized because of other changes on the staff. One of those changes included the firing of Alomar's father, Sandy Sr.

In his 11 years with the Indians (1990-2000), Alomar was one of the most popular players in team history. He was voted into the Tribe's Hall of Fame this past summer.

Acta is looking for a catching instructor and bullpen coach. It's unclear if Alomar is being considered for both jobs. The Indians may use a former pitcher as their bullpen coach. Class AAA pitching coach Scott Radinsky and Dave Miller, the Tribe's minor-league pitching coordinator, are candidates for that job.

ESPN first reported the Indians' interest in Alomar.

Alomar, 43, played in six All-Star games as an Indian and won the AL Rookie of the Year in 1990. He played on five division winners and went to the World Series twice with the Tribe.

The hiring of Alomar would be a popular move with fans, but it's far from a done deal. Going from one similar coaching job to another is seen as a lateral move, which may prompt the Mets to keep him.

Finally: Tribe shortstop Carlos Rivero will represent the Indians on Saturday in the fourth annual Rising Stars Game in the Arizona Fall League. Rivero is hitting .318 (14-for-44) with five doubles and five RBI in 11 games for Peoria.

The game will be televised by MLB Network at 8:15 p.m. ET. It will be online at MLB.com.


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