Mickey Hatcher "Couldn't Be Happier" to Rejoin LA Dodgers as a Special Assistant
The former Dodger will help with player development and assist the Dodgers' staff.
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Mickey Hatcher rejoins the Dodgers as a special assistant after being fired by the Angels earlier this season.
Former Los Angeles Dodger and ex-LA Angels hitting coach Mickey Hatcher has been hired by the boys in blue as a special assistant to general manager Ned Colletti, the team announced Tuesday.
"Mickey’s been a World Series champion both as a player and a coach," Colletti said in a statement released Tuesday. "His baseball experience, legendary passion for the game and tremendous attitude will be a huge positive for our organization."
Hatcher will be responsible for helping with player development and assisting the Dodgers’ staff, officials said.
"It’s a great feeling being a Dodger again, it feels like I’ve come back home," Hatcher said.
"This is where my roots were and where I was taught everything about the game and where I learned about professionalism. I’m excited about the opportunity to meet everyone in the organization and about the energy created by the new ownership. I couldn’t be happier right now."
Hatcher was hired by the LA Angels as a hitting coach and fired after 13 seasons, when the team began the season hitting well below expectations, especially with the addition of slugger Albert Pujols. At the time, the Angels had a 16-21 record.
As the Angels’ hitting coach, he helped lead the club to six playoff berths and a 2002 World Series win. Under his tutelage, the team set club records in batting average, hits, home runs, runs, RBIs and extra-base hits.
Over the course of 12 Major League seasons as a player with the Dodgers and the Minnesota Twins, Hatcher hit a combined .280 with 38 home runs and 375 RBIs.
However, Hatcher is best remembered by Dodger fans for his efforts in the 1988 World Series. In the Fall Classic against the Oakland A’s, Hatcher maintained a .368 average with two home runs and five RBIs.
After finishing his playing career in 1990, Hatcher coached and managed numerous teams in the Dodger organization’s minor league system. In 1998, he had a brief stint as the first base coach on the Dodger coaching staff.
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