Former Osprey Manager Chip Hale Named D-backs Skipper

MISSOULA, Mont. - Former Missoula Osprey manager Chip Hale (2000-01) was named the manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks today, the team's seventh manager in franchise history.

 

Hale has 28 years of professional baseball experience comprised of 16 seasons in a managerial/coaching capacity including two seasons spent as the manager of the Missoula Osprey (2000-01). The 49-year-old also had a 12-year playing career and spent seven seasons in the Majors.

 

With the Osprey in 2000, Hale led the squad to hold the league's best overall record at 44-32. In 2001 he was named the Pioneer League and Baseball America Rookie-Level Manager of the Year after the O's won the Northern Division's second-half championship.

 

Seven O's who played for Hale's two Missoula squads made it to the show including Luis Terrero, Casey Daigle, Jerry Gil, Andy Green, Tony Peña, Phil Stockman, and Jose Valverde.

 

Hale also spent time as the manager for the Double-A El Paso Diablos (2002) and the Triple-A Tucson Sidewinders (2004-06), both which were D-backs affiliates. With the Diablos in 2002, he led the squad to a league-best 76-62 record. His 2006 Sidewinders won the Triple-A and Pacific Coast League championships after compiling a franchise-record 92-53 regular-season record and a 7-1 postseason mark. He was named PCL Manager of the Year that season.

 

From 2007-09, Hale served as the D-backs Third Base and Infield Coach under Bob Melvin. Hale then went on to serve as the New York Mets' Third Base and Infield Coach (2010-11) and the Oakland A's Bench Coach (2012-14).

 

While coaching in the Major Leagues, his teams won three division titles (NL West with D-backs in 2007 and AL West with A's in 2012-13) and earned a Wild Card berth (2014).

 

Prior to coaching, Hale played for the Minnesota Twins (1989-90, 1993-96) and Los Angeles Dodgers (1997). He posted a .277 average (159-for-575) with 27 doubles, one triple, seven long balls and 78 RBI in 333 career games.