Nick Leyva

Nick Leyva
Leyva coaching for the Cardinals, 1987.
Pittsburgh Pirates — No. 16
Manager / Coach
Born: August 16, 1953 (1953-08-16) (age 58) Ontario, California
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
Career statistics
Games	338
Won–loss record	338–148
Winning %	.695
Teams
As manager Philadelphia Phillies (1989–1991) As coach St. Louis Cardinals (1984–1988) Toronto Blue Jays (1993–1997) Milwaukee Brewers (2007) Toronto Blue Jays (2008–2010) Pittsburgh Pirates (2011–present)

Nicholas Tomas Leyva (born August 16, 1953, in Ontario, California) is the current third base coach of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Leyva, who is of Mexican American descent, is a former minor league player and manager, and has spent over a decade as a Major League Baseball coach.^[1] He was the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies from 1989 though early 1991.

As a player, Leyva was an infielder in minor league baseball. He began his managing career at age 24 with the Rookie-level Johnson City Cardinals of the Appalachian League in 1978. By 1983, he was manager of the parent St. Louis Cardinals' AA farm team, the Arkansas Travelers of the Texas League.

Leyva (right) advising Milwaukee's Corey Hart in 2007

He then served on the major league coaching staff of Whitey Herzog's Cardinals for five seasons, 1984-88. He was the first base coach for the National League champion 1985 Cardinals and third base coach for the National League champion 1987 Cardinals.

In 1989, he was hired as manager of the Phillies by his former farm director in St. Louis, Lee Thomas. But Leyva's inaugural Philadelphia team won only 67 of 162 games, and finished last in the National League East Division. In 1990, his team won ten more games and finished fourth, but still played eight games below the .500 mark. When the 1991 Phils dropped nine of their first 13 games, Leyva was ousted on April 23. His career totals as a major league manager were 148 victories, 189 defeats (.439).

After managing the Toronto Blue Jays' Triple-A farm team, the Syracuse Chiefs, Leyva spent 4½ seasons (July 1993 through 1997) as the third-base coach of the Blue Jays — his first term in the job. He then worked at multiple levels of the Chicago White Sox farm system before spending one season as third-base coach of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007. He was listed as the 2008 manager of the Kingsport Mets of the Appalachian League, a Rookie-level affiliate of the New York Mets, before the Blue Jays rehired him as their third base coach on June 20, 2008, when Cito Gaston replaced John Gibbons as the club's manager.^[2] On October 30, 2009, Leyva was re-assigned as the Blue Jays' bench coach, with Brian Butterfield taking over as third base coach for the team.

On November 8, 2010, former Seattle Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu was named Toronto's bench coach, ending Leyva's tenure at that post.

On November 24, Leyva was named the Pittsburgh Pirates' third base coach, under new manager Clint Hurdle.^[3]

References

1. ^ "Baseball Notebook; Bo Jackson's Contacts Swing From Backfield to the Outfield". The New York Times. November 20, 1988. http://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/20/sports/baseball-notebook-bo-jackson-s-contacts-swing-from-backfield-to-the-outfield.html?pagewanted=2. 
2. ^ Baseball America, 2008 Directory
3. ^ Langosch, Jenifer (2010-11-24). "Bucs finalize coaching staff, with three returning". MLB.com. http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20101124&content_id=16199540&vkey=news_pit&c_id=pit. Retrieved 2010-11-24. 

• Bucek, Jeanine, ed. dir., The Baseball Encyclopedia. New York: Macmillan Books, 1996.

Preceded by John Vukovich

Philadelphia Phillies Manager 1989-1991

Succeeded by Jim Fregosi

Persondata
Name	Leyva, Nick
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	August 16, 1953
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death