Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow announced on Tuesday that Houston has named Craig Bjornson as their new bullpen coach.
Luhnow told Examiner.com nearly two weeks ago that he had been meeting with manager Brad Mills in order to discuss the open position.
The 42-year-old Bjornson, a former left-handed pitcher in the Astros' farm system, brings 13 years of coaching experience to the club.
He served as the pitching coach for the Rookie-Level Casper Ghosts of the Rockies' organization over the previous three seasons.
Also, Bjornson has a strong background as a pitching coach in the Dodgers, Nationals, Royals and Montreal Expos' minor league systems.
He coached in the Venezuelan Winter League from 2000-02.
"Craig has over a decade of experience as a pitching coach in the minor leagues and three years coaching in winter ball," Luhnow said. "He's bilingual, which should be an asset to our bullpen."
The left-handed Bjornson was signed by the Astros as a non-drafted free agent in 1991 out of Nicholls State University in Louisiana.
He pitched three seasons in Houston's minor league system, posting a 9-18 record with a 3.82 ERA over 81 appearances (27 starts) during stints at Class A Asheville, Burlington and Quad Cities.
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