The Buffalo Bisons, the worst-hitting team in the International League, announced today that Bill Masse will take over for Luis Natera as the team's hitting coach.
Masse, who had been working with the New York Mets' AA affiliate in Binghamton, spent seven seasons in professional baseball as a player in the New York Yankees organization, according to information provided by the Bisons. He's spent 13 seasons as a coach/manager in the minor leagues, having amassed a 610-560 managerial record and one championship, in 2004 with the Tampa Yankees of the Florida State League.
Natera will assume Masse's role in Binghamton, which is fourth in the Eastern League with a team batting average of .269. The Bisons entered action Wednesday with a .228 team batting average, worst in the 14-team league.
Buffalo entered Wednesday's game with a 17-39 record, good for last place in the league. That's well below the high expectations the Mets set entering this season, as New York took over the Buffalo franchise as an affiliate after a mostly harmonious tenure between Buffalo and the Cleveland Indians.
Also Wednesday, the Bisons acquired outfielder Chip Ambres from the Boston Red Sox organization. He'd hit .259 with 18 RBI and three home runs for Boston's AAA affiliate in Pawtucket, R.I. He spent a previous tour of duty in the Mets organization in 2007.
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