Give Mills' coaching staff a chance

October 31, 10:58 AMHouston Astros ExaminerStephen Goff

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Newly hired Houston Astros pitching coach Brad Arnsberg (left), who served as the Toronto Blue Jays pitching coach the previous five seasons, has played a key role in the overall development of six-time All-Star and 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay (right). (AP Photo)

Houston Astros manager Brad Mills stated his intent to teach and implement winning baseball into a Houston team in need of a change when he accepted the job Tuesday.

On Friday, the organization took another positive step forward when Mills announced the hirings of Al Pedrique as bench coach, Brad Arnsberg as pitching coach and Bobby Meacham as first-base coach.

With Sean Berry and Dave Clark already set as the Astros' hitting and third-base coaches in 2010, Mills made it a priority to blend an AL East philosophy together with internal Houston coaches in order to construct a top-notch coaching staff. 

Mills, Pedrique and Clark represent three of the 10 candidates who interviewed for the Astros managerial job. Now, they will work together on the same coaching staff with a common goal of restoring Houston into a winner. 

Pedrique makes an ideal bench coach for Mills, considering his overall credentials as a former minor league and major league manager, as well as his familiarity with the Astros players and farm system.

Prior to joining the Astros as a special assistant to general manager Tim Purpura in 2004, Pedrique served as a minor league manager with the Kansas City Royals, Astros and Arizona Diamondbacks from 1995-2003 -- compiling a career 463-433 record.

In 2004, Pedrique got an opportunity to manage in the big leagues when he was promoted from third-base coach to interim manager for the second half of the season after the Diamondbacks fired Bob Brenly.
 
However, Arizona didn't offer Pedrique the job on a full-time basis, and elected to hire Wally Backman as manager upon the conclusion of the 2004 season. In a bizarre chain of events, Backman was fired without ever managing a game due to revelations of past arrests and serious financial issues, and replaced by Bob Melvin. 

Pedrique's duties with the Astros expanded in 2006 when he became responsible for the club's Latin American operations. As a native of Venezuela, Pedrique oversaw the Astros' academies in Venezuela, Colombia and the Dominican Republic. 

For this season, Pedrique served as the Astros' minor league field coordinator and was promoted to third-base coach when manager Cecil Cooper was fired Sept. 21 with 13 games left in the regular season.

When Mills began zeroing in on a bench coach, he wanted to hire an experienced coach as a right-hand man who knew the ins and outs of the Astros organization. After a strong recommendation given by general manager Ed Wade, Mills knew Pedrique was the right man for the job. 

"Mills sat down with Ricky Bennett, David Gottfried, Tal Smith and I to discuss who was best for the bench coach for this team," Wade said. "We were open-minded to all suggestions, but in the end, we all agreed Al (Pedrique) was best."

Arnsberg, 49, brings a wealth of experience as a pitching coach to the Astros. For the previous five seasons, he served as pitching coach for the Toronto Blue Jays. In 2008, Arnsberg's starters and relievers in Toronto posted the major's best ERA.

Also, Arnsberg was the pitching coach for the Montreal Expos in 2000 and the Florida Marlins in 2002.
 
He'll replace Dewey Robinson, who recently accepted a job with the Tampa Bay Rays.

With the uncertainty of Cito Gaston's future in Toronto, Arnsberg saw Mills' offer as a tremendous opportunity to come back to the National League. 

While in Toronto, Arnsberg was instrumental in the development of six-time All-Star and 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay. Also, he's worked effectively with New York Yankees right-hander A.J. Burnett, who played for Toronto from 2006-08.

Burnett earned the victory in Game 2 of the 2009 World Series Thursday, which evened the series at one heading back to Philadelphia for Game 3 Saturday.  

This season, he turned left-handed prospect Ricky Romero, the Blue Jays' first round pick in 2005, into a 13-game winner. 

"I'm excited for the chance to be the pitching coach on Brad Mills staff in Houston," Arnsberg said. "The Blue Jays have been very special to me over the last five years, and I want to thank them. I look forward to starting a new chapter in my life and working with the pitchers in Houston."

In an effort to bring more AL East experience to the Astros, Mills made it a point to hire Meacham as first-base coach.

The former Yankee shortstop bring a wealth of experience as a former minor league manager, roving infield instructor and roving baserunning coach with the Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Pittsburgh Pirates and Royals organizations, as well as third-base coach for the Marlins (2006) and Yankees (2008), and first-base coach with the San Diego Padres (2007).

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman gave a remarkable recommendation to Wade regarding Meacham, but Mills already had his eye on him since the two worked together on the same staff for Triple-A Colorado Springs in 1993. 

"I knew who Meacham was as a player for the Yankees, but didn't know too much about his coaching career," Wade said. "Brian said great things about him and described him as a classy guy. Since Millsie feel strongly about him, I think he makes a great hire as first-base coach."

With Mills only needing to hire a bullpen coach, several Astros fans have already expressed feelings of uncertainty and discontent regarding the new hirings. While Houston fans may be aware of Pedrique, both Arnsberg and Meacham aren't as well known outside the East Coast.

Since the Astros have experienced two losing seasons over the past three years, owner Drayton McLane, Jr., and Wade understand the frustration of Houston fans.

Before jumping to conclusions, hiring Mills was a positive step in the right direction, and now, Mills has taken another giant step forward by putting together an exceptional, yet underrated coaching staff.

What does Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Jorge Posada, Jason Bay, Pedro Martinez, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, J.D. Drew, Jason Varitek, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, Jonathan Papelbon, Halladay and Burnett all have in common?

These are just a few examples of the many All-Star and superstar players that Mills, Arnsberg and Meacham have coached while in the AL East.

Lets face the facts -- the AL East represents the toughest and most competitive division in Major League Baseball with the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays battling it out for the divisional title or a Wild Card berth each season.

With Mills mixing AL East coaches Arnsberg and Meacham together with Astros coaches Pedrique, Clark and Berry, Houston fans should expect a more competitive team to take the field during the 2010 season.

The Astros want to create a better identity under the direction of Mills, and now the 52-year-old manager has assembled the right coaching staff necessary in putting the 2010 Astros players in position to succeed and grow together as a team.