Brent Strom (pitching coach) and
Troy Snitker (hitting coach). Miller, who had served as bullpen coach in 2019-20, now has the title of pitching coach.
Murphy spent the last five seasons as a pitching coach and coordinator in the Astros minor league system. In that span, he worked with several pitchers now on the Major League roster, including Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier and Brandon Bielak. Most recently, Murphy was the organization’s pitching coordinator for the 2019-20 seasons. As a result of the pandemic, Murphy spent the 2020 season working with pitchers at the Astros alternate training sites and then worked with the Instructional Camp in Florida in October. Prior to his coordinator role, he spent the previous three seasons as pitching coach for Rookie Level Greeneville (2016), Class A Short Season Tri-City (2017) and Double A Corpus Christi (2018), respectively.
Astros add Firova, Murphy to coaching staff; Speier retires
January 28, 2021 GMT
HOUSTON (AP) The Houston Astros have added quality control coach Dan Firova and assistant pitching coach Bill Murphy to their staff under manager Dusty Baker.
Firova takes over for the 70-year-old Chris Speier, who is retiring after a 19-year playing career followed by a coaching career that spanned two decades.
The rest of Baker’s staff will remain intact from his first season in Houston. Baker took over in the wake of the firing of AJ Hinch after he was suspended for a year for his role in the team’s sign-stealing scandal.
Billy Williams vs. American League pitchers By JohnW53 on Jan 26, 2021, 6:52am CST 1
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Making the All-Star team in Major League Baseball is never easy, but it was even more difficult if you were an outfielder in the National League in the 1960s and early 1970s.
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Billy Williams appeared in his first All-Star Game in 1962 and his last in 1973.
During those 12 years, his regular-season slash line was .299/.366/.508. His OPS+ was 137.
He batted at least .300 in 5 seasons, with a high of .333 that won the league batting title in 1972.
He rapped out at least 200 hits 3 times, including a Major League-best 205 in 1970.
He averaged 29 home runs, had at least 30 in 5 seasons and had a career high of 42 in 1970.
Ron Santo vs. American League pitchers By JohnW53 on Jan 25, 2021, 6:53am CST +
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Ron Santo played in 8 All-Star Games in 11 seasons, between 1963 and 1973.
His 20 plate appearances came against 15 different pitchers, of whom 5 ranked among the top 10 American League hurlers in total Wins Above Replacement during those years.
Four more ranked in the top 25.
Against all 15, Santo batted
.333 (5 for 15), compared to .277 in his regular-season career. His All-Star on-base percentage also was higher,
.500 to .362, thanks to
5 walks.
Only 2 National Leaguers, Willie Mays and Stan Musial, have walked more times in All-Star Games, each with 7. Both played in 24 games, 3 times as many as Santo.