Timothy Joseph Leiper (born July 19, 1966) is an American professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
and former
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities ...
. He was the first-base coach of the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
from 2014 until 2018.
Leiper, a former
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...
, had a 12-season (1985–96) minor league playing career in the
farm systems of the
Detroit Tigers,
Pittsburgh Pirates,
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
and
Kansas City Royals,
batting Batting may refer to:
* Batting (baseball), the act of attempting to hit a ball thrown by the pitcher with a baseball bat, in order to score runs
* Batting (cricket), the act of defending one's wicket with the cricket bat while attempting to score ...
.273 with 40
home runs in 1,166 games and 3,910
at bats
In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...
. The native of
Whittier, California
Whittier () is a city in Southern California in Los Angeles County, part of the Gateway Cities. The city had 87,306 residents as of the 2020 United States census, an increase of 1,975 from the 2010 census figure. Whittier was incorporated in ...
, attended
Brea Olinda High School. He batted
left-handed
In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subject ...
, threw
right-handed
In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...
, and was listed as tall and . His older brother,
Dave Leiper was a major league pitcher for 8 seasons.
Career
Leiper's
coaching
Coaching is a form of development in which an experienced person, called a ''coach'', supports a learner or client in achieving a specific personal or professional goal by providing training and guidance. The learner is sometimes called a ''coa ...
career began while he was still an active player: he spent part of the 1992 season as an assistant baseball coach for
North Carolina State University. In 1996, Leiper became a coach in the professional ranks, in the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
' organization. He moved up to managing in in the
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...
' organization, working at the Short Season-A and Class A levels before his promotion to the
Triple-A Ottawa Lynx
The Ottawa Lynx were a Minor League Baseball team that competed in the Triple-A International League (IL) from 1993 to 2007. The team's home field was Lynx Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. Over 15 seasons, the team was an affiliate of the Montreal ...
of the
International League in . After Leiper guided the Lynx to 80 wins in 143 games that season, he spent one season as manager of the Class A
Sarasota Red Sox before returning to the Lynx in , who were by then the Triple-A affiliate of the
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...
. Leiper then spent four seasons in the
Pittsburgh Pirates' system, including three as manager of the
Double-A Altoona Curve
The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of th ...
, before joining the
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park.
The fran ...
in . In , he managed the
Jacksonville Suns
The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in the area. The team pla ...
, the Marlins' Double-A affiliate, where he led them to the 2010
Southern League championship. He then served as the Marlins' roving minor league defensive coordinator in 2011 and 2012. In , he was senior advisor for
minor league operations for the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
before his promotion to Blue Jays manager
John Gibbons' staff for 2014, his first year in Major League Baseball after 29 years as a minor league player, manager and instructor.
Outside North America, Leiper played for
Cañeros de Los Mochis of the
Mexican Pacific Winter League
The Mexican Pacific League (), known as Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico for sponsorship reasons or simply LMP for its acronym in Spanish, is a professional baseball winter league based in Northern Mexico. The ten-team regular season schedule run ...
in 1993, and
Águilas Cibaeñas
The Águilas Cibaeñas (English lit. ''Cibaoan Eagles'') is a professional baseball team in the Dominican Republic's winter baseball league. Founded on January 28, and based in Santiago, the team has won 6 Caribbean Series and 22 national titles ...
in 1996, where his team won the
Dominican Professional Baseball League
Dominican may refer to:
* Someone or something from or related to the Dominican Republic ( , stress on the "mi"), on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles, in the Caribbean
** People of the Dominican Republic
** Demographics of the Domi ...
championship. In 1999–2000 he coached for
Pastora in the
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) is the professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year.
History Early years
Baseball exp ...
, as well as Aguilas, in 2007–08 in the Dominican winter league. Aguilas won both the Dominican championship and the
Caribbean World Series
The Caribbean Series (''Spanish'': ''Serie del Caribe''), also called Caribbean World Series, is the highest tournament for professional baseball teams in Latin America. The tournament location is rotated annually among the countries and is norma ...
.
Previously an offseason resident of
Ottawa, Leiper has also been a coach on the
2004 Canadian Olympic team, and Canada's 2006, 2009, and 2013
World Baseball Classic
The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major Lea ...
squads. He was also a part of the
Baseball Canada
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding te ...
staff that won bronze medals at both the 2008 and 2011
Baseball World Cup
The Baseball World Cup was an international tournament where national baseball teams from around the world competed. It was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF). Along with the World Baseball Classic, it was one of two acti ...
s and the gold medal in the 2011
Pan-American Games
The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...
.
After
John Gibbons parted ways with the Blue Jays after the 2018 season, Leiper was fired on November 3.
See also
*
Baseball at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Team squads
*
2006 World Baseball Classic rosters
The following is a list of squads for each nation competing at 2006 World Baseball Classic. The tournament began on March 3 and the final took place on March 20, 2006.
The teams listed on the country's roster is the team the player was with while ...
*
2009 World Baseball Classic rosters
*
2013 World Baseball Classic rosters
References
External links
:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leiper, Tim
1966 births
Living people
Altoona Curve managers
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
Baseball coaches from California
Binghamton Mets players
Bristol Tigers players
Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
Canada national baseball team people
Carolina Mudcats players
Glens Falls Tigers players
Jacksonville Suns players
Lakeland Tigers players
London Tigers players
Major League Baseball first base coaches
Memphis Chicks players
NC State Wolfpack baseball coaches
Toledo Mud Hens players
Toronto Blue Jays coaches