Brad Mills (manager)

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For the pitcher of the same name, see Brad Mills (pitcher).
Brad Mills
Brad Mills Cleveland Indians April 2015 Houston.JPG
Mills with the Cleveland Indians
Infielder / Manager / Bench coach
Born: (1957-01-19) January 19, 1957 (age 65)
Exeter, California
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 8, 1980, for the Montreal Expos
Last MLB appearance
October 2, 1983, for the Montreal Expos
MLB statistics
Batting average.256
Home runs1
Runs batted in12
Games managed445
Win–loss record171–274
Winning %.384
Teams
As player

As coach

As manager

Career highlights and awards

James Bradley Mills (born January 19, 1957) is a former manager of the Houston Astros and a former Major League Baseball (MLB) player. He is the father of retired professional baseball player Beau Mills.

Early life[]

Mills was educated at Exeter Union High School in California, College of the Sequoias, and the University of Arizona, where he was drafted in the 17th round by the Montreal Expos.[1]

Baseball career[]

Playing career[]

Mills reached the major leagues in 1980 and went on to post a .256 batting average with one home run and 12 RBI in 106 games played for the Expos (1980–83). He divided his time between Triple-A and the majors in each of those seasons, and sustained a right knee injury that ended his playing career at the age of 29. A full-time left-handed hitter and primarily a third baseman, he also saw time at first base and second. Mills became a part of major league trivia, when in 1983 he was Nolan Ryan's 3,509th career strikeout victim, lifting Ryan past Walter Johnson as the all-time strikeout leader.

Post-playing career[]

Mills managed eleven seasons in the minors in the Cubs, Rockies and Dodgers organizations (1987–2002),[2] and also served as an advance scout for the Cubs. Mills was Terry Francona's first-base coach with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1997–2000. In 2003, Mills served as the Montreal Expos bench coach. From 2004 to 2009, Mills was teamed again with Francona when he served as the bench coach for the Boston Red Sox.[2]

Houston Astros Manager[]

On October 27, 2009, Mills was named manager of the Houston Astros, replacing interim manager Dave Clark.[2]

Mills holds the dubious distinction of guiding the Astros to the franchise's first ever 100-loss season, which he did in 2011, the trend continued the following season, as his Astros holding the worst record in the majors, Mills was fired on August 18, 2012 along with hitting coach Mike Barnett and first base coach Bobby Meacham.[3] He was succeeded on an interim basis by Oklahoma City RedHawks manager Tony DeFrancesco.[4] The team would go on to finish the season with 100+ losses for the second consecutive year.

Cleveland Indians[]

On October 31, 2012, Mills was hired as the third base coach of the Cleveland Indians, to work with Francona again. Mills was reassigned as the Indians bench coach in 2014. While coaching for the Boston Red Sox under Francona from 2004 to 2009 he was in the same position.[5] On July 11, 2017, Mills managed the American League All-Star team while Francona dealt with a health issue.[6]

On July 5, 2020, Mills announced he would be opting out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Indians subsequently announced on October 30, 2020 that Mills will not return as bench coach for the 2021 season, but would remain with the club in an undetermined role.[7]

Managerial record[]

As of October 2, 2014.
Team From To Regular season record Post–season record
W L Win % W L Win %
Houston Astros 2010 2012 171 274 .384 —
Cleveland Indians** 2017 2017 1 4 .200 —

Note: Interim while Terry Francona is out with issue

References[]

  1. ^ "The Newark Star Ledger section 5 pg 5, August 26, 2012".
  2. ^ a b c McTaggart, Brian (October 27, 2009). "Mills named Astros manager". MLB.com. Archived from the original on October 3, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2009.
  3. ^ "MLB-worst Astros fire manager Mills, 2 coaches". ESPN. August 19, 2012. Archived from the original on 2016-10-12. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  4. ^ "Astros' DeFrancesco in for fired Mills on interim". ESPN. August 19, 2012. Archived from the original on 2017-08-03. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  5. ^ Bastian, Jordan (October 31, 2012). "Familiar faces among Francona's coaching staff". Cleveland Indians. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
  6. ^ Kosileski, William (July 7, 2017). "Mills to manage AL in Francona's absence". MLB.com. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  7. ^ Bell, Mandy (October 30, 2020). "Mills won't return as Tribe's bench coach". Cleveland Indians. MLB.com. Retrieved October 31, 2020.

External links[]


Managerial/Coaching Positions
Preceded by Wytheville Cubs Manager
1987 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
 Charleston Wheelers Manager
1988 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Peoria Chiefs Manager
1989 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Winston-Salem Spirits Manager
1990–1991 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Iowa Cubs Manager
1992 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Colorado Springs Sky Sox Manager
1993–1996 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Philadelphia Phillies First Base Coach
1997–2000 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Las Vegas 51s Manager
2002 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Montreal Expos Bench Coach
2003 		Succeeded by
Eddie Rodriguez
Preceded by Boston Red Sox Bench Coach
2004–2009 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Cleveland Indians Third base Coach
2013 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Cleveland Indians Bench Coach
2014–2019 		Succeeded by
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