Jim Hickey (baseball coach)
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Jim Hickey is the former Major League Baseball pitching coach for the Houston Astros.
On November 18, 2007 Hickey was announced as the new pitching coach for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, replacing Mike Butcher.
Sometimes known as simply "The Best" of pitching coaches. Known to be good friends with Manny Acta.
Former Astros minor league pitcher Jim Hickey became Houstons interim pitching coach on July 14, 2004, and was named the full-time pitching coach in October 2004. He joined the club from Triple A New Orleans where he was in his 14th season as a pitching coach in the organization and his seventh year with the Zephyrs. At New Orleans, Hickey worked with many of the current Astros pitchers, including starter Roy Oswalt and closer Brad Lidge. Upon arriving in Houston, he helped a pitching staff made up of Brandon Backe, Roger Clemens, Lidge and Oswalt advance to the 2004 National League Championship Series. The 2005 staff advanced to the World Series, with Clemens (1st), Andy Pettitte (2nd) and Roy Oswalt (7th) among the top 10 in ERA. Houston also ranked second in the NL with a 3.51 ERA in 2005, and topped the league with the fewest runs and walks.
In 2002, Hickey was selected as a coach for the MLB All-Star Futures Game in Milwaukee in addition to serving on the coaching staff for the Triple-A All-Star Game. The same season, he was named the Astros Player Development Man of the Year.
For two consecutive seasons from 2002-03, Hickeys New Orleans pitching staff led the Pacific Coast League in ERA. Last season, the club went through 16 different starters and posted a 3.41 ERA, while in 2002, the staff posted a 3.40 ERA and a league-leading 11 shutouts. In 2001, the Zephyrs finished with the second-best ERA in the PCL (3.75 to Tacomas 3.74) en route to the Pacific Coast League championship. His 1998 staff posted 10 shutouts (second in the PCL) as New Orleans claimed the first-ever Triple A World Series.
Prior to joining New Orleans, Hickey coached two seasons at Double A Jackson where his staff led the Texas League with 939 strikeouts in 1997.
Hickey was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 13th round of the 1983 draft and played for eight years in the minor leagues, spending time with the White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and the Astros. He posted his best season in 1984, finishing 13-5 with a 1.81 ERA for Midwest League champion Appleton. He concluded his playing career in 1989 with the Astros Double A affiliate in Columbus.
A standout at the University of Texas Pan American, Hickey was a first team All-American selection in 1983 after finishing the season 16–2 with a 1.66 ERA. He struck out 109 batters in 130⅓ innings while only surrendering 19 walks. That season, he helped the Broncos to a school-record 64 wins and a berth in the NCAA tournament. He joins Florida Marlins first base coach Perry Hill as the only two former UTPA players to currently coach in the Major Leagues.
