Manny Acta's coaching staff rocked again as Tim Belcher steps down as Cleveland Indians pitching coach

Pitching coach Tim Belcher steps down a day after bench coach Tim Tolman resigned to deal with Parkinson's Disease.

Chuck Crow, The Plain DealerTim Belcher, Indians pitching coach, steps down.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Manager Manny Acta's coaching staff suffered another loss today when pitching coach Tim Belcher stepped down to spend more time with his family. Bullpen coach Scott Radinksy is believed to be a leading candidate to replace him.

Before Wednesday's season finale, bench coach Tim Tolman said he was stepping aside to deal with Parkinson's Disease, an affliction that he was diagnosed with two years ago. First base coach Sandy Alomar Jr. was named the new bench coach for 2012, but he's a candidate to replace Ozzie Guillen as manager of the Chicago White Sox.

GM Chris Antonetti and Acta will address the coaching staff situation and other offseason matters with reporters today at Progressive Field.

Pitching, since the second half of the 2010 season, has been the strength of the Indians. Acta continually credited Belcher and Radinsky with the staff's progress.

This was Belcher's second year on Acta's staff. Before that the 14-year big league  veteran spent eight years working with pitchers throughout the Indians system. It's believed he'll assume that role again.

Belcher, in a statement, said, "After much reflection and deliberation, I have decided not to return as the pitching coach for the 2012 season.

"When I accepted the position two years ago, I understood and embraced the challenges of the role.  Over the last two years I was fully committed to the responsibilities of the job and enjoyed it.

"However, as I began to look forward to 2012, I felt that I would not be able to balance the changing needs of my family and the demands of the job. As a result, I have decided that it would be best for me to step away from coaching at this time."

Under Belcher, Justin Masterson became the Indians ace this season. When the Indians acquired from Boston in 2009 he was a pitcher bouncing between the rotation and bullpen. The Indians made a commitment to him as a starter and this year it paid off.

Masterson went 12-10 with a 3.21 ERA in 34 appearances, including 33 starts. He threw a career high 216 innings and led the team in strikeouts with 158.

Josh Tomlin won 12 games before being sidelined by a right elbow injury and Carlos Carrasco showed progress before he underwent Tommy John surgery. Jeanmar Gomez arrived from Class AAA Columbus in late August and won five straight starts.

On the negative side, former ace Fausto Carmona faded. Carmona went 7-15 with 5.25 ERA. He finished first in runs allowed, second in earned runs allowed and third in losses in the AL.

The bullpen was the hook that the Indians hung their hat this season. Radinsky, who made 557 relief appearances in the big leagues, did a nice job with the pen. They ended the season at 27-21 with 38 saves and the fifth best ERA in the AL at 3.71.

Ruben Niebla, Indians pitching coach at Class AAA Columbus, is another possible candidate for a spot on Acta's staff. He was credited with helped Gomez and David Huff at Columbus this season.

Clippers manager Mike Sarbaugh, who has won two straight national Class AAA titles, should get some consideration as well. Even if the Alomar stays with the Indians, they're going to need a first base coach.

 

 

Source: http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2011/09/manny_actas_coaching_staff_roc.html

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