Ty Van Burkleo

Tyler Lee Van Burkleo (born October 7, 1963) is the current hitting coach for the Cleveland Indians. He is a former bench coach for the Seattle Mariners and a former first baseman in Major League Baseball. He played for two different major league teams in his career: the California Angels () and Colorado Rockies (). He also played for two teams in Japan: the Seibu Lions (–) and the Hiroshima Toyo Carp (). At 24, he was player of the year with the Seibu Lions, hitting 38 home runs and driving in 90 runs for the 1988 Japan Champions.

Biography
Van Burkleo attended Canoga Park High School and Chatsworth High School. He signed a minor league contract for $30,000 with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1981. He was released in 1984 and signed a contract with the Angels' minor league system. He was blocked by Wally Joyner for most of his first stint with the Angels. Van Burkleo's Angels contract was bought by the Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball in 1987. He was traded to the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in 1991 for cash considerations. Upon returning to the United States for the 1992 season, he signed with the Angels again, then played for the Rockies for two seasons, and in 1996 returned to the Angels for his last playing season.

In 1997, he began his coaching career with the High Desert Mavericks, an Arizona Diamondbacks affiliate. In 2001, he found himself working for the Angels again, as the minor league hitting coordinator. He left the Angels at the end of the 2006 season. For the 2007–2008 seasons, Van Burkleo was the hitting coach for the Oakland Athletics.  In 2009, he was signed by the Mariners to be the bench coach to manager Don Wakamatsu. The following year, he was hired by the Astros to be the minor league hitting coordinator. On August 19, 2012, Van Burkleo was named the interim hitting coach for the Houston Astros. He was named hitting coach of the Cleveland Indians on October 31, 2012, beginning with the 2013 season.

Personal life
He is married to Chris and has five children.

References

External links

Category:1963 births
Category:Living people
Category:American expatriate baseball players in Canada
Category:American expatriate baseball players in Japan
Category:American people of Dutch descent
Category:Baseball players from California
Category:Beloit Brewers players
Category:California Angels players
Category:Cleveland Indians coaches
Category:Colorado Rockies players
Category:Colorado Springs Sky Sox players
Category:Edmonton Trappers players
Category:Hiroshima Toyo Carp players
Category:Lake Elsinore Storm players
Category:Major League Baseball bench coaches
Category:Major League Baseball first basemen
Category:Major League Baseball hitting coaches
Category:Midland Angels players
Category:Nippon Professional Baseball designated hitters
Category:Oakland Athletics coaches
Category:Palm Springs Angels players
Category:Peoria Chiefs players
Category:Redwood Pioneers players
Category:Sportspeople from Oakland, California
Category:Seattle Mariners coaches
Category:Seibu Lions players
Category:Stockton Ports players
Category:Vancouver Canadians players