Angels Coach Poached by National League Squad

Valentina Martinez | 9 Hours Ago

Feb 19, 2023; Tempe, AZ, USA; A general view as members of the coaching staff setup a pitching machine during a spring training workout for the Los Angeles Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images / Allan Henry-Imagn Images

Bill Hezel is taking over as the director of pitching for the Miami Marlins, per The Athletic's Sam Blum. Hezel spent the last two seasons with the Los Angeles Angels and was the team's pitching strategist in 2024.

Hezel, 38, was the assistant pitching coach for the Halos in 2023 and was previously the director of pitching at Driveline Baseball, a pitching development organization in Washington. Now he'll head to the player development department in Miami.

Bill Hezel is taking over as the Marlins' director of pitching, per a source.

Hezel spent the last two seasons with the Angels, including as the asst. pitching coach in 2023. He was previously director of pitching at Driveline.

He'll be in player development with Miami.

— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) November 15, 2024

From 2020-21, Hezel was a pitching consultant for the Philadelphia Phillies. Hezel was a pitcher in college and was the pitching coach at Northhampton Community College for five seasons. He then became a coach at DeSales University for the following two seasons.

The former Angels pitching strategist is the latest addition to the Miami organization. The Marlins hired Los Angeles Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough as their new manager last week. Following a lowly 62-100 season, former manager Skip Schumaker departed from Miami in September.

McCullough, 44, will succeed Schumaker in his new managerial role. The former Dodgers first base coach was linked to the vacant spot in Miami for several weeks. Before the Dodgers even won the World Series, McCullough was rumored to be the favorite candidate to land the Marlins job.

Like Hezel, McCullough also spent time in player development. McCullough got to know Marlins assistant general manager Gabe Kapler during his time in the Dodgers' player development department.

The latest additions of McCullough and Hezel indicate the Marlins are essentially cleaning house from the Schumaker era. The Marlins are hopeful the new staff will spark a change in the organization as the team hopes to improve in 2025.