Bill Lachemann

William Charles Lachemann

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 195 lb.
• School College of Great Falls
• High School Dorsey High School

• Born April 5, 1934 in Los Angeles, CA USA
• Died February 3, 2024

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

The brother of Rene Lachemann and Marcel Lachemann, Bill Lachemann coached in the majors for two years, played in the minors for six years, has coached in the minors for at least 15 years and managed in the minors for 12.

A high school teammate of Sparky Anderson, Bill signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers organization. He debuted professionally in 1955, splitting the year between the Bakersfield Indians (.227, 3 RBI) and Great Falls Electrics (.275, 5 RBI). In 1956, he played for the Kokomo Dodgers and hit .258 with 7 HR and 35 RBI. Lachemann then missed two seasons while serving in the Marines [1] [2].

Lachemann returned to the field in 1959 with the Victoria Rosebuds, hitting .138 with 1 RBI and spending most of the season with the Great Falls Electrics (.273, 9 HR, 53 RBI). In 1960, he had his best year, batting .307 with 10 HR and 50 RBI for Great Falls. He tied for second on the team in home runs.

Lachemann hit just .195 with 4 HR and 29 RBI for the 1961 Salem Dodgers and returned to Great Falls for a brief stint in 1963 (.167) to conclude his playing career.

Returning to college to get a degree in teaching, Bill coached for the Great Falls Giants (1976-1981) and Fresno Giants (1982). In 1982, the 48-year-old got into a game as the backup catcher, handling one putout and not batting. It was his first minor league appearance as a player in 19 years. Lachemann got his first shot at managing with the Clinton Giants in 1983-1984.

He moved to the California Angels organization then next year, managing the Quad City Angels in 1985 and 1986. Lachemann moved up to the Palm Springs Angels from 1987 to 1989. He went down to Arizona and managed the AZL Angels from 1990 to 1994. In 1995 and 1996, he was a coach on the Angels big league staff under his brother Marcel, the team's manager. Lachemann returned to the minors managing the Butte Copper Kings in 1997 and 1998. He was a coach for the Erie SeaWolves in 1999-2000 and the Salt Lake Stingers in 2001-2002. He has been a minor league special assignment coach/catching coach for the Angels since 2004. Lachemann also did some scouting for the Angels in 2000.

Year-By-Year Minor League Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs
1983	Clinton Giants	Midwest League	56-82	10th	San Francisco Giants
1984	Clinton Giants	Midwest League	62-77	10th	San Francisco Giants
1985	Quad City Angels	Midwest League	66-74	8th (t)	California Angels
1986	Quad City Angels	Midwest League	62-78	10th	California Angels
1987	Palm Springs Angels	California League	69-73	7th	California Angels
1988	Palm Springs Angels	California League	70-72	7th	California Angels
1989	Palm Springs Angels	California League	60-82	8th	California Angels
1990	AZL Angels	Arizona League	19-36	6th	California Angels
1991	AZL Angels	Arizona League	29-30	6th	California Angels
1992	AZL Angels	Arizona League	29-27	5th	California Angels
1993	AZL Angels	Arizona League	29-26	4th	California Angels
1994	AZL Angels	Arizona League	23-32	6th	California Angels
1997	Butte Copper Kings	Pioneer League	30-42	7th	Anaheim Angels
1998	Butte Copper Kings	Pioneer League	26-50	7th	Anaheim Angels