Joel Chimelis

Joel Chimelis

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6'0", Weight 165 lbs.
• Schools Howard College, University of Texas
• High School Eastern District High School

• Born July 27, 1967 in Brooklyn, NY USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

The Atlanta Braves drafted Joel Chimelis in the 18th round of the 1987 Amateur Draft from Howard College, but he opted to attend the University of Texas instead. The next year the Oakland Athletics drafted him in the 11th Round of the 1988 Amateur Draft and he played in the A's minor league system through 1991, though he did take a detour through the Cleveland Indians organization in 1990. Chimelis spent 1992-1995 in the San Francisco Giants minor league system. He was called up to the majors in 1995 but did not play in a game. Chimelis finished the affiliated baseball portion of his career in the New York Mets organization in 1996. The next several years were spent playing primarily in Mexico, Taiwan, and South Korea, mixed in with a couple of brief stints in the independent Northern League East. Chimelis completed his playing career in 2002 having played in 1,588 professional games.

Chimelis turned to coaching in 2004 and spent the next decades as a hitting coach with the Montreal Expos and Washington Nationals (2004-2005), Houston Astros (2006-2017), New York Mets (2018-2022), and Los Angeles Angels (2023-2024). He was scheduled to return to the Syracuse Mets in 2020 before the season was cancelled due to COVID-19.

• 2004-2005 Coach Savannah Sand Gnats
• 2006-2010 Coach Tri-City Valley Cats
• 2011 Coach Lexington Legends
• 2012 Coach Corpus Christi Hooks
• 2013-2016 Coach Quad Cities River Bandits
• 2017 Coach Corpus Christi Hooks
• 2018 Coach Las Vegas 51s
• 2019, 2021-2022 Coach Syracuse Mets
• 2023 Coach Salt Lake Bees
• 2024 Coach Rocket City Trash Pandas

River Bandit hitters under Chimelis' tutelage had particular success during his years of coaching. Chimelis helped the River Bandits capture the 2013 Midwest League championship. In 2014, Quad Cities tied for second in batting average (.261) and placed fourth in runs (656) in the 16-team circuit. A year later, the River Bandits rolled to an 88-50 record and a Minor League-best .638 winning percentage. Chimelis' hitters again ranked among the MWL leaders in batting (.265, 3rd) and runs scored (659, 2nd).4

In addition, Chimelis served as a hitting coach for the Cangrejeros de Santurce during the 2014/2015 Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League season. In 2019 he was a coach for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League.