Tim Belcher

Timothy Wayne Belcher

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 220 lb.
• School Mount Vernon Nazarene University
• High School Highland High School
• Debut September 6, 1987
• Final Game September 30, 2000
• Born October 19, 1961 in Mount Gilead, OH USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Tim Belcher was an All-American pitcher at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. He was the first overall pick in the 1983 amateur draft by the Minnesota Twins, but he did not sign with the club. He instead joined the USA national team in the 1983 Pan American Games (Bronze Medal) and Intercontinental Cup (Silver Medal). He was eligible for the draft again in January 1984 and was selected first overall by the New York Yankees in what was considered a major coup. But because of a front office mix-up, his name was left off the team's protected players' list for the free agent compensation draft and he was selected by the Oakland Athletics on February 8. George Steinbrenner was livid over this development and blamed young general manager Murray Cook for it, firing him in short order.

Belcher pitched two one-hitters. The first was on July 21, 1990, against the Pittsburgh Pirates as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The lone hit was a fourth inning single by Jay Bell. His second one-hitter was on May 26, 1993, as a member of the Cincinnati Reds against the Atlanta Braves. The lone hit was a first inning double by Deion Sanders. He also threw three two-hitters in his career. His game high in strikeouts was 13 on September 20, 1992, with the Reds against the San Diego Padres. On the bump, he threw a "rising" fastball and a slider.

Belcher retired during spring training 2001 due to an elbow injury. In 2002 he joined the Cleveland Indians front office as a Special Assistant to Baseball Operations, a title he held through 2009. In this position, Belcher was in uniform during spring training to assist the major league and player development staffs with instruction and personnel decisions. He maintained these responsibilities throughout the regular season and also performed scouting duties on an as-needed basis. Belcher returned to the field in 2010-2011 when he served as the Indians pitching coach. During this two-year stint, he oversaw a staff that lowered the team ERA in both seasons with the help of one of the most effective bullpens in the American League.

Belcher returned to the role of Special Assistant in 2012. In 2015, Belcher took over pitching coach duties for the Columbus Clippers on May 9th and remained there through the end of the season. Belcher resumed his Special Assistant responsibilities in 2016 and stayed in this role through 2022.

Notable Achievements

• 1988 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
• NL Complete Games Leader (1989)
• NL Shutouts Leader (1989)
• 15 Wins Seasons: 3 (1989, 1992 & 1996)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 7 (1989, 1991-1993 & 1996-1998)
• 200 Strikeouts Seasons: 1 (1989)
• Won a World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1988

Further Reading

• Ken Gurnick: "This PTBN helped Dodgers win World Series", mlb.com, May 11, 2020. [1]