Apr 24, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a Miami Marlins hat and glove in the dugout before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Miami Marlins Hire Los Angeles Angels’ Bill Hezel as Director of Pitching

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Sam Connon | Last updated Nov 15, 2024 4:26 PM ET

The Miami Marlins are hiring Bill Hezel as their director of pitching, The Athletic's Sam Blum reported Friday.

Hezel previously served as the Los Angeles Angels' assistant pitching coach in 2023, then as their pitching strategist in 2024. He was a pitching consultant for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2020 and 2021.

According to Blum, Hezel will primarily be involved in player development in Miami.

Hezel is the latest addition to new manager Clayton McCullough's staff, joining hitting coach Pedro Guerrero. Almost all of the previous regime was dismissed in October after manager Skip Schumaker announced he would not be returning for 2025.

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

Hezel, 38, will bring a new-school mentality to the Marlins' pitching staff, considering the background he brings to the table beyond his MLB experience.

Before he joined the Angels, and while he was advising the Phillies, Hezel was the director of pitching at Driveline Baseball, a data-driven development organization in Washington. He was previously the manager of mechanical analysis for the company.

Hezel was a senior retirement plan consultant at ADP for the seven years leading up to his time at Driveline.

It isn't as if Hezel is a total outsider to the game, though, as he pitched at Lehigh and East Stroudsburg University back in his college days. Hezel was the pitching coach at Northampton Community College for five seasons, then DeSales University for the next two.

Hezel worked his way into big league circles by making connections with draft prospects and established pitchers alike while he was at Driveline, starting him on the path that ultimate went through Philadelphia, Anaheim and now Miami.