With Bryan LaHair's pro baseball playing days behind him, Worcester native begins coaching journey in Montana
Bryan LaHair was always a long shot to make it to the major leagues coming out of Worcester’s Holy Name High, and an even longer shot to become a MLB All-Star.
Maybe the fact that he had to beat the odds to succeed will come in handy in his new line of work.
LaHair has been hired as the batting coach for the Cincinnati Reds’ farm team in Billings, Montana — the Mustangs — in the rookie-level Pioneer League. Most of the players he will be working with in Billings are long shots, too, part of the quality-from-quantity approach to player development.
While the Pioneer League season does not start until June, LaHair is already at work at Cincinnati’s extended spring training in Arizona coaching the organization’s entry-level batters who are waiting for their seasons to start.
LaHair’s coaching debut comes less than a year after he played his final professional game with Somerset (New Jersey) of the independent Atlantic League.
“I sent out resumes to all 30 major league teams and their player development systems,” LaHair said in a recent phone interview, “and I got some feelers and a call back from the Reds. Everything with them seemed to be a good fit.
“I had been away from my family for so long, I was looking for a solid job near my house, looking to get my feet in the door.”
LaHair makes his permanent home in Arizona so the geography was just right.
A 39th-round draft pick by Seattle in 2002, LaHair fought his way up through the minors to make it to the Mariners in 2008, then had to do it again to make it to the Chicago Cubs in 2011.
In 2012, the first baseman/outfielder spent the entire season with the Cubs, belting 88 hits with16 homers, 40 RBIs and a .269 batting average, and was a National League All-Star.
Although he did not know it at the time, LaHair played his final major league game on Oct. 3, 2012, and went out with a bang — literally.
He homered early in that game against Houston, then hit a bases-loaded single in the last of the ninth to propel Chicago to a 5-4 victory in walk-off fashion.
LaHair spent 2013 in Japan, and 2014 with the Cleveland Indians’ farm system. He took the 2015 season off to recover from injuries, then finished with a year and change at Somerset with the Patriots.
Those last few seasons proved to be valuable for him in terms of preparing for a coaching career.
“It started even before Somerset,” LaHair said. “It had been a good, solid two or three years — maybe even five years — where I was that older guy. The young players respected me, looked to me for advice. I’ve always loved playing baseball, loved talking about the game and about hitting, always tried to be a good teammate.”
LaHair played for 12 teams, including Japan, during his career, and even had a spring training invitation from the Red Sox as he tried to get back to the majors. Early last season in Somerset he finally decided he had enough.
“I just wanted to be around the family,” LaHair said. “It had been a long, hard-fought road for me. I had been beating up my body for too many years to continue the journey it was on. Once it came to be that time, I knew it was time. I wanted to be there for my wife and my kids.”
As a coach, LaHair believes in taking a patient approach to development.
“You don’t want to do too much, too fast,” he said. “For the first two or three weeks, I’ll just sit back and watch. Everyone is different. Everyone has a different swing. They want us to be aggressive on the fastball, be ready to hit.”
While LaHair’s immediate focus is on coaching, he would consider getting into managing some day if his career takes him in that direction.
“I’m open to everything,” he said, “but right now what I’m focused on is working hard to make my hitters get better every day.”
LaHair’s minor league resume does not include any stops in the scenic Pioneer League and being able to coach up there appeals to him. The season meshes well with school vacation so he will be able to bring his family up there with him.
“I’ve been through Montana,” he said, “but it’s one part of the country I haven’t been able to explore. I’m definitely looking forward to it. I can’t wait.”
—Contact Bill Ballou at william.ballou@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillBallouTG.