The Astros are parting ways with third base/outfield coach Gary Pettis after 10 seasons, reports USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Pettis hasn’t technically been fired, but his contract expired at the end of the 2024 season and will not be renewed for the 2025 campaign.
Pettis, 66, played in parts of 11 big league seasons, spending the bulk of his time with the Angels but also appearing in three seasons as a Tiger, two as a Ranger and one as a Padre. He never provided a ton of offense, hitting .236/.332/.310 in more than 4200 MLB plate appearances, but he swiped 354 bags and won five Gold Gloves in center field. Those 354 steals are currently tied with Starling Marte for 106th in big league history.
After wrapping up his playing career, Pettis held coaching gigs with the Halos, White Sox, Mets and Rangers from 1995 through 2014. His decade-long stint with the Astros has been the lengthiest stop of his coaching career by far. He’s worked under three general managers (Jeff Luhnow, James Click, Dana Brown) and three managers as well (A.J. Hinch, Dusty Baker, Joe Espada). If he wants to continue his coaching work, he should have ample interest from other clubs given his background in the area.
Moving on from Pettis is, thus far, the only change to Houston’s coaching staff. The club has not yet formally announced its 2025 staff, so it’s possible there will be more turnover revealed in the weeks ahead. The 2024 season was Espada’s first year as manager after six seasons as the bench coach — first under Hinch and later under Baker. Espada retained Baker’s entire coaching staff after taking the reins in Houston heading into the current season, with first base coach Omar Lopez being promoted to bench coach duties, replacing Espada in that regard. Dave Clark, who’d been managing in the Astros’ minor league ranks, joined the big league staff and took over Lopez’s duties as first base coach.
Lefty_Orioles_Fan
I would love to have Garry Pettis on the Orioles staff…he is excellent
Can’t believe he is 66 years old
Steinbrenner2728
A little funny story about Pettis is that his 1985 Topps Rookie Card pictured his younger brother Stacey instead of himself.
User 2770661946
We knew the tension was going to boil over between him and Espada. No one can work under the conditions Espada has implemented and it showed with that first round TKO.
ckc12537
Yes, because it’s entirely 100% Espada’s fault. It surely isn’t payroll constraints, lingering effects of the 2022-2023 offseason, or a rookie GM.
User 2770661946
Glad we agree.
Astro fan 111
What tension? What conditions? What is your source?
thickiedon
Terry, you’ll have to divulge more
proton
He could come to Seattle. Maybe move into his kids house if he still has one. Seems like a great guy.
Melchez17
Played for the Tigers… Coached under Hinch in Houston. Pettis to the Tigers?
The Natural
Tigers can find a spot for him. I wonder if Counsell could use him on the Cubs? He could help PCA a bit on base running and perhaps Nico and Seiya.
Halo11Fan
Eric Young is a horrible coach, so come back to Anaheim.
rev halofan
Angels traded Pettis for Dan Petty. Best CF for a washed up arm. Still stings.
thickiedon
He’s 66. Thanks for churning the windmill at third, Mr. Pettis. Enjoy retirement, sir!
DevoPettis
Gary Pettis and Devon White earned 4 CF gold gloves in 5 years in the 80s. Trout zip. And I never hear the Angels today even mention the two. The only 80s player they celebrate is Mike Witt. No tradition. They only care about the early 2000s team for some reason that they have to bring out every spring training to “fire up the team” and even then only certain players.
we_dont_talk_about_that
Jim Abbott was in the late ‘80s as well.
Halo11Fan
Downing, Grich, Carew, Joyner, Baylor, Finley. The only 80s player worth celebrating is Witt?
Did you follow the team in the 80s?
DevoPettis
Dude Carew is with the Twins know cause they don’t even speak to one another. What planet you on? Remember the whole taking away his tickets thing? And not just the 80d. Where’s Figgins, Aybar, KRrod, iszuris? Huh?
DevoPettis
Where’s Weaver?;they gave away his number on purpose to some nobody as a message
Halo11Fan
He was a hitting coach in the 90s, they don’t speak? His number is retired. And to think those players were not worth celebrating was an imbecilic comment, but feel free to double down on the stupid comment if you like.
DevoPettis
What about Boone? what about Schofield? they still hold among the defensive WAR records. Todays team couldn’t catch a flu. What about Marcel Latchman?!
Halo11Fan
I liked them both, but they were not really celebrated.
MLBTR needs to hire editors
Adams’ writings are a mess. Why interrupt the flow of the sentence by inserting “thus far” when it could come at the start?