Former Los Angeles Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis has been hired by the New York Mets to help guide the team’s day-to-day game strategy, according to the Athletic.
Ellis’s role is reportedly tied to game planning on the pithing side, according to Will Sammon of the Athletic, citing anonymous sources.
A.J. Ellis was trusted catcher for Kershaw
The former MLB catcher earned a reputation as a pitch-calling magician, who served as an important mentor to the Dodgers pitching staff, particularly Clayton Kershaw, during his nine seasons in L.A.
Ellis was a member of the Dodgers from 2008 to 2016, and appeared in 544 games for L.A. In his 11-year career, he recorded a .239 batting average with 466 career hits, including 44 home runs.
Dodgers fans might remember his excellence behind the plate, but he also had some high-profile moments in the batter’s box as well.
Perhaps none more so than his go-ahead solo home run in the eighth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sept. 19, 2013, which broke a 6-6 tie and ultimately clinched the NL West division title for the Dodgers.
Ellis joins a staff that is just beginning to take shape under returning Mets manager Andy Green.
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Ellis actually played under Green in 2018 as a member of the San Diego Padres, his final year in the Bigs. But their connection doesn’t stop there. According to Sammon, both Ellis and Green grew up in Lexington, Kentucky.
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Ellis will join the Mets after spending the last several years as a special assistant in the front office of the San Diego Padres.
Green is still working to fill out the rest of his staff, including adding a hitting coach, after three other key members of the staff were let go last month. Green was named the interim manager of the Mets this past June after Carlos Mendoza was fired mid-season.
In September, he agreed to a three-year deal to become the team’s permanent manager.
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