COACHING CAREER
• Enters his first season coaching at the Major League level after having served as pitching coach in the Padres minor
league system for the previous two seasons.
• Made his Padres coaching debut with Single-A Fort Wayne in 2011, also serving in the same capacity for 2012.
• Had two of his pitchers rank among the top 10 in ERA in the Midwest League in 2011, with LHP Mark Hardy franking fifth (2.78) and RHP Keyvius Sampson ranking seventh (2.90).
• Had two of his pitchers set Fort Wayne franchise records in 2012, with RHP Adys Portillo posting a 1.87 ERA, the best single-season mark in TinCaps history among pitchers with 75.0-or-more innings pitched...also had RHP Matt Stites set the single-season TinCaps record among pitchers with 45.0-or-more innings pitched by posting a 0.74 ERA on the year.
• In 2012, also had one of his pitchers recognized as the Padres minor league Pitcher of the Year in RHP Matt Wisler after going 5-4 with a 2.53 ERA (32 ER/114.0 IP) in 24 games, 23 starts, for Fort Wayne.
• Also served as pitching coach for the independent Northern League's Joliet Jackhammers in 2010.
PLAYING CAREER
• Originally signed by the Toronto Blue Jays as an 11th-round selection in the 1986 First-Year Player Draft.
• Went 60-86 with a 5.04 ERA (713 ER/1274.0 IP)and 759 strikeouts against 415 walks in 418 games, 139 starts, over parts of 12 Major League seasons with the Blue Jays (1990), Cleveland Indians (1991), Houston Astros (1992), Colorado Rockies (1993-94), Padres (1995-96), Detroit Tigers (1997, 1999-2001), Arizona Diamondbacks (1998) and New York Mets (1998).
• Won a career-high 16 games for the Tigers in 1997, going 16-8 with a 4.17 ERA (81 ER/175.0 IP) over 29 games, 27 starts, that season.
• Was the last Opening Day starter at Tiger Stadium on April 12, 1999, along with battery mate and current Padres special assistant to baseball operations, Brad Ausmus...tossed 8.0 shutout innings that day in a 1-0 Tigers loss.
PERSONAL
William A. Blair...resides in Nicholasville, Ky., with his wife, Trina, and three children, Paige, Taylor and Jaxson...attended Morehead State University (KY) and Johnson Central High School (KY)...was the head junior varsity baseball coach at Lexington Christian Academy...also led local youth league teams in Kentucky to the Cal Ripken League World Series in 2005 and 2007...earned his bachelors degree in Sports and Recreation Management from Ashford University in 2011.
