Billy McMillon

William Edward McMillon (born November 17, 1971) is an American minor league baseball manager and instructor and a former professional baseball player. He was an outfielder in the Major Leagues between 1996 and 2004. The native of Alamagordo, New Mexico, graduated from high school in Bishopville, South Carolina, and attended Clemson University. As a player, he threw and batted left-handed, stood 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and weighed 172 pounds (78 kg).

Drafted by the Florida Marlins in 1993, McMillon played in the Major Leagues for the Marlins, Philadelphia Phillies, Oakland Athletics, and Detroit Tigers. He appeared in 269 MLB games, and his 149 big-league hits included 35 doubles, three triples and 16 home runs. He batted .301 for the 2000 Tigers, but the 2001 season, which he split between Detroit and Oakland, was his only full season in the Majors.

Managing and coaching career

McMillon will spend 2016 as the roving minor league outfield and base running coordinator in the Boston Red Sox farm system,^[1] his ninth year as a coach or manager in the Red Sox' organization.^[2]

He joined Boston as batting coach of the Single-A Greenville Drive of the South Atlantic League in 2008–09, then was promoted to manager of the Drive in 2010. In two seasons, he led Greenville to a 155–124 (.556) record and one playoff appearance. Then, on January 20, 2012, he was promoted to manager of the Salem Red Sox of the Class A Carolina League.^[3] After finishing one game under .500 in 2012, he was rehired as Salem's manager for the 2013 season^[4] and led his team to the Carolina League championship. Salem won the second half Southern Division title, and then bested the Myrtle Beach Pelicans and the Potomac Nationals in the playoffs. The Salem Red Sox won their final 11 games during the regular season and playoffs.^[5]

On December 18, 2013, McMillon was promoted to manager of the Portland Sea Dogs, the Red Sox' affiliate in the Double-A Eastern League, for 2014.^[6] McMillon returned to Portland as a manager 19 years after starring for the 1995 Sea Dogs, then affiliated with the Marlins. That season, the 23-year-old McMillon batted .313 for Portland, with 14 home runs and 93 runs batted in. He led the Eastern League in hits (with 162) and was named an outfielder on the EL All-Star team as well as the Marlins' minor-league player of the year.

His managerial debut with the 2014 Sea Dogs produced a first-place finish in the Eastern League's Northern Division with an 88–54 (.620) record. McMillon was named the league's manager of the year.^[7]

During the season, his club included top prospects such as Mookie Betts, Blake Swihart, Henry Owens, Deven Marrero, Brian Johnson, Eduardo Rodríguez and Travis Shaw; all but Rodríguez were promoted to higher levels (Betts making his MLB debut in July with Boston) by the time of the EL playoffs, when Portland fell to the Binghamton Mets in the first round. McMillon was rehired by the Sea Dogs as their 2015 manager on January 8.^[8]

Through 2015, McMillon's six-year, regular season won-lost record as a manager is 440–400 (.524).

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)