Bill Lachemann

Who is Bill Lachemann?

William Charles Lachemann is an American minor league baseball coach. A longtime member of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim organization, in 2013 at age 79 he was still active in professional baseball as the Angels' roving catching instructor and MLB catching coach. He is the eldest brother of three siblings who have had long careers in the game: Marcel and Rene have been players, managers and coaches in Major League Baseball and also remain active in the game. In 1995 and 1996, Bill Lachemann served as bullpen coach on the staff of his brother Marcel, then skipper of the Angels.

Bill Lachemann had a nine-season minor league catching career, interrupted by two years of military service, in the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers farm system. In his best season, 1960 with the Great Falls Dodgers of the Class C Pioneer League, Lachemann batted .307 and swatted a career-high 10 home runs. During his minor league career, Lachemann hit .253 with 30 homers. He stood 5'9" tall, weighed 190 pounds, batted left-handed and threw right-handed.

As a manager of Class A, Short Season A and Rookie-level teams in the farm systems of the Angels and San Francisco Giants for 14 seasons, Lachemann's teams compiled a 630-781 record.