Al Nipper

Who is Al Nipper?

Albert Samuel Nipper is an American professional baseball coach and a former Major League pitcher who played for the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians. He served in 2012–2013 as the minor league pitching coordinator of the Detroit Tigers and will be the 2014 pitching coach of the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens.

Nipper graduated from Hazelwood West High School in Hazelwood, Missouri and Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. Nipper pitched for the Red Sox from 1983 to 1987, the Cubs in 1988 and the Indians in 1990. In 144 total games played, he finished with a career record of 46–50 and a 4.52 earned run average in 797⅔ innings pitched, with 381 strikeouts and 303 bases on balls. He was also one of the top first year players in the ballot for Rookie of the Year in 1984.

Nipper has been a scout and coach for Major League clubs since the mid-1990s. He has been the MLB pitching coach of the Red Sox and the Kansas City Royals. He served as the Red Sox bullpen coach in 2006, although he spent much of that season as the team's interim pitching coach because of the surgery-induced absence of Dave Wallace. Nipper has also held roving minor league pitching instructor posts for Boston and the Texas Rangers. From 2007–2011, he was a special assignment scout for the Red Sox, specializing in evaluating pitchers.