Former Kansas City Royals pitching coach is set to join Mickey Callaway‘s staff with the New York Mets as…his pitching coach.
Dave Eiland, who spent the past seven seasons as Kansas City’s pitching coach, is going to take the same job with the New York Mets, according to a report from Newsday‘s Marc Carig.
Kansas City won two American League Pennants and a World Series Championship during Eiland’s tenure, beating the Mets in the 2015 Fall Classic. He’s largely credited for turning Danny Duffy into a legitimate ace and getting mediocre veterans like Edinson Volquez and Jason Vargas to exceed expectations.
The 51-year-old had a 10-year career as a pitcher in the majors, one that began with the New York Yankees in 1988. In 92 games (70 starts), he went 12-27 with a 5.74 ERA and 1.56 WHIP.
He does have a connection to Callaway, the team’s new manager. The two were teammates in the Tampa Bay Rays organization, both in the big leagues and with Triple-A Durham.
Eiland replaces Dan Warthen, who served as the Mets pitching coach from 2008-2017.