Early Monday morning word came that former Dodger Jay Gibbons had been hired as a hitting coach in the Dodgers minor league system. According to Peter Kerzel, Gibbons announced that he is the new hitting coach for the Great Lakes Loons, the Dodgers Single-A affiliate.

There was no formal announcement at the time from the Dodgers regarding their minor leagues coaching staffs so a question arose about the reported appointment. However, that announcement finally came Monday afternoon confirming Gibbons’s appointment as the new hitting coach for the Loons. Former Loons hitting coach – the popular Johnny Washington – has been promoted to a newly created fourth coaching position with the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers. A fourth coaching spot has been added to each of the Dodgers six minor league affiliate teams.

Gibbons was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 14th round of the 1998 First Year Player Draft out of California State University in Los Angeles. Following three good seasons in the Blue Jays farm system in which he hit a total of 63 home runs and drove in 281 runs he was claimed by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2000 Rule 5 Draft.

As a Rule 5 draftee in 2001 the left-handed right fielder played in 73 games hitting 15 home runs and drove in 36 runs. The following year Gibbons played in 136 games while hitting a career high 28 home runs with 69 runs batted in. Gibbons’s best year came in 2002 when he hit 39 doubles and 23 home runs while driving in 100 runs.

Although Gibbons continued to put up respectable power numbers, he battled injuries and in three of the next four years he played fewer than 98 games with a low of 84 in 2007.

On December 13, 2007, Gibbons was cited in the Mitchell Report after having been named in other reports for using anabolic steroids. As a result of the reports he was suspended for the first 15 games of the 2008 season on December 6, 2007.

Gibbons reported to spring training in 2008 but was released by the Orioles even though he was still owed $12 million for the final two years of his contract. The Orioles management claimed that the release was a “baseball decision” unrelated to the steroid allegations.

After being blacked balled from the game for being named in the Mitchell Report, the Dodgers did what no other MLB team was willing to do – they gave Jay Gibbons a second chance.
(Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)

Gibbons remained out of MLB for the next two season and tried to get back into the game by contacting all 30 major league clubs with an emotional appeal for a second chance. He promised to donate his salary to charity. Sam Perlozzo, a former Orioles bench coach, had this to say about Gibbons: “He will do anything to play. I’ll give him credit for that. If you give Jay a job, he’s going to go out there and play and give you 100 percent.”

During the 2008 season Gibbons played in the Milwaukee Brewers minor league system and in 2009 he played for the Newark Bears in the Atlantic Independent League.

A second chance finally came for Gibbons when the Dodgers signed the then 33-year-old Rochester, Michigan native to a minor league contract prior to the 2010 season and assigned him to Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes to start the season.

On August 8, 2010 Gibbons made his Dodger debut with a pinch hit single driving in a run. Although late in the season, he did play in 37 games with the Dodgers hitting .280 along with five home runs and 17 RBI.

During winter league play in the Venezuelan League an old problem returned for Gibbons. Way back in 2004 when he experienced problems with his vision he had LASIK eye surgery which provided significant improvement to his eye sight. However, eye sight issues returned during the winter of 2010. Gibbons explained: “The big problem right now is just getting the contacts to work. We’ve tried several different combinations of ’em and different prescriptions,” he said. “Now my eyes are flat from the surgery, and the contacts have trouble staying in. It’s just an overall mess.” He continued: “I’ve been dealing with this since December, and here we are in April,” Gibbons said. “It’s always in the back of your mind, ‘Is this ever going to come back?’ It’s definitely crossed my mind.”

He had signed a contract with the Dodgers for the 2011 season but continued issues with his eye sight really brought his career to a close. “If I tell them my vision is good and I can string together a few games, I’m back,” Gibbons said. “But there is no reason to go back if I am not able to hit pitching down here.” He did play 24 games with the Dodgers in 2011, was designated for assignment, and finished the season with the Albuquerque Isotopes of the Pacific Coast League. He signed one more minor league contract for 2012, this time with the Milwaukee Brewers. He retired from baseball on July 9th in 2012 at the age of 35.

Jay Gibbons admitted his HGH use after the Mitchell Report and apologized, one of very few players to do so. But regardless of his honesty and contriteness, no major league team wanted him until the Dodgers gave him an opportunity at redemption in 2010.

Another opportunity now awaits Gibbons and it has been again provided by the Dodgers. I can only imagine how relieved he must be to start a new chapter in his baseball life. I have no reason to believe that with his life experiences and baseball acumen that he will not be a significant asset to the Dodgers and the young players with whom he comes in contact.

Welcome back Jay.