Tigers name Knapp pitching coach

Oct 17, 2008 - 5:27 PM DETROIT (Ticker) -- The Detroit Tigers on Friday named Rick Knapp as their new pitching coach.

Knapp replaced Chuck Hernandez, who was fired after three seasons with the club.

Knapp comes to the Tigers after spending his previous 12 seasons as the minor league pitching coordinator for the Minnesota Twins.

"Rick is a quality baseball person and he will be a solid addition to our staff," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "He brings an excellent track record of developing major league caliber players."

In Detroit, Knapp will try to improve a Tigers staff which had a 4.90 ERA this past season to rank near the bottom of the American League.

"I'm extremely excited to join the Tigers organization," Knapp said. "I look forward to working with Jim, the rest of the coaching staff and the talented pitchers throughout the system."