This spring, Jim Leyland will be coaching his son in an arena much larger than their backyard in Pittsburgh — he'll be coaching him at the Tigers' spring training facility in Lakeland, Fla.
According to the Associated Press, Tigers manager Leyland will be coaching his 19-year-old son, Patrick Leyland, along with 17 other invitees during spring training this season.
Patrick Leyland, a catcher, was selected in the eighth-round of last year's amateur draft. In his senior year at Bishop Canevin High School in Pittsburgh, he posted a phenomenal .597 batting average and threw out 14-of-18 attempted base-stealers.
The Tigers aren't expecting much out of Patrick Leyland in his first round of spring training, but the younger Leyland is looking forward to picking up a few tips from the pros, and will likely work his way into the Tigers' minor league system.
Jim and Patrick Leyland are not the first father-son coaching combination in baseball history.
Felipe Alou coached his son, Moises Alou, for four seasons with the Montreal Expos and again for one season with the San Francisco Giants.
In 2000 Ken Griffey Jr. played for his dad, Ken Griffey Sr., with the Cincinnati Reds. On Sept. 14, 1990, when they were both players, they became the first father-son duo to ever hit back-to-back home runs.
In 1987, Cal Ripken Sr. became the first and only manager ever to coach two sons simultaneously, Cal Ripken Jr. and Billy Ripken.
