Orioles name McDowell pitching coach, Mills bullpen coach

The Orioles today announced that they have named Roger McDowell as Major League pitching coach and Alan Mills as Major League bullpen coach.

McDowell, 55, spent the past 11 seasons as the Major League pitching coach with the Atlanta Braves. In that span (2006-16), the Braves pitching staff went 905-876 and ranked fourth among Major League clubs with a 3.88 ERA, including a 3.58 ERA posted by relievers which ranked second in the majors. Each season from 2009-14, Atlanta's ERA ranked in the top five among Major League clubs, including an MLB-best 3.18 ERA in 2013. From 2011-14, Braves relievers registered a combined 2.88 ERA, the best mark in the Major Leagues during that time. Prior to joining Atlanta's Major League coaching staff, McDowell was a minor league pitching coach in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization with Triple-A Las Vegas (2004-05) and Class-A South Georgia (2002-03).

Over 12 career Major League seasons (723 games, two starts), McDowell went 70-70 with a 3.30 ERA and 159 saves. He pitched in 11 career postseason games, going 1-1 with a 3.10 ERA (7 ER/20.1 IP). McDowell was a member of the 1986 World Champion New York Mets, earning the win in Game 7 of the World Series against the Boston Red Sox. He was originally selected by the Mets in the third round of the 1982 First-Year Player Draft and pitched for five different organizations in the Major Leagues including the Mets (1985-89), Philadelphia Phillies (1989-91), Los Angeles Dodgers (1991-94), Texas Rangers (1995), and Orioles (1996). McDowell graduated from Cincinnati's Colerain High School in 1979 and played baseball at Bowling Green State University. In 1988, he was inducted into BGSU's Athletic Hall of Fame.

Mills, 50, spent the past five seasons as a pitching coach in the Orioles organization, including the last two seasons as the pitching coach with Double-A Bowie. Prior to his time with the Baysox, Mills was the pitching coach with Class-A Delmarva (2014) and Class-A Aberdeen (2012-13). He began his professional coaching career in 2008 with Class-A Oneonta in the Detroit Tigers organization. In 2010 and 2011, Mills served as the head baseball coach at his alma mater, Kathleen High School, in Lakeland, Fla.

Mills pitched in 474 career Major League games (five starts) over 12 seasons with the New York Yankees (1990-91), Orioles (1992-98, 2000-01), and Los Angeles Dodgers (1999-2000), going 39-32 with a 4.12 ERA (291 ER/636.0 IP) and 15 saves. He made seven career postseason appearances (all with the Orioles), posting a 2.70 ERA (2 ER/6.2 IP). Mills was originally selected by the California Angels in the first round (No. 8 overall) of the 1986 secondary phase draft out of Polk State College.

McDowell and Mills were teammates on the 1996 Orioles club that earned an American League Wild Card berth in the postseason and advanced to the American League Championship Series.