Bill Mueller joins ASU baseball staff as hitting coach

New Arizona State baseball coach Willie Bloomquist completed his staff by hiring Bill Mueller as hitting coach.

Muller, 50, was American League 2003 batting champion, hitting .326 with the Boston Red Sox. He played 11 years in major league baseball with San Francisco, Chicago Cubs, Boston and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Mueller hit .291 over his MLB career. He was 2003 AL Silver Slugger at third base and 12th in AL Most Valuable Player voting.

In 2004, Mueller played on Boston's World Series championship team. He had a critical hit off New York's Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning of Game 4 of the ALCS, pushing the game in extra innings with the Red Sox winning in 12. 

Mueller had a .455 career batting average against Rivera.

After retiring in 2006, Mueller worked for the Dodgers in several capacities then with the Cubs as organization hitting coach and for St. Louis as assistant hitting coach.

Most recently, Mueller was an assistant coach at Chandler Hamilton High School. He played in college at Missouri State. 

Previously, Bloomquist retained Jason Kelly as pitching coach while adding recruiting coordinator responsibilities and hired Mike Goff an an assistant.

More:ASU baseball retains pitching coach Jason Kelly, adds Mike Goff

Reach the reporter at jeff.metcalfe@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8053. Follow him on Twitter @jeffmetcalfe.

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