J.J. Putz named special assistant to Arizona Diamondbacks President and CEO Derrick Hall
Nov 7, 2014, 12:25 AM | Updated: 1:06 am
On Thursday, the Arizona Diamondbacks announced that former closer J.J. Putz had joined the organization’s front office staff, taking a role as special assistant to President and CEO Derrick Hall.
Putz spent parts of four seasons in the D-backs’ bullpen, spending 2011 and 2012 as the team’s closer. In June, however, the team released him after back-to-back seasons plagued by injury. He didn’t sign with another team and announced his retirement in conjunction with Thursday’s news.
According to the D-backs, Putz will be uniformed during spring training, working with pitchers. He’ll also sporadically visit Arizona’s minor league affiliates during the regular season.
“I am very excited to give back to the game that I love and have been fortunate to be a part of for 14 years,” Putz was quoted as saying in Thursday’s release. “To be a part of such a great organization is a blessing. My family and I have been so grateful to be a part of the Arizona community. It is a dream come true to work alongside a great man like Derrick.”
Putz, 37, spent 12 seasons at the major league level, debuting for the Seattle Mariners, then spending time with the New York Mets and Chicago White Sox before coming to Arizona. He compiled 189 saves over the course of his career and holds the second-lowest ERA in D-backs history among pitchers who tallied 150 or more innings pitched.
“J.J.’s performance on the field and popularity off the field make him a tremendous addition to the front office,” Hall said. “His personality is a perfect fit for our culture and we are looking forward to him helping the D-backs in a number of different ways during this next phase of his career.”
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