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Steve Luebber will again serve as the pitching coach for the Blue Rocks in 2008. Luebber, a Clinton, MO native, will enter his 41st season in the game. Luebber joined the Royals in 2006 after five years as the Double-A pitching coach for the Texas Rangers, where he worked with Darryl Kennedy in 2005. Under Luebber, the 2007 Blue Rocks led the Carolina League in team ERA (3.43) and saves (42) while four Wilmington starters ranked among the top six in individual ERA. Among those four was southpaw Rowdy Hardy, who was named the Carolina League’s Pitcher of the Year and earned the starting nod in the All-Star game. Hardy won a Wilmington franchise-record 15 games. Luebber also served as the pitching coach of the Surprise Rafters in the Arizona Fall League last autumn.
Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 13th round of the 1967 amateur draft, Luebber made his big-league debut on June 27, 1971, starting the backend of a doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers. He pitched professionally for 17 seasons and posted a 6-10 record and a 4.62 ERA over 66 major league appearances for the Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles. The 58-year-old lives in Joplin, MO. He attended Missouri Southern College and has two daughters, Lindsey and Carly, and a son, Wyatt. |
