Former All-Star added to Skeeters coaching staff

A former Major League All-Star was added to the Sugar Land Skeeters coaching staff Wednesday, making him the first pitching coach ever hired in the history of the franchise.

The Skeeters will play their first game of the season at Constellation Field on Thursday, Apr. 26 with its new coaching staff in tow.

Britt Burns, a Houston native with a career track of Minor and Major League coaching experience, most recently worked as a minor league pitching coordinator with the Astros from 2008 to 2010. He played eight seasons with the Chicago White Sox from 1978 to 1985.

Burns made his professional debut in 1978 and two years later was named the AL Rookie Pitcher of the Year and marked an Atlantic League All-Star in 1981.

In 1985, his last Major League season, Burns was an 18-game winner with a top 10 finish in Cy Young voting.

Burns now resides in Katy, Tex. with his wife.

Along with Burns, Vic Gutierrez will serve as Coach for the Skeeters, who are managed by Gary Gaetti.

In a Jan. 4 press release, Gaetti said Burns is a perfect fit for the Skeeters, due to Burns’ background as a minor league pitching coordinator.

“He will be able to develop the professional talent we acquire to compete in the high level of play of the Atlantic League,” Gaetti said in the release.

Gutierrez, a 14-season baseball veteran who spent 10 of those seasons with the Atlantic League, will join the Skeeters after occupying the position of player-coach for the Road Warriors of the Atlantic League last season. After joining the Pittsburg Pirates in 1997, Gutierrez primarily played shortstop and finished his career with a .297 batting average and a .345 on-base percentage.

Gutierrez was born in Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic and now lives with his wife in Harrisburg, Penn.

The Skeeters can be reached by calling 281-240-4487 or online at www.sugarlandskeeters.com.