Red Sox narrow search for pitching coach to five
The Red Sox are in the final stages of selecting a pitching coach, and according to a major league source, they have interviewed five candidates.
The only known candidate is former Reds manager and Reds, Diamondbacks, and Mariners pitching coach Bryan Price. He is the only person with experience as a big league pitching coach to interview for the position.
The Red Sox have interviewed both internal and external candidates, exploring the possibility of plucking a pitching coach from college baseball. Derek Johnson, now with the Reds, was hired from Vanderbilt by the Brewers after the 2015 season and the Twins hired Wes Johnson from Arkansas last winter.
Once the Sox hire a pitching coach, they likely will have additional pitching positions to fill. They may hire an assistant pitching coach, and if they promote someone from the minor league system for that,
they would have to hire a replacement for him.
After the 2019 season, the Red Sox reassigned pitching coach Dana LeVangie to the pro scouting staff while announcing that Brian Bannister, who’d served as assistant pitching coach in addition to vice president of pitching development, will focus on helping pitchers in the minors.
The restructuring came after a season in which they had a 4.70 team ERA, 19th in the majors, dealing with both injuries and disappointing performances, particularly in the starting rotation.
