Phillies to hire Bryan Price as pitching coach

According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the Phillies have hired Bryan Price to be their new pitching coach.

Price, 57, was most recently the manager of the Cincinnati Reds in 2018. He spent just over four seasons there, and was previously a pitching coach for the Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Reds, having success at each stop.

In 2001, his first year in Seattle, Price earned the USA Today Baseball Weekly ‘s Pitching Coach of the Year Award after guiding the pitching staff to the ERA title. In 2007, his first season in Arizona, he was named Major League Coach of the Year by Baseball America after that staff finished fourth in the National League in ERA. In 2012, his Reds staff finished with the second-best ERA in the National League and in 2013, they finished with the fourth-best ERA in baseball.

The Phillies’ interest in Price was first reported by NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury earlier this week. He was reportedly offered the Diamondbacks pitching coach position just last week, but declined. Gelb added that he’s also believed to have declined the San Diego Padres pitching coach job. It can be assumed he passed over that opportunity due to the Phillies’ opening under new manager Joe Girardi, which he will now fill.

Other candidates reportedly considered by the Phillies include former Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild, current Phillies assistant pitching coach Dave Lundquist and Phillies minor league pitching coordinator Rafael Chaves. Rothschild seemed to be the frontrunner after spending seven seasons as Girardi’s pitching coach in New York, but the Phillies ultimately decided on Price.

The position became vacant earlier this month when the Phillies fired Chris Young. It is clear that the team prioritized experience in this search, and Price has about as much experience as anyone available.

The team’s next move will be filling the hitting coach role left vacant by interim replacement Charlie Manuel. One candidate mentioned by Salisbury is Matt Stairs, who was the Phillies’ hitting coach under manager Pete Mackanin in 2017.

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