The Nationals’ decision to jettison Manny Acta’s coaching staff – save pitching coach Randy St. Claire – along with the strength/conditioning coach and video coordinator, didn’t come as much of a surprise. You lose 102 games and certain changes are going to be made, though again, the Nationals were rarely playing with a full deck.
It’s safe to assume that Rick Eckstein will be the new hitting coach. His success at Columbus this year opened some eyes in the organization, and it was apparent that Lenny Harris only had limited success with a handful of hitters. Eckstein has been with the club since the AAA season ended, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to conclude that he’ll also have some input into the hiring of a new video coordinator.
Some fans are predicting that Barry Larkin will join the staff in some capacity, but Barry’s not shown a real interest – at least not publicly – in getting back into uniform on a daily basis. He’d be a great addition, no doubt, but it’s real full time job. And something tells me that he’s got his eye on a position much higher up in the food chain.
I would’ve been surprised had Pat Corrales even wanted to return as bench coach in 2009. It was pretty apparent that Pat’s wheels were bothering him. He seemed to wince every time he moved around, but I’m sure I would too if I had squatted as much as he has over 67 years on the planet. Hiring a bench coach is not exactly an exact science. There are no specific criteria; the most important variable is a genuine compatibility with the manager – as well as recognizing that he’s the manager, and you’re not.
Was there a more unknown guy in uniform than bullpen coach Rick Aponte? I never heard anyone say a bad word about him, though honestly, I never heard a single word about him period. A bullpen coach is usually an ex-pitcher or catcher, but some teams have more defined duties for the position, beyond simply answering the phone out there and alerting someone to start throwing. Obviously, the bullpen coach needs to be extremely simpatico with the pitching coach. An unsolicited suggestion – Neil Allen, who’s tutored Tampa Bay’s young arms in the minors the past few years.
A new third base coach will be hired, and again, here’s a position that is tougher than it looks. For my money, the best third base coach of all time is Billy Hunter, who had the gig in Baltimore for many years. No one knew his own player’s footspeed or opposing outfielder’s throwing arms any better. I always thought he should teach a course in it.
A first base coach usually has some other duty, such as coaching outfielders, or baserunners, or both, so I’d look for someone with a background in those skills. The Nats have several guys with plus-speed whose baserunning skills can use improvement, and there have been more than a few flyball outs this year that were adventures.
New coaching hires rarely sell any additional tickets, but in this case, it’s an opportunity to show the fans that the Nationals will rely on more than just the buddy system to improve the on-field product.
Phil Wood is a contributor to Nats Xtra on MASN. Contact him at [email protected].
