Sarris: A look at some potential major-league pitching coaches on the rise
From SABR member Eno Sarris at The Athletic on November 6, 2019:
There are many aspects of the major-league pitching coach role that are also at the forefront of what teams are trying to do today. The person in that role needs to be able to work with technology, with data, and with people in order to get the most out of their current players. With the way those first two are changing nearly every day, it requires, maybe most of all, a well-read and open mind.
A few teams have gotten lucky, you might say, and landed on someone capable of staying on top of trends and communicating well with his pitchers year in and year out. Darren Balsley in San Diego and Don Cooper in Chicago — these are your two pitching coaches with 10+ years at their current jobs. Their combined 30 years of experience pushes the average tenure of a pitching coach in baseball close to double that of their hitting colleagues, around two and a half years.
The median length a pitching coach has been at his job, though? One year. It’s tough sledding out there.
Read the full article here (subscription required): https://theathletic.com/1343712/2019/11/06/sarris-a-look-at-some-potential-major-league-pitching-coaches-on-the-rise/
Originally published: November 6, 2019. Last Updated: November 6, 2019.