The Phillies already needed a pitching coach. Veteran and well-respected pitching coach Bryan Price decided to retire from full-time coaching. But that will not be the only change on the Phillies staff. It appears that bullpen coach Jim Gott will also depart the Phillies coaching staff.
NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury reported Tuesday that the Phillies are set to move on from Gott:
Jim Gott, the team’s bullpen coach the last three seasons, will not return in 2021, according to multiple baseball sources. Gott had been on the job for three seasons and his contract had expired.
Early reports after Price’s retirement suggested that Gott could be in contention for the pitching coach job.
Could the Phillies opt for a smaller coaching staff? The staff got significantly larger under manager Gabe Kapler. Previously, the Phillies had the assistant pitching coach (then Rick Kranitz) in the bullpen. Kranitz was promoted to pitching coach for the 2018 season and the Phillies added both Gott and Chris Young as assistant pitching coach.
The sudden departure of Kranitz to promote Young meant that Dave Lundquist got a shot as assistant pitching coach.
Salisbury notes that Lundquist will get consideration for the pitching coach vacancy. But with money tight, could the Phillies go with fewer coaches? They could once again place the assistant pitching coach in the bullpen, or, let Bob Stumpo and Greg Brodzinski, the catching coaches, man the bullpen.
Or might there be more change? The Phillies added just hitting coach Joe Dillon and Price when manager Joe Girardi was hired. Rob Thomson was his guy with the Yankees and probably is a safe bet to stay. But are there other Kapler-era coaches that could change?
We shall see. With the Los Angeles Dodgers winning the World Series Tuesday night, the offseason has begun.
