The Phillies began hiring some of their new organizational staff under new manager Gabe Kapler. The first two were former outfielder Sam Fuld and Baltimore Orioles executive Ben Werthan. Soon the Phillies will be looking to fill out the major league coaching staff. One night may stand out as a prime candidate to be Kapler's bench coach.
Former major league catcher Bill Haselman could get some strong consideration from Kapler. The name was mentioned by Sirius XM MLB Network Radio host Jeff Joyce as he had Kapler on as a guest on Thursday. Joyce and Kapler hosted radio shows together in the past, so there is a personal relationship between Joyce and Kapler. Kapler did not commit to hiring Haselman on the air, but he praised his work.
Haselman and Kapler were teammates on the 1999 Detroit Tigers and the 2000 – 2002 Texas Rangers. Haselman then was interim first base coach on the 2004 Boston Red Sox and bullpen coach on the 2005 Boston Red Sox, both teams Kapler played for. Their professional relationship continued even as Kapler began working in the front office.
Since 2014, Haselman has been a manager in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, meaning he and Kapler worked together. In November 2014, Kapler was hired as the director of player development for the organization. Haselman moved up in the Dodgers system and in 2016 and 2017 was manager of the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers.
Haselman also has experience as a manager in the Texas Rangers organization.
There have been no reports linking Kapler to Haselman other than Joyce recognizing that Kapler and Haselman are "tight". If the hirings of Fuld and Werthan are any indication, one might expect more hires from Kapler's inner circle. Kapler might have considered Matt Herges as pitching coach, but Herges took a position with the San Francisco Giants major league coaching staff before Kapler was hired.
Of last year's coaching staff, Larry Bowa and Matt Stairs will not return after taking other positions. Pitching coach Bob McClure, assistant pitching coach Rick Kranitz, bullpen/catching coach John McLaren, third base coach Juan Samuel and first base coach Mickey Morandini all remain in limbo while the Phillies assemble a staff.
Check out one of Haselman's more memorable major league experiences here:
