By Ian D'Andrea on Flickr – https://www.flickr.com/photos/idsportsphoto/46667344905, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link
The Phillies got one step closer to filling out their coaching staff on Friday, when they hired former Phillies infielder Juan Castro to fill their open infield coach position. The club remains in search of a hitting coach to permanently replace John Mallee, who was dismissed in August. The Phillies are now looking to the World Champion Washington Nationals to interview of one their coaches for a promotion.
Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports that the Phillies are planning to interview Joe Dillon, Nationals assistant hitting coach. Dillon has been serving as assistant hitting coach to Kevin Long. Long was the hitting coach under Phillies manager Joe Girardi in New York. While the Phillies will not be able to pry Long away from the Nationals, a promising coach under his tutelage might be in order.
Salisbury notes that Dillon has been the only publicly confirmed candidate for the position. Some rumors in the past included former Phillies Matt Stairs and Jim Thome, but there is no indication whether or not they have had an interview. If the Phillies had their sights set on Dillon all along, they had to wait for the World Series to be complete, along with the related festivities afterward, including the parade.
Dillon is a former major league infielder with the Florida Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays.
