Boston Red Sox Make Major Changes to Coaching Staff, Seeking Change to Support Staff Also
After a last-place finish in the American League East in 2023, the Boston Red Sox are reportedly making some changes to their Major League coaching and support staff.
According to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox have fired pitching coach Dave Bush and third base coach Carlos Febles.
Also, the Boston Globe is reporting that the team is seeking a new translator for outfielder Masataka Yoshida.
First, on Bush:
Bush had been the pitching coach since the 2020 season, following three years as a Red Sox minor league pitching coordinator. But with the pitching staff having struggled to a 4.52 ERA this season (21st in the big leagues), the team elected to go in a different direction.
While it might be fair to criticize the performance of Bush, it should also be noted that the Red Sox endured several injuries at the major league level in 2023, something that isn't necessarily attributed to the pitching coach. Relying on the oft-injured James Paxton and Chris Sale seem to be problems that could be attributed to the front office, for instance. The same could be said for the aging Corey Kluber.
As for Febles:
Febles, a longtime minor league instructor, was added to the coaching staff for the 2018 season. But while he drew praise for the progress of Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers, the team’s defensive collapse in 2023 contributed to the change.
According to Statcast, the Sox ranked last in the big leagues in both Outs Above Average (50 outs below average) and Runs Allowed (40 runs below average).
While the Sox engaged in more on-field pregame infield work, it didn’t yield the desired improvement.
And per Tyler Milliken of 98.5 the Sports Hub in Boston:
According to @BGlobeSports, the Red Sox are looking to hire a new translator for Masataka Yoshida for 2024. Keiichiro Wakabayashi filled the role this past season.
Apparently the organization felt like communication between Yoshida and the coaching staff could have been better.
Yoshida hit .289 this season, his first in the majors after coming over from Japan. He smoked 15 home runs and brought in 72 runs.
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