Dodgers Announce Full Coaching Staff

The Dodgers announced their full coaching staff just 40 days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to kick off the 2018 season. The staff is lead by none other than Dave Roberts, who is in his third season as the Dodgers’ Manager and Rick Honeycutt who will officially be returning as the Dodgers’ Pitching Coach for his 13th season.

Along with those two, Bob Green (Bench Coach), Turner Ward (Hitting Coach), George Lombard (First Base Coach), and Chris Woodward (Third Base Coach), will all be returning for their third season on the Dodgers’ coaching staff.

There are a few new faces on the Dodgers’ coaching staff. Starting with the recent hiring of Mark Prior as the team’s new Bullpen Coach. Brant Brown and Luis Ortiz will be splitting the role of the Assistant Hitting Coaches, and Danny Lehmann will take on the new role of the Communications Coach.

You can see the full list of coaches below.

#Dodgers coaches:
Roberts Manager
Geren Bench Coach
Honeycutt Pitching Coach
Ward Hitting Coach
Lombard 1B Coach
Woodward 3B Coach
Mark Prior Bullpen Coach
Brant Brown Asst. Hitting Coach
Luis Ortiz Asst. Hitting Coach
Danny Lehmann Communications Coach

— AlaNNa Rizzo (@alannarizzo) January 4, 2018

There aren’t any surprises with the Dodgers coaching staff. Fans should be delighted to see Rick Honeycutt return after reports suggested that Honeycutt was uncertain about his future for this upcoming season. Honeycutt has been the core of the Dodgers’ coaching staff for well over a decade now and has been vital to the team’s pitching success. Last season, the Dodgers led the National League with a 3.38 team ERA, .228 batting average against, 1.15 WHIP, and 1,549 strikeouts, a new franchise record.

The other big name that generated headlines this week was the signing of Mark Prior. Prior is reportedly highly regarded in the market and Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports suggests Prior could be Honeycutt’s eventual successor when Honeycutt chooses to retire. Prior is replacing Josh Bard who is now the bench coach for the Yankees. 

Brant Brown and Luis Ortiz will replace Tim Hyers and Shawn Wooten who held the similar role last season. Hyers moved on to become the Boston Red Sox’s new hitting coach under Alex Cora, while Wooten did not have his contract renewed by the team. 

It’s good to see the core of Roberts’ coaching staff remain intact. Roberts has done an incredible job managing the team in his first two seasons as a big league manager. Over the past two seasons, the Dodgers are 195-129 (.600%) and have reached the NLCS in two consecutive seasons, including last season where they reached their first World Series in 29 years.

Dodger fans should expect to see big things from this Dodger team during the 2018 season. The team’s success without a doubt starts with the coaching staff.