The Red Sox announced several notable changes to the coaching staff under manager Alex Cora. In particular, the club will be hiring a new pitching coach duo.
While the Boston organization will retain the services of pitching coach Dana LeVangie and assistant pitching coach Brian Bannister, both will be reassigned. The former will join Steve Langone (who had been manager of advanced scouting) as pro scouts. Bannister will become VP of pitching development, thereby turning his attention to the organization’s farm system.
In addition, the club announced that Andy Barkett will not return as the assistant hitting coach. He had been in that role since the 2018 season, working alongside hitting coach Tim Hyers.
It isn’t entirely clear whether the Red Sox are contemplating any further changes to the staff, though it seems reasonable to presume that they’ll retain the remaining coaches. The club has continued to move ahead with fairly significant decisions even though it still lacks a single chief of its baseball operations department.
twinsfan368
I’m so glad the Red Sox missed the playoffs cuz that lineup was insanely scary in every level but their pitching sucked outside of Workman
jdgoat
He was crazy good this year. Imagine where they would’ve been without him.
Marner#16
JDGoat,
When did you turn into a RED SOX fan… your a jays fan bud. Probably loving every minute of the Sox off year. Thats okay as bad as that ways Jays we’re worse… what was it 40 sum games under .500.
clepto
Who paid more per win?
clepto
Here is a little lesson in STHU for you Marner.
Red Sox, who missed playoffs, finished 3rd with 84 wins….yea a win cost them about $2.9M….for nothing. Nice execution.
Blue Jays, with 67 wins, 1 spot below RedSox in standings, spent $1.3M per win for same post season result, oh, and a better draft pick.
Now, Einstein, who really won? How about you take your myoptic medicine, go in the back of the room and keep your trap shut while the burn sinks in.
Charles888
Why do you care so much whether a billionaire saved $80M or not? $/win is a stupid metric, unless you are shareholder in the team (and even then, it arguably useless – loses damage the brand)
At the end, there were 17 less game that you enjoyed winning as a fan.
jdgoat
Do I know you?
Marner#16
clepto,
Didn’t message you did I?
Marner#16
clepto,
Captain Capitals you must mean business. WHO CARES about money per wins whens the last time the Jays have won a World Series exactly STHU you chump!!! Sox won the WS last year… booyah!
Marner#16
JD,
You know and love me 😉
wstep
Sometimes I wonder if anyone else ever stops at one of Cleptos thousands of trolling comments and thinks to themselves: At one point, this person was a child. They probably imagined themselves being an astronaut, the president, perhaps even a pro baseball player. And yet, they find themselves currently, at whatever age they may be, spending the vast majority of their day trolling people on a sports rumors website… I have. I have also thought if I were that kid, and somebody traveled back in time and told me that, I’d cry. What a thought…
jdgoat
I don’t think I’ve ever talked to you aha, you must be mixing me up with someone else
deweybelongsinthehall
Clepto, your math is while possibly theoretically correct is useless. Sox did not perform as expected but while there are similarities between the young core Toronto has in place to the Sox of say 2015, they still have to win. Toronto also has a national network I believe but this year after winning it all last year, the value to NESN which the Sox 80% own has to be factored in. Talk in a few years.
deweybelongsinthehall
I just responded to Clepto and never noticed his prior posts. I’ll consider disregarding moving forward.
Marner#16
JD
Ya you have in hockey rumours nice try bud
wordonthestreet
Cleoto I would say the Red Sox won. They had a better season.
clepto
Marner: I read your comments and I literally just sigh aloud. You say exactly what a typical, center of the universe, uneducated big market fan would. Since I am sure you watched “Fever Pitch”…youll recognize my reference to you: “ahh, …another idiot.”
wstep: You know what…attacking beyond the writing. Like it and respect it. A tip of the cap to you and keep it up. It was good.
dewey: you do understand your logic is absolutely contradictory, right? Read, pause, process and think about what your logic said. Think about impact to, say, NESN and advertising, for one example.
word: Your comment is worthless. If you think you might, dont.
Marner#16
Clepto,
Eduacted thank you very much. Not shocked at a fool like you would come up with that kind of comparision. It’s about World Series hence Wins and Losses the rest of that garbage who cares about.
clepto
Keep proving my point…..
By the way, that GED certificate you have, really isnt what most others would deem “educated”. But you keep on being you. You go!
Marner#16
clepto,
I’m not the first nor will I be the last person to have issues with your comments. What pitching again do the Jays have thats gonna get them back to .500? Even with all those young players… they won’t score enough if they don’t have the pitching. You sure are one angry little man. Did you get an action plan in for Vladdy Jr yet to watch his weight so he can stop trying to stretch singles into doubles and getting hurt. Since hes in no form of shape. The kid needs to seek Gary Roberts out for training!
clepto
Did I or anyone ask about pitching?
Did I say anything about being a Jays fan?
Did I even mention Vlad?
I simply pointed out an obvious flaw in your so-called logic, and you, generously,keep proving my point. Maybe its a waste of time, since basic business economics isnt part of your GED curriculum….but, I bet you can hammer most of us on Hungry Hungry Hippos.
clepto
Please go back and read third comment in this string.
Who made the first “hack”?
All I did was ask a question, to what I now know is a moron, just to present a slightly different view. Its obvious now, you are 100% incapable of reason, which given your basic education, it not surprising. How about you go back in your hole til the Red Sox or Patriots win something, and you can be in your moron glory again for a few months after.
dlevin11
Glad to see Levangie was reassigned as a pro scout and Bannister as VP of pitching development. Wish them luck in their new positions.
dlevin11
Hope we can find another pitching coach with MLB experience.
AtlSoxFan
John Farrell is available LOL.
I’m almost a tiny bit serious, I don’t know what to think if he might back off a manager role to go back to pitching…. he did excel there.
deweybelongsinthehall
But then he burned his relievers when he had authority.
Sasha C. Handelman
Sadly, after injuries and inconsistencies with the pitching staff meant that LeVangie was most likely to be reassigned . Be curious if Sox stay in house or who they look at to take over as pitching coach in 2020
pasha2k
Maybe another coach would’ve let Porcello pitch like he did in his act Young yr?
ScottCFA
Lol!
SG
They have needed to do player acquisition and development better for years now.
Hopefully they have turned their attention to this area with this news.
san888
Their whole approach to this year was awful. From Spring Training forward. They kept thinking that magically they would just flip a switch and poof back to playoffs. Awful Approach.
CrewBrew
think more effort went into than that. They just didnt have it. Pitchers were worked like crazy in the playoffs last season and they were behind physically in spring seemed like. Chris Sale could barely get the ball over 92 for a couple starts.
AtlSoxFan
Hard as the Sox staff worked, teams like the dodgers worked just about as hard… including signing away a “tired” red sox arm.
If anything, I blame the lack of a spring training where starters only made one start. That rolls into a heavy heavy lean on t he pen. From there things just don’t quite get going or stabilize
Baseballallday
Everyone wants to point spring training and I’m just not buying it. Fine maybe that explains the slow start but by May that excuse kinda goes out the window. Maybe people just need to open up their eyes and realize that everything went right for the Sox in 2018 and that doesn’t happen every year. They were dumb to do nothing last off season and expect everything to go right a second season in a row. Who honestly thought Eovaldi was going to pitch like he did in the 2018 playoffs for 4 years? The guy gets hurt and pitches to a 4.5 era every season but looked like cy young in the playoffs. Sox fans literally thought Braiser could be a closer after 2018 based a sample size of about 20 innings and isn’t even good enough to keep a major league spot. Pearce gets MVP and can’t bat 100 or stay on the field. All these guys had the seasons/post seasons of their lives and it just doesn’t happen every year. The team clearly has more talent than they showed this season but I don’t think they’re nearly as good as they looked in 2018 either and that’s a big reason they did so poorly this year. Not spring training which honestly by the time you are a big league player you should know what you need to do to get ready for a season and what it takes to get in shape…
deweybelongsinthehall
Bingo. Pitchers gave up of themselves a lot to win in 2018. Other teams did this before Boston and such is continuing now. Very risky given the amount spent on pitching. Teams baby most during the regular season then use them differently in the playoffs.
kevnames42
Dana Phalange?
whyhayzee
I like Bannister a lot. He can definitely help out the organization wherever he is best suited.
h0wmyd0ing
Ray Searage resurrection or further exposure that you can’t just throw a sinker all the time!?!!
hawkny11
Searage would be a good addition to the Red Sox coaching staff.
imindless
Going to angels under maddon
GMB 883
Reassignment interesting. At least both of them have been with the organization a long time and are highly respected and valuable. Looks to me like someone on that baseball ops dept. is getting the GM role or they would not move forward with all of year changes. Plus we are hearing the big names in MLB front offices are concerned to commit to work for Henry with all the moves since Theo. But… how can Sox fans complain with 4 WS Championships? They can but it does not matter.
xpensivewinos
Cherington and Dombrowski gave out a lOT of stupid contracts, so these guys get to pay for it…….
deweybelongsinthehall
Each also won a championship something so many past GMs (think before Theo) failed to do.
robbiecraig
Jeff, Bannister already had the role of VP of Pitching Dev. He just relinquished the dual role of assistant pitching coach.
hawkny11
Whomever the Red Sox bring in as a pitching coach he/she has to get Sele and Price back into a winning groove from day 1 of the regular season. There is no reason that justifies paying these guys a combined $50,000,000 in annual salary for only 13 wins a year. They have to do their jobs or go. Speaking of “have to go”, Pedroia, Pearce and Porcello have to go post haste. That is a savings of $42,000,000 against total payroll. None were major contributors in 2019. Its time to let the younger guys play.
bjaygrr1977
In my opinion, the coaches have been reassigned because Sale, Price and Porcello were not who they are supposed to be, because of injuries or other issues. The bullpen lost Kimbrel and didn’t replace him, and to me, beyond Kimbrel never really did have much of a bullpen anyway. The bullpen performed well in 2018, especially when it mattered and they all had an outstanding season. If your teams players don’t perform the way they need to because of injuries or because they’re not good enough, that’s not the coaching staff to blame!
bcap
Hopefully LaVangie and Bannister can find 1 or 2 more aces (sale, price, evolving) that turn into 5 inning pitchers once they get the big contract.
AngelDiceClay
Kenny Powers would be a most excellent choice for pitching coach.