Philadelphia Phillies 2019 coaching staff has been finalized

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Rick Kranitz let go after serving as Phillies pitching coach this past season

The Philadelphia Phillies announced moves over the last few days aimed at finalizing their coaching staff for the 2019 Major League Baseball season.

The biggest moves came with the big-league pitching staff. As our Tim Kelly here at Phillies Nation reported just two days ago, the Phillies let former pitching coach Rick Kranitz go, replacing him with the previous assistant pitching coach, Chris Young.

Kranitz had served on the big-league staff over the past three seasons as the bullpen (2016) and assistant pitching (2017) coach prior to taking on the primary pitching coach role this past season.

Prior to joining the Phillies, Kranitz served as pitching coach with the Florida Marlins, Baltimore Orioles, and Milwaukee Brewers.

Today the Phillies announced that Dave Lundquist, who has served as the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs pitching coach for the last three seasons and has been coaching in the Phillies organization for the last 11 years, will move up to take the position as the new assistant pitching coach to Lundquist in Philadelphia.

Returning to the staff for next season are manager Gabe Kapler, his bench coach Rob Thomson, and both hitting coach John Mallee and his assistant, Pedro Guerrero. Also coming back are first base coach Jose Flores and third base coach Dusty Wathan.

Others making a return to the staff for the 2019 campaign will be bullpen coach Jim Gott, bullpen catcher and catching coach Bob Stumpo, and Craig Driver, who also serves as a bullpen catcher with duties as a receiving coach.

The removal of Kranitz from the pitching coach position was somewhat surprising. There are four legs to any successful baseball team: pitching, hitting, defense, and coaching. It can be argued that the pitching staff was the one competitive leg that the Phillies could rely on for much of the 2018 season.

Todd Zolecki at MLB.com quoted Phillies reliever Pat Neshek on the loss of Kranitz through a text from the veteran:

“Best pitching coach I EVER had. He was a huge influence on me during my time in Philly and I think with the entire pitching staff. You’ll never hear one pitcher say anything bad about him. He had an excellent attitude every day that the players respected. Decisions happen in baseball all the time. Kranny will be tough to replace.”

However, according to MLB insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, a number of teams were after Young to fill their primary pitching coach position. The Phillies simply felt he was too valuable to lose. Evidently, more valuable than Kranitz, who the club will allow to interview with other organizations even though he remains under contract.

Phillies Add Two New Coaches to 2016 Staff

The Philadelphia Phillies have announced that two new coaches have been hired to join manager Pete Mackanin's staff for the 2016 season. 

Rick Kranitz (photo) will become the new bullpen coach, and John McLaren will take over the catching coach position.

Kranitz served as the pitching coach for the Milwaukee Brewers from 2011 until his firing just two and a half weeks ago. He had previous stints as an MLB pitching coach with the Miami Marlins in 2006-07, and with the Baltimore Orioles from 2008-10.

Kranitz never appeared as a player in MLB, but was drafted three times, and also spent parts of seven seasons in minor league baseball.

He was drafted twice in 1977 alone, with the Saint Louis Cardinals selecting him in the 3rd round of the old January phase of the draft, and then the Los  Angeles Dodgers picking him in the June draft. In 1979, the Brewers made him their 4th round selection in June.

Kranitz was a righthanded pitcher who then proceeded to compile a 37-39 record in 119 minor league games, 79 of those as starting assignments, over five seasons of rising through the Brewers farm system.

He was never able to break through to the big league club, and moved on to the Chicago Cubs organization, where he made just one appearance in both 1984 and 1985. In all, Kranitz compiled a 3.98 career ERA, with a 1.534 WHIP, and a 512/400 K:BB ratio.

Per MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, Mackanin stated in regards to the Krantiz hiring: "Rick was my pitching coach in Venezuela in 1989. We go back a long way."

McLaren actually has managerial experience in Major League Baseball. For parts of two seasons in 2007-08, McLaren served as skipper of the Seattle Mariners, going 68-88. In 2011, he went 2-1 in the role of interim manager with the Washington Nationals.

McLaren was a Lou Piniella protege, serving under him on the staffs in both Seattle and Tampa Bay from 1993-2005. 

He was the third base coach for the U.S. team in the first-ever World Baseball Classic in 2006.

As a player, McLaren was selected in the 7th round of the 1970 MLB Amateur Draft in June by the Houston Astros. 

He spent parts of the next seven seasons rising slowly but steadily through the Houston organization, but was never able to advance beyond the AAA level.

A catcher through the vast majority of his career, McLaren hit for a career .250/.352/.363 slash line with 38 homers and 200 RBI over 1,870 minor league plate appearances.

On the McLaren addition to the staff, Zolecki quoted Mackanin as follows: "John has been around a long time, he's got a lot of experience. He can do anything I really need, anything I want zeroed in on."

Per Zolecki, both hitting coach Steve Henderson and pitching coach Bob McClure will return for the 2016 season. 

Bench coach Larry Bowa is seeking MLB managerial opportunities, and is likely to return if unable to land such a job.

Also seeking a job as an MLB manager is first base coach Juan Samuel, who would also return if unable to land a position. 

If he returns, Zolecki reports that he would become the third base coach, with the club now looking for a permananet first base coach to join the staff.