Coaches named

When I filed my story at 6:10 or so, I said this means the Reds will announce the coaches in a half hour or so. Hopefully, my ESP working at Keeneland tomorrow. Anyhow, from the Reds:

CINCINNATI - The Cincinnati Reds today announced that Major League coaches Mark Berry, Billy Hatcher, Brook Jacoby and Dick Pole along with bullpen catcher Mike Stefanski will be offered contracts for the 2008 season.

The club also announced that bullpen coach Tom Hume will not be offered a contract and that bench coach Pat Kelly has been reassigned within the organization.

The bullpen coach and bench coach vacancies on new manager Dusty Baker's staff will be filled in the near future.

Berry will return for his 25th season in the organization and for his 10th year on the Major League coaching staff. He has been the club’s third base coach the last 4 seasons.

Hatcher has been with the organization for 2 years, both as first base coach.

Jacoby and Pole will return for their second seasons as hitting coach and pitching coach, respectively.


Stefanski will return for his fifth straight season as bullpen catcher.

Hume was with the organization for 11 seasons as bullpen coach and for 1 season (2006) as pitching coach.

Kelly will return as manager of the organization's Gulf Coast League Sarasota affiliate and as director of Florida on-field operations, positions he held last season until he was named interim manager Pete Mackanin's bench coach on July 3.



No real shockers here. Hume got caught in the numbers game. The bullpen struggles were not his fault. Hard to blame him for Mike Stanton's woes or the failure of all those rookies.

The bench coach is going to be an infield guy is my guess.