Washington Nationals: What losing the coaching staff means

When the Washington Nationals dismissed manager Dusty Baker yesterday, they also dismissed the entire coaching staff. What does that mean for the team?

Yesterday, the Washington Nationals made news in a stunning move to dismiss manager Dusty Baker. Baker led the team to their first consecutive division titles, and finished with a record of 192-132 with the Nats.

In dismissing Baker, the Nats also dismissed their entire coaching staff. Bench coach Chris Speier, pitching coach Mike Maddux, hitting coach Rick Schu, assistant hitting coach Jacque Jones, first base coach Davey Lopes, third base coach Bob Henley, and bullpen coach Dan Firova were all let go.

As of right now, none of these coaches are employees of the Nats, but they may be invited back by the new manager. This is not uncommon, as we saw Schu and Henley brought back as holdovers from the Matt Williams era.

Bringing back at least a couple coaches could be beneficial because there would be some consistency in the coaching staff, but the new manager is entitled to selecting his own staff.

More from District on Deck

Of all the coaches the Nats are letting go, Maddux and Lopes will likely make the biggest impact. Maddux is one of the top pitching coaches in the league, and the pitching staff loves to work with him.

“Mad Dog”, as he is referred to by the pitchers, prepares excellent scouting reports and always does his part to ensure the Nats’ pitchers are successful. While the Nats’ pitching staff is among the best in the league, it would not be a surprise to see them take a step back next season with the loss of Maddux.

Lopes, a 72-year-old first base coach, is one of the most respected coaches in the league. He had a phenomenal playing career with the Dodgers, A’s, Cubs, and Astros, and has gone on to become a great coach as well. His 557 stolen bases rank 26th all-time, and he is among the best base stealers to ever play the game.

Since he retired, Lopes has had an illustrious coaching career, beginning in 1992. He was the Nats’ first base coach in 2006, as part of Frank Robinson‘s staff, and was brought back for the last two seasons as part of Dusty Baker’s staff. At his age, it is unlikely he is brought back, but he made an enormous impact with the Nats.

The Nats have several up-and-coming base stealers in Trea Turner, Michael Taylor, and Brian Goodwin and they all had nothing but praise for Lopes. Turner is among the best base stealers in the league, so he may not be affected too much, but a decrease in stolen bases for the Nats in 2018 would not come as a surprise.

Next: Nats dismiss Dusty Baker

With the Nats’ entire coaching staff being let go, it creates a major task in what looked to be a relatively quiet off-season. How the Nats handle it and attempt to re-create their incredible coaching staff will be among the most intriguing storylines to watch throughout the off-season.

Home/Nationals News