Washington Nationals: Meet the 2018 coaches
For the 2018 Washington Nationals, the biggest change might be the coaching staff. An experienced and hungry bunch, lets meet them.
The Washington Nationals roll into 2018 with an mostly new coaching staff.
Behind first-time manager Dave Martinez is a team of coaches brimming with experience as players and teachers. The Nats hope this wholesale change is enough to get Washington over the playoff hump and into their first World Series.
How well they work together and gets the players in the right direction determines how far everyone goes. Losing the wisdom of pitching coach Mike Maddux and first base coach Davey Lopes hurts. Others marveled at Rick Schu’s work ethic as hitting coach.
Then again, the philosophy offered by former manager Dusty Baker brought consecutive division titles to Washington for the first time in franchise history. Everybody has big shoes to fill except Bob Henley. His cleats continue fitting fine at third base.
In an off-season promising little in overall change, here are a few words on each of the new faces we will get to know next summer. How much impact any coach has on a game is debatable, but these men are the teachers, sounding board and caretakers of the Nats.
Between teaching fundamentals, keeping egos in check and offering encouragement, it is their job to meld the players into a championship team. No pressure there.
Their job is often thankless. No one outside family members is heading to the team store for a jersey with their name on the back. Mistakes are magnified while successes are found on the bottom of Chelsea Janes’ note columns in The Washington Post.
Let’s meet your Nats 2018 coaching staff.
DAVE MARTINEZ – MANAGER
A decade as Joe Maddon’s bench coach with the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs makes him definitely qualified as a major-league manager.
At 53, Martinez has spent the last decade as the bridesmaid in the interview process despite firm endorsements from his players. That extra experience helped him guide both the Rays and Cubs to the World Series. Although Chicago was loaded with talent when they broke through, Tampa was not.
As far as what he brings to the table in philosophy remains a mystery, he is a student of Maddon. The Nats are a team about to be managed by someone into heavy analytics. From his press opportunities, Martinez is unfailingly positive about motivation.
In that respect, he is similar to the man he replaces in Baker. The strong statistical push and expected odd moves differentiate the two. So do the pay checks.
The learning curve is sharp. Because expectations are high, there is not endless time to adjust. With the division expected to remain weak, Martinez can learn on the fly.
It would not be a surprise if the Nats were a better team in August than April. For the years of learning by Martinez, expect him to hit his stride and excel in the second half.
KEVIN LONG — HITTING COACH
Perhaps the biggest name on the coaching roster, Kevin Long’s arrival from the New York Mets tickles Daniel Murphy a bright shade of pink.
A hitting guru for the Yankees during their last World Series win in 2009 and the Mets when they won the National League in 2015, much is expected. He is the coach who helped transform Murphy into a one-man wrecking crew against the Cubs in the 2015 NLCS. Launch angles and bat speed? He teaches it.
In 2007, Long’s Yankees scored a whopping 968 runs. Imagine what he can do with a healthy Adam Eaton and speedy Trea Turner.
The Nats set records the last two season in runs scored, but they became too reliant on home runs and big innings. If Long can help bring a consistent attack on offense, the less sleep NL pitchers get at night.
Do not underestimate what this means for Murphy. Remember, this is a contract year and Long as his hitting coach is an impressive carrot to dangle during negotiations.
Watch to see if Ryan Zimmerman stays out of those massive slumps. If Long can keep him hitting balls in the air, and not on the ground, the sky is the limit.
DEREK LILLIQUIST – PITCHING COACH
Talk about filling in big shoes, Derek Lilliquist gets the unenviable role of replacing Mike Maddux as pitching coach.
After 15 years in the St. Louis Cardinals organization as a bullpen or pitching coach, Lilliquist inherits one of the top staffs in baseball. With the Cards, he was on the staff of two NL Championships in 2011 and 2013. He filled in for Dave Duncan at the end of the Cards World Series winning 2011 season.
Before coaching, Lilliquist spent a decade as a reliever. A journeyman, his longest stint with a team was three years in the mid-90s with the Cleveland Indians.
In Washington, he will be key in any audition of a new fifth starter if the Nats fail to sign or trade for one this winter. If Brandon Kintzler leaves via free agency, Lilliquist will shape either Koda Glover or Enny Romero for the seventh-inning role.
As with the hitters, the glaring weaknesses in the pitching are few. But, they are noticeable. Can he keep Gio Gonzalez focused the right way? What about restoring Tanner Roark’s confidence after his playoff snub?
Lilliquist goes into West Palm Beach with his hands full. Still, two Cy Young candidates are a nice problem to have.
CHIP HALE – BENCH COACH
The Nats hit a home run bringing Chip Hale in to sit next to Dave Martinez.
Hale has two years of managerial experience under his belt. Although the Arizona Diamondbacks were unsuccessful under his tenure, the front office and injuries hampered his ability with bad trades and lack of talent. Think Shelby Miller. He had three solid seasons before as the manager of the D’Backs Triple-A team in Tucson.
With Oakland, Hale spent three seasons as a bench coach to Bob Melvin. He was a finalist for the Mets managing job in 2010 before Terry Collins won the job.
As a player, Hale was your typical utility bench guy that learned to coach. He spent eight seasons riding the pine with the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Hale’s job is giving Martinez he best advice he can. As a former NL manager, he knows the right strategies to use. He can run a club if needed as Martinez figures getting tossed out of the occasional game. As with most of the new staff, he is in his early 50s. Between the years of minor-league training and bench coaching, he is a tremendous asset.
TIM BOGAR – FIRST BASE COACH
Tim Bogar is the only member of the coaching staff, so far, to work with Martinez. They were members of Joe Maddon’s staff in 2008 with Tampa.
Bogar is a coaching grizzled veteran. Either as a minor-league manager, base or bench coach, he has done it all. He has major-league managerial experience with the Texas Rangers as he filled in for Ron Washington after his sudden resignation in 2014.
A part-time player in the 90s, he spent eight years in the majors with the Mets, Houston Astros and Dodgers before working his way through the minors as a successful manager.
Bogar carries front office experience with the Los Angeles Angels. He was an assistant to general manager Jerry Dipoto in 2015. Dipoto brought Bogar with him to Seattle as a bench coach for Scott Servais the last two years. Aside from the Rangers bench, he spent 2012 as Bobby Valentine’s number two with Boston.
An experience as enjoyable as multiple root canals.
On a staff with extensive experience, Bogar brings credibility and stability. He has one year at first on his resume under Terry Francona and the Red Sox in 2009. Before moving to the bench, he spent two seasons at third before Francona’s dismissal.
BOB HENLEY – THIRD BASE
Show of hands, how many of you thought any member of Matt Williams staff would still be on the team in 2018?
More from District on Deck
- Robots in Baseball? The Possibility of an Automated Ball/Strike System in the MLB
- Washington Nationals Re-Sign RHP Erasmo Ramirez
- Washington Nationals Sign RHP Trevor Williams
- Washington Nationals find Success in First Draft Lottery
- Washington Nationals: What to Know for the MLB Draft Lottery
As with Cher, cockroaches and Twinkies, Bob Henley is the ultimate survivor and remains at third base as the lone hold over of the coaching staff.
The youngest member of the staff at 44, Henley is a franchise lifer. Drafted by the Montreal Expos in 1993, he had a cup of coffee with the big club in 1998. In 2003, he worked his way through the minor-league managing/coaching circuit before getting his big break as a member of Williams staff in the 2014 season.
Wearing his traditional layers of sunscreen, Henley has patrolled third ever since. As you know, he is aggressive in sending runners home but cut down on obvious mistakes last year.
Henley is the only coach who has worked with the Nats before. His experience becomes invaluable as the rest of the staff adapts and learns on the fly.
As a former catcher, perhaps he can help settle Pedro Severino or Raudy Read adjust to a full major league season if the Nats fail to sign or trade for Matt Wieters backup.
Next: 5 free agents Nats must consider
Hard to believe Henley is the dean of Nats coaches.