The Los Angeles Dodgers announced their coaching staff for the 2018 season, which included finalizing the addition of Mark Prior as bullpen coach. Another change from last year’s staff is the promotion of Danny Lehmann to game planning/communications coach.
The hires of Brant Brown and Luis Ortiz as assistant hitting coaches were previously announced. Brown and Ortiz will also share duties as Minor League hitting coordinators.
Manager Dave Roberts’ staff otherwise remains intact from 2017, with Bob Geren (bench coach), Rick Honeycutt (pitching coach), Turner Ward (hitting coach), George Lombard (first base coach) and Chris Woodward (third base coach) all returning.
Like Roberts, Geren, Ward, Lombard and Woodward are entering their third season with the Dodgers. Each has remained in the same role since joining the organization.
A report last October indicated Geren was a candidate for the New York Mets managerial vacancy, but it’s not believed he interviewed for the position. Honeycutt was said to potentially be on his way out, but Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman refuted that notion.
Honeycutt is entering his 18th season in the organization, including a 13th year as pitching coach. He is the third-longest tenured pitching coach in the Majors, behind only Don Cooper of the Chicago White Sox and San Diego’s Darren Balsley.
Lehmann was the Dodgers’ advance video scout the last three seasons. His new role will combine the game planning and positioning knowledge with more on-field and in-the-dugout responsibilities, including both pre-game and in-game work.
Prior spent the last four years with the San Diego Padres, first as a baseball operations assistant and then as their Minor League pitching coordinator from 2015-17.
During the offseason the Dodgers saw former bullpen coach Josh Bard accept a position with the New York Yankees as bench coach, former assistant hitting coach Tim Hyers is now the hitting coach of the Boston Red Sox, and Juan Castro left his role as quality assurance coach for a position in Mexico.
