Philadelphia Phillies: 3 things to know about new pitching coach Caleb Cotham
By David Esser
The Philadelphia Phillies have finalized an exciting pitching coach hire.
After a year filled with some of the worst bullpen production in baseball history, the Philadelphia Phillies saw themselves lose their pitching coach for the fifth year in a row. Despite being hailed as one of the better pitching minds in the MLB, Bryan Price lasted just 60 games with the Phils in 2020.
Price did some really nice things with Zack Wheeler and Zach Eflin, so it definitely stung to lose him. However, Joe Girardi and the Phillies acted quickly to find his replacement, and they went with one of the more exciting options available.
At just 33 years old, Caleb Cotham was the assistant pitching coach and director of pitching for the Cincinnati Reds in both 2019 and 2020. He’s been widely praised around the league for his progressive style, and already boats an impressive resume.
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Here’s everything you need to know about the Phillies newest coach:
He’s big into analytics.
Before you freak out and panic, analytics in baseball is definitely a good thing.
The LA Dodgers just dominated their way to a World Series win this past season, and they’re one of the more analytically savvy teams in the sport. Successful organizations like the Astros, Braves, Rays, Twins, and Indians have all relied heavily on analytics in the past, and the results speak for themselves.
While the overuse of analytics did end up being the Rays downfall in this past World Series, the fact that they got that far in the first place is a huge testament to the success of an extremely progressive front office.
Coham has a pitching philosophy shaped primarily by “Driveline Baseball”, a Seattle based organization that prioritizes using technology and analytics to drive pitcher success. It’s been one of the best development baseball think tanks in the world over the last couple of seasons, and Cotham’s connection with them should only aid the Philadelphia Phillies moving forward.