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.
He’s a former player!
One of the coolest aspects to Cotham’s story is that he’s a former MLB pitcher, who played fairly recently. He last pitched for the Reds in 2016, and made a handful of appearances with the Yankees the year prior as well. Cotham didn’t have a ton of personal success in the majors, as his career was derailed due to injury, but his recent playing career should help him connect on a more personal level with the some of the Phillies main arms.
Guys like Aaron Nola, Wheeler, and Eflin are all still very much in the prime of their careers, and could benefit working one-on-one with a guy who has MLB experience. Young bullpen arms like JoJo Romero and Connor Brogdon could do the same as well.
Injecting some youth into the organization is a step in the right direction for the Phillies, as a lot of successful organizations around the league have prioritized hiring former players to their coaching/front office staffs as well.
Cotham also briefly pitched for Joe Girardi during his rookie season, which was listed as a prominent reason for him choosing Philadelphia over other teams. Cotham and Girardi should definitely be on the same page sooner rather than later.
Trevor Bauer likes him a lot.
Trevor Bauer is coming off a particularly dominant 2020 season, winning his first career Cy Young award while recording a mind boggling 1.73 ERA. He was awesome all season long, and projects to land a hefty contract during free agency this winter.
Following his award announcement, Bauer made a point to shoutout Cotham as a guy who really helped him unlock the best possible version of himself this past offseason. Bauer said Cotham’s guidance was “super helpful”, and that it was “good to have someone to bounce those ideas off”.
Bauer and Cotham’s relationship extends beyond the Reds as well, as both have been clients of the previously mentioned Driveline Baseball for the last 6+ years.
It might be a bit of a stretch, but there’s definitely an avenue to Cotham helping lure Bauer to Philadelphia this winter. John Middleton doesn’t particularly seem keen on spending money in free agency, but if Bauer wants to pitch for the Phillies, that’s probably something Middleton could be convinced to open the checkbook for.
Regardless, having your pitching coach be praised for his role in developing a Cy Young winner is definitely something worth being excited about.
The Philadelphia Phillies still have a ton of work to do this offseason, but hiring Cotham is undoubtedly a step in the right direction. He’s young, progressive, analytically savvy, and already possesses an impressive resume. Baby steps!