{"id":63248,"date":"2023-10-10T17:00:56","date_gmt":"2023-10-10T21:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=63248"},"modified":"2023-10-10T16:45:23","modified_gmt":"2023-10-10T20:45:23","slug":"red-sox-coaching-staff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2023\/10\/10\/red-sox-coaching-staff\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Sox Make Major Changes to Their Coaching Staff"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2023\/10\/08\/far-same-old-story\/\" target=\"_self\">Boston Red Sox<\/a> coaching staff will look a little different next season. After consecutive last-place finishes in the American League East, they have fired pitching coach <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bushda01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-10-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dave Bush<\/a> and third base coach <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/f\/febleca01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-10-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carlos Febles<\/a>. What will this change heading into the 2024 season? On Monday, the Red Sox\u00a0<a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/38615854\/sources-red-sox-fire-pitching-coach-dave-bush-4-seasons\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">fired<\/a>\u00a0pitching coach Dave Bush and 3rd base coach Carlos Febles. Febles had been with the team since 2018, while Bush had been there since 2019. It signals changes in significant areas that need improvement heading into the 2024 season.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Further updating this story: according to multiple sources, 3B coach Carlos Febles also won&#8217;t be back. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GgRjrTL81J\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/GgRjrTL81J<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Alex Speier (@alexspeier) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/alexspeier\/status\/1711440704470196730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 9, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Red Sox Coaching Staff Changes<\/h2>\n<h3>Pitching<\/h3>\n<p>Bush was the pitching coach since the 2020 season. He proved as a Red Sox minor league pitching coordinator for three seasons. Boston&#8217;s pitching struggled in 2023 as Bush was a scapegoat for the problems that took place. The Red Sox were 21st in team ERA at 4.52. They also needed to get more innings out of their starting pitchers. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bellobr01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-10-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brayan Bello<\/a> was 51st in the MLB in innings pitched but was first on the Red Sox with 157 innings.<\/p>\n<p>Bush should earn criticism for his performance, but it should said that the Red Sox faced numerous injuries throughout 2023. Relying on the injury-prone <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/p\/paxtoja01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-10-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">James Paxton<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/salech01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-10-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chris Sales<\/a> is attributed to the front office. This isn&#8217;t something that should have the pitching coach at fault. However, the philosophy will change though with a new voice. It might cause the Red Sox to get more out of those returning to the roster. The organization has struggled with pitching development, and this move could just be the first one in restructuring the pitching department.<\/p>\n<h3>Infield Defense<\/h3>\n<p>Febles was a longtime minor league instructor. He was added to the coaching staff before the 2018 season. He earned praise for the development of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bogaexa01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-10-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Xander Bogaerts<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/d\/deverra01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-10-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rafael Devers<\/a>. Bogarets departure followed the team&#8217;s defensive collapse this season. Infield defense is an area that the Red Sox struggled in 2023, and they decided they needed a change. The Red Sox had two infielders towards the bottom of Baseball Savant&#8217;s outs above average statistic.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, Devers was a -9 outs above average, whereas <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/casastr01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-10-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Triston Casas<\/a> was a -10. These two need to make significant improvements defensively to help the pitching staff in 2024. A new voice may be able to get the most out of them defensively. The return of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/storytr01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-10-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trevor Story<\/a> in 2023 did help solidify the shortstop position, but there is still a question mark with second base. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/reyespa01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-10-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pablo Reyes<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/u\/uriaslu01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-10-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Luis Urias<\/a> could return and be the starter in 2024. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/v\/valdeen01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-10-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Enmanuel Valdez<\/a> is an intriguing bat but is another player who needs to make a big leap defensively in 2024. Whoever the new 3rd base coach is, improving the infield play would be his top priority.<\/p>\n<h3>A New Translator?<\/h3>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">According to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BGlobeSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@BGlobeSports<\/a>, the Red Sox are looking to hire a new translator for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/y\/yoshima02.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-10-10_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Masataka Yoshida<\/a> for 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Keiichiro Wakabayashi filled the role this past season.<\/p>\n<p>Apparently the organization felt like communication between Yoshida and the coaching staff could have been better. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LCG5VTMxcl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/LCG5VTMxcl<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Tyler Milliken \u26be\ufe0f (@tylermilliken_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/tylermilliken_\/status\/1711418909016858858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 9, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Red Sox are looking to hire a new translator for Masataka Yoshida. Apparently, the organization felt that communication between Yoshida and the coaching staff could have improved. Keiichiro Wakabayashi filled the role this past season.<\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Takeaway<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Overall, these firings could have been more surprising. With two last-place finishes in a row, some changes took place to get the most out of the players. The two areas of change were the Red Sox&#8217;s most significant weaknesses in 2023. Sometimes, you need new voices on the staff that might be able to get more out of the players. The quality of the player also was a problem, and that is expected to change, especially on the pitching side. Look for pitching and defense to improve for the Red Sox in the 2024 season. If they get a higher quality of defense, it will significantly help the pitching staff. It will be interesting to see who replaces Bush and Febles in 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Photo Credit: \u00a9 Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Boston Red Sox coaching staff will look a little different next season. After consecutive last-place finishes in the American League East, they have fired pitching coach Dave Bush and third base coach Carlos Febles. What will this change heading into the 2024 season? On Monday, the Red Sox\u00a0fired\u00a0pitching coach Dave Bush and 3rd base [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4897,"featured_media":63260,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,2,1071],"tags":[198,6314,1190,3227,6081,6331,1535,2021,292],"class_list":["post-63248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-redsox","category-featured","category-mlb","tag-chris-sale","tag-enmanuel-valdez","tag-james-paxton","tag-luis-urias","tag-masataka-yoshida","tag-pablo-reyes","tag-rafael-devers","tag-triston-casas","tag-xander-bogaerts"],"modified_by":"Matt Graves","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4897"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63248"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63248\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}