Blanco, McKay possibilities for Arizona Diamondbacks coaching staff?
Oct 25, 2013, 10:57 PM | Updated: 10:57 pm
Matt Williams will be named the next manager of the Washington Nationals very soon.
The hiring of Williams, along with the firings of pitching coach Charles Nagy and first base coach Steve Sax and the departure of hitting coach Don Baylor to the Los Angeles Angels, leaves the D-backs and manager Kirk Gibson with four vacancies on the coaching staff.
Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro took to Twitter to share what may happen with a couple of the open spots.
If well respected Henry Blanco decides to retire – he is playing winter ball in Venezuela — he very well could be one of Dbacks new coaches
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo620) October 25, 2013
Dave McKay, longtime first base coach with Cardinals, who spent last season with Cubs is available and makes a ton of sense for Diamondbacks
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo620) October 25, 2013
Blanco spent two seasons with the Diamondbacks as catcher Miguel Montero’s backup in 2011 and 2012, batting .226 with nine home runs and 19 RBI in that span. While his statistics weren’t eye-popping, he lended a veteran presence in the clubhouse and was very popular with teammates.
As Gambadoro pointed out, the 42-year-old Blanco is still an active player, having spent the 2013 campaign with the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners.
Following an eight-year big-league playing career McKay became a Major League coach in 1988, spending eight years with the Oakland A’s, 16 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals and the last two as the first base coach of the Chicago Cubs.
