Diamondbacks fill out rest of coaching staff around Torey Lovullo
Nov 30, 2021, 3:01 PM
The Arizona Diamondbacks announced five additions to their restructured coaching staff Tuesday, naming three assistant hitting coaches and two assistant pitching coaches.
Arizona hired assistant major league hitting coach Damion Easley, assistant major league hitting coach/director of minor league hitting Drew Hedman and assistant major league hitting coach/assistant minor league hitting coordinator Rick Short. They will serve under major league hitting coach Joe Mather, who was already on staff.
The D-backs on Tuesday also named Barry Enright the assistant major league pitching coach and minor league pitching coordinator, as well as tabbing Dan Carlson as an assistant major league pitching coach and minor league pitching coordinator. They will work under pitching coach Brent Strom.
Easley is the only new addition who is new to the D-backs organization.
Previously this offseason, the Diamondbacks had named Mather, Strom and others to manager Torey Lovullo’s staff. Jeff Bannister (bench coach), Mike Fetters (bullpen coach), Dave McKay (first base coach), Tony Perezchica (third base coach) and Luis “Pipe” Urueta (coordinator, major league player development and instruction) are also on staff as Arizona hopes to rebound from a 52-110 season.
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“I feel like we filled it in as good as, if not better, than I had hoped,” Lovullo told reporters of the staff additions on Tuesday.
The manager added that assistant hitting coaches Short and Hedman will shuttle between the major and minor league teams. The same goes for Enright and Carlson on the pitching front.
“The reason why we’re doing that … is to create some continuity between the major and minor leagues,” Lovullo said. “That’s important. We have really good young players inside of our system and they’re getting ready to emerge. Player development is the backbone of our organization.”
Easley spent 2012-21 with the San Diego Padres — the last three on the major league staff. He played 90 games for Arizona in 2006.
Hedman was promoted to co-hitting coach in June after spending time with Arizona from 2019-21 as a run production coordinator. Short was also elevated to co-hitting coach in June after the D-backs fired hitting coaches Darnell Coles and Eric Hinske.
Arizona hired Strom and his assistant pitching coaches after firing Matt Herges, who spent two years with the team.
Carlson served the past eight years as Arizona’s minor league pitching coordinator.
Enright spent 2019-21 with several of the Diamondbacks’ minor league teams before his promotion.
