Phillies Hire 2 Coaches to Complete Joe Girardi’s 2020 Staff
The Philadelphia Phillies have hired two more coaches, completing their 2020 coaching staff under new manager Joe Girardi.
News surrounding the Philadelphia Phillies has been relatively quiet as of late, especially since the team is on the brink of the luxury tax threshold.
The organization recently signed C/1B/OF Christian Bethancourt to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training on December 27, and more than a week prior, OF Mikie Mahtook on a similar agreement.
On Monday, the Phillies returned to the Major League Baseball headline spotlight, hiring two coaches to complete new manager Joe Girardi‘s staff for the 2020 season: Bobby Meacham as a coaching assistant, and Greg Brodzinski as catching coach and bullpen catcher, according to The Athletic’s Meghan Montemurro.
Meacham, 59, reunites with Girardi for a third time, as he was his third-base coach on the 2006 Florida Marlins and 2008 New York Yankees; he managed the Toronto Blue Jays’ Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo over the past three seasons. Previously, he was first-base coach for the San Diego Padres and Houston Astros, and played in parts of six seasons (1983-88) with the Yankees, primarily as shortstop.
Brodzinski, 28, was drafted by the Phillies in the 18th round of the 2015 amateur draft out of Barry University. The former catcher played in parts of just three seasons from 2014-16 before retiring and becoming a coach. He spent the last two seasons as a coach for the Class-A Williamsport Crosscutters, and also traveled with major-league team as a coach during the final month of the 2019 season.
Coaches complementing Meacham and Brodzinski on Girardi’s 2020 staff includes: Juan Castro (infield), Joe Dillon (hitting), Paco Figueroa (first base), Jim Gott (bullpen), Bryan Price (pitching), Rob Thomson (bench), Dusty Wathan (third base), Pedro Guerrero (assistant hitting), Dave Lundquist (assistant pitching) and Bob Stumpo (bullpen catcher and catching coach).