Bryan Price has walked away as Phillies pitching coach, despite two years remaining on his contract.
This offseason, the Philadelphia Phillies will now have to add finding a new pitching coach to their agenda, following the unexpected resignation of Bryan Price that became official Sunday evening.
Phillies manager Joe Girardi was even caught off-guard that the 58-year-old — who was the first coaching hire he made to his staff last fall — decided to step away after just one season with the team.
“We were all shocked because he fit in so well,” the 2009 World Series-winning skipper told reporters, adding that he only knew of Price’s decision just hours before it became official. “He decided it was time.”
Pitching coach Bryan Price has opted to retire from a full-time coaching capacity.
Now, Girardi plans to discuss the coaching vacancy with Ned Rice, who is currently serving as Interim GM following Matt Klentak‘s departure.
Whether or not the GM vacancy will be filled remains to be seen, although it is certain that the Phillies will need a new pitching coach. Among the qualities Girardi wants in Price’s replacement is someone who can communicate well and, like Price, blend analytics with pitching techniques “to get the most out of a pitcher,” The Athletic’s Meghan Montemurro reports.
With Price stepping down, the 2021 season will feature the fifth different Phillies pitching coach in as many years — with the new coach joining Price (2020), Chris Young (2019), Rick Kranitz (2018), and Bob McClure (2017).
Bryan Price explains his decision to retire
Price told reporters that he did not step away from coaching full-time because of the Phillies’ underwhelming bullpen performance — which finished with the second-worst ERA (7.06) in Major League Baseball history, behind only the 1930 Phillies (8.01).
“This decision had nothing to do with performance,” said Price, who reportedly turned down offers from at least two other teams, the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres, before deciding to don red pinstripes last offseason. “If we won the World Series, I don’t think my decision would have been any different.”
Rather, Price said his decision to walk away instead is related to uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 crisis, and summer days spent without his loved ones nearby. These combined factors made him realize that he wanted to be around his family more — including his wife of nearly 30 years — at their Phoenix, Arizona, residence.
“By the end of the season, I knew I’d had enough being full-time on the field,” Price told reporters. “The unknown of where we’re going with the COVID stuff and the possibility of more limitations in the future … being unable to spend time with family for three months is not something I want in the future again.”
Pitching coach Bryan Price #19 of the Philadelphia Phillies (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
Bryan Price’s impact in Major League Baseball did not go unnoticed.
Price is mulling to work part-time in a similar role at some point in the future, but has no immediate plans. Previously a member of the Cincinnati Reds, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Seattle Mariners coaching staff, Price still had two years remaining on his Phillies contract. As Montemurro notes, he became well-known in Major League Baseball for his pitching philosophy that combined analytics with a basic approach that included pitching in the lower part of the strike zone.
“His extensive time as a big-league pitching coach helped him connect with the Phillies pitchers,” Montemurro writes. “The starters, in particular, spoke highly of Price during spring training, their first hands-on opportunity to work with him.”
Bryan Price says he is ‘apologetic’ for walking away.
Price said that he would have liked to finish out his contract and see the Phillies return to their late 2000s, perennial postseason-contender form — particularly praised for their pitching. He added that he feels good about the team’s current rotation pieces, but that he just did not have the drive left in him to coach over the next two years.
“It’s just time. … When you know it’s time to go, you go. I have no reservations,” Price told reporters. “I wish I could have contributed more. The Phillies were great to me.
“I’m apologetic for not completing my contract. But they need the best version of whoever is in this job, and I’m more optimistic that will come from somebody other than me.”
Under Price, the Phillies had a Major League Baseball fourth-worst 5.20 combined ERA in 2020, a high figure mostly due to the bullpen struggling with its 7.06 combined ERA.
“You never know what’s in someone’s heart … He was great to work with,” Girardi told reporters. “The pitchers loved him. He connected with them extremely well.
“They don’t get any better than Bryan.”
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