Phillies snag infield coach Bobby Dickerson from Padres

The Philadelphia Phillies’ Bobby Dickerson re-hire fills out their 2022 coaching roster

The Philadelphia Phillies have finalized their 2022 Major League coaching staff with a familiar face. The well-respected Bobby Dickerson, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, is returning to the organization as infield coach. Dickerson replaces Juan Castro who, alongside former hitting coach Joe Dillon, was fired ahead of the October 3 season finale against the Miami Marlins.

The Phillies first hired Dickerson as infield coach in January 2019 — coincidentally amid their rumored Manny Machado pursuit, before they eventual signed Bryce Harper.

Dickerson was on the Baltimore Orioles’ big-league staff for the entirety of Machado’s seven-season tenure with the American League East club.  He spent one season in red pinstripes and was invited back for the 2020 season, however, he ultimately reunited with the two-time Gold Glove Award winner by joining the San Diego Padres as bench coach.

Dickerson also briefly served as third-base coach in red pinstripes under Gabe Kapler, when Rob Thomson left the team to be inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame during a mid-June weekend series against the Atlanta Braves.

The baseball veteran dually served as the Padres bench coach and third base coach during the 2021 season.

Dickerson was originally a candidate for the Phillies’ minor-league infield coordinator position, but he lost the position to Juan Castro (who he ironically now replaces on the big-league staff). Weeks later, he was named Phillies infield coach when Jose David Flores left to join the Orioles.

Castro’s biggest Phillies highlight will not be his coaching days, but rather him making the final out during Roy Halladay’s perfect game in 2010.

As Phillies Nation notes, Dickerson helped the Phillies infield to +3 defensive runs saved and -10 outs above average marks in 2019. Didi Gregorius (18 errors during 2021 season), Alec Bohm (16), and Jean Segura (11) are just some of the many Phillies infielders who could use a different voice like Dickerson’s to bounce back in 2022.

The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Bob Brookover detailed Dickerson’s commitment in spring 2019:

"Dickerson, 53, has proven to be an old-school baseball coach open to analytics technology. Oh, yeah, and his work ethic is off the charts.The players appear to love him. It’s a common sight to see infielders in the Phillies clubhouse seek out Dickerson to let him know they want his help. And it’s an entertaining sight to see those players down on their knees during Dickerson’s office hours handling rapid-fire grounders from the coach with a variety of different fielding instruments."

The Padres recently parted ways with manager Jayce Tingler, and Dickerson is no stranger to finding a new home amid a coaching staff shift. After all, he became available to the Phillies nearly three years ago when the Orioles moved on from manager Buck Showalter.

Reunions have been a common theme in recent days on the Phillies coaching staff. Earlier this month, the team hired Kevin Long — former Washington Nationals hitting coach — for the same role. Long rejoins manager Joe Girardi, who was on the World Series-winning skipper’s New York Yankees coaching staff from 2007 to 2014.

Dickerson and Girardi, meanwhile, have ties as both being Yankees minor-leaguers.

As the saying goes, it’s a small world, after all.