Boston Red Sox Coaching Staff: One Interesting Theme Developing in New Hires

It's been a crazy year for the Boston Red Sox coaching staff. The season began in turmoil with former manager Alex Cora and six members of his major league staff being fired just 27 games into the regular season. For the coaches who remained, interim manager Chad Tracy and his new staff had to implement a whole new program while trying to turn the tide on a season trending toward one of the worst in franchise history. 

After the season ended, the team continued the turnover, reassigning interim first- and third-base coaches Chad Epperson and Pablo Cabrera to different roles in the organization. Over the last week, the team has reportedly hired Houston Astros major league field coordinator Jason Bell and New York Yankees’ Triple-A manager Shelley Duncan to roles on the major league staff. 

Through all the turnover, one theme is becoming crystal clear. The Red Sox are heavily focusing on player development at the major league level. 

This isn’t entirely a new thought; in the weeks after Cora’s firing, several reports cited the front office’s concerns about player development, citing utility man David Hamilton’s growth after he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. 

Cora even mentioned that player development was part of the reason he believes he was fired in an appearance on the ‘Baseball Isn’t Boring’ Podcast with WEEI’s Rob Bradford: “He felt like he needed a change... The way he has to talk about the approach and the player development and the development of the players at the big league level, it wasn't happening,” Cora said.  

Since the end of 2019, Red Sox fans have been sold on a more sustainable future, contending year after year on the backs of homegrown stars, like the World Series-winning Brewers or the perennial competitive Tampa Bay Rays. Boston has seemingly mastered player development at the minor league level, seeing prospects like Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, and most recently Franklin Arias rank among the top 10-15 prospects in the sport. 

Much of the team’s future was built on the premise that the championship window would open when Anthony, Mayer and Campbell arrived. However, the trio has combined to a slash line of .245/.330/.383/.713 in 307 games, which is inflated by Anthony’s .271/.371/.433/.803 line. Clearly, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow believes their struggles, at least in part, stem from the former coaching staff's program. 

Now, with Tracy’s full-time staff nearing its competition, nearly every member of the hitting staff has some experience in player development. Tracy, of course, served as the Red Sox Triple-A manager for five seasons before being promoted to manager. Hitting coach John Soteropulos has a history at the minor league level; he first joined the Red Sox as a minor league hitting instructor and previously worked with Driveline, helping major league players improve in the offseason. His staff of Collin Hetzler, Nelson Paulino, and Jack Simonetty also has strong roots in player development. 

Before joining Houston’s major league staff, Bell had an extensive minor league career as both a manager and staffer. Finally, there’s Duncan, who has experience as both a seven-year veteran and a longtime minor league coach with the Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks. Perhaps most interesting, though, are the two years Duncan spent with the Chicago White Sox as an analytics coordinator, which let him blend the analytical side of the game with his experience as a former player. 

While Breslow has experience in the front office with analytics and as a former player, he has reportedly struggled to connect with players, with some speculating he would benefit from a “translator.”  Duncan has worked much more closely with players in a uniformed coaching role, something Breslow has never done; he also has the benefit of being a hitter, which Breslow obviously was not. That makes it easier to communicate with players like Anthony, because he can relate to him in a way that Breslow can’t. 

Breslow spent much of his end-of-season press conference talking about young players like Caleb Durbin, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and Anthony taking steps forward in 2027, and the coaching staff he is assembling shows he’s putting his money where his mouth is. 

While a second consecutive early exit has led to fans daydreaming about Elly De La Cruz or other superstars coming to Boston, it’s clear that Breslow is far more focused on the pieces already in place, continuing to take steps forward and becoming that superstar talent the team desperately needs.