Brocail, Flores out as Orioles make coaching changes - BaltimoreBaseball.com
Rich Dubroff

Brocail, Flores out as Orioles make coaching changes

The Orioles have made two changes to their coaching staff. Pitching coach Doug Brocail and third base coach José Flores will not return in 2021, according to industry sources.

The news was first reported by MASNsports.com

Brocail, who worked with executive vice president/general Mike Elias in Houston, and Flores, who worked with manager Brandon Hyde with the Chicago Cubs, coached for the Orioles the past two seasons.

The Orioles are cutting their staff to reduce the budget, according to a source. The Orioles had eight full-time coaches this past season.

Brocail, 53, pitched 15 seasons in the major leagues and served as pitching coach for the Astros from June 2011 to the end of the 2012 season, and for the Texas Rangers from 2016-2018.

In Brocail’s first season, the Orioles had a league-worst 5.59 ERA. This season, it improved to 4.51, ninth-best in the American League.

Flores, who was appointed the Cubs’ minor league field coordinator when Hyde ran their minor league system, moved to Philadelphia and was a coach for the Phillies in 2018.

He was among the first coaches hired by the Orioles after Hyde’s appointment in December 2018. Besides his third base duties, Flores was the team’s infield and baserunning coach.

The Orioles also replaced three coaches after the 2019 season. First base/outfield coach Arnie Beyeler, bullpen coach John Wasdin and assistant hitting coach Howie Clark left and were replaced by Anthony Sanders, Darren Holmes and José Hernandez, who had been hired as a major league coach for the 2019 season.

Former Braves and Marlins manager Fredi González joined the staff as a major league coach.

From Hyde’s original staff, only Hernandez, major league field coordinator/catching coordinator Tim Cossins and hitting coach Don Long remain.

If the Orioles choose to stay in house, Holmes, who oversaw a bullpen that reduced its ERA from 5.79 to 3.90, and director of pitching Chris Holt could be candidates.

González, who managed the Marlins from 2007-2010 and managed the Braves from 2011-2016, returned to Miami as the team’s third base coach from 2017-2019.

Note: The Orioles outrighted right-handed pitcher Evan Phillips to Triple-A Norfolk. Phillips, who was placed on the 10-day injured list last Friday because of right elbow inflammation, was 1-1 with a 5.02 ERA in 11 games.

The moves leave the Orioles with 36 players on their 40-man roster.

 

RAVENS NEWS from BaltimoreSports.com

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