Wasdin out as bullpen coach
O’s keep adding to long list of open positions
The Orioles made a third change to their major league coaching staff Friday, with a team source confirming bullpen coach John Wasdin will not be part of the club’s 2020 staff.
The news comes a day after news broke that first base/outfield coach Arnie Beyeler and assistant hitting coach Howie Clark would not return. The remaining f i ve coaches on manager Brandon Hyde’s staff — major league field coordinator/catching instructor Tim Cossins, pitching coach Doug Brocail, hitting coach Don Long, third base/infield coach José David Flores and major league coach José Hernández — are expected to return in 2020, the source said.
This season marked Wasdin’s first year as the Orioles bullpen coach after two years as the organization’s minor league pitching coordinator. Chris Holt had replaced Wasdin in the minor leagues, coming over with executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias from the Houston Astros. Wasdin, 47, spent the previous six seasons as a pitching coach in the Oakland Athletics organization after a 12-season major league pitching career, including a 26-game stint with the Orioles in 2001. The Athletic was first to report Wasdin wouldn’t return.
Bullpen coach joins the long list of hires Elias will have to make during his first full offseason at the Orioles’ helm. The organization has dismissed about 30 staff members in the past couple of months. But Elias has said repeatedly he plans to make enough hires to fill and exceed those openings, with various titles throughout the organization expected to change.
The Orioles are looking in various circles to find candidates, with Elias turning to Twitter on Friday to post a link to a collection of positions the organization is looking to fill.
The baseball operations job titles featured were head strength and conditioning coordinator; player performance coordinator; minor league hitting coach; minor league development coach; minor league fundamentals coach; Southwest region scout; scouting analyst; economic valuation analyst; and strength coaches at Triple-A Norfolk, Double-A Bowie and the Dominican Summer League.