As the Philadelphia Phillies continue to work towards signing back Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto, they have also been searching for a new bench coach.
Previously, the role was filled by Mike Calitri. The Phillies announced during their end-of-season press conference that Calitri would be promoted to a new position, the major league field coordinator. This is a new position that many clubs around baseball have begun to utilize.
With Calitri's promotion, this left an opening for the team's next bench coach. Indications dictated that the club would look for a veteran with major league managing experience. Rumors quickly swirled around Don Mattingly, the former New York Yankees first baseman, who narrowly missed out on becoming a Hall of Famer on Sunday night.
Mattingly, of course, is also a former big league manager. He spent five seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers and seven seasons with the Miami Marlins. His son, Preston, is the Phillies' current general manager. He is second in command to the president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski.
On Monday evening at the Winter Meetings, both Dombrowski and manager Rob Thomson spoke with the media. According to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, Dombrowski mentioned that Mattingly and the Phillies had mutual interest. Zolecki would then speculate that it is a matter of when this signing takes place, not if.
Over the last three seasons, the former Yankee first baseman was the bench coach for the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto's recent success is a strong indication that Mattingly can maintain the role, as if the rest of his resume does not already speak for itself.
