Red Sox Announce Major League Coaching Staff
BOSTON (CBS) - The Boston Red Sox announced their 2012 Major League coaching staff on Friday, with some familiar faces sticking around with Bobby Valentine for next season.
Tim Bogar has been named bench coach, Bob McClure joins the staff as pitching coach, Alex Ochoa has been appointed first base coach and Jerry Royster has been named third base coach, general manager Ben Cherington and Valentine announced Friday.
Hitting Coach Dave Magadan and Bullpen Coach Gary Tuck will both return in the same roles they held in 2011.
The 45-year-old Bogar is in his fourth year with the Red Sox in 2012. He spent the last two seasons as Boston's third base coach after joining the club as first base coach before the 2009 campaign. A former infielder, Bogar played 701 Major League games over nine seasons with the Mets (1993-96), Astros (1997-2000) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2001).
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McClure, 59, recently joined the Red Sox organization as a special assignment scout/instructor. He spent the last six seasons as the pitching coach for the Kansas City Royals after being named to that position on October 12, 2005. During his tenure as Kansas City's pitching coach, he worked with 2009 American League Cy Young Award Winner Zack Greinke and his 2011 staff's 4.44 ERA was the best single-season mark for the club since 1994.
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Ochoa, 39, was the hitting coach for Boston's High-A Salem affiliate last season and his batters led the Carolina League in on-base percentage (.328), and finished third in average (.254) and slugging (.387). He began his professional coaching career in 2009 as Boston's staff assistant and served as a special assistant in the Red Sox Baseball Operations department in 2010. Ochoa is a veteran of eight Major League seasons.
Both Ochoa and Bogar played under Valentine during their time with the Mets.
The 59-year-old Royster has been involved in professional baseball for over 40 years. He most recently managed the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization from 2008-10, becoming the league's first foreign manager. He led the Giants to the playoffs in each of his three seasons at the helm. Royster previously served on Major League coaching staffs as third base coach for the Rockies in 1993 and as the Brewers bench coach from 2000 until taking over as interim manager from April 18, 2002 through the end of that season.
