Headlines

  • Braves Option Vaughn Grissom, Braden Shewmake
  • Jose Altuve To Undergo Surgery On Fractured Thumb
  • Rockies To Sign Jurickson Profar
  • Jose Altuve Leaves WBC Game After Hit By Pitch
  • Edwin Diaz Undergoes Surgery To Repair Patellar Tendon
  • Out Of Options 2023
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2022-23 MLB Free Agent List
    • Top 50 Free Agents
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2023
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Arbitration Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Padres Add Rod Barajas, Damion Easley To Coaching Staff

By Steve Adams | October 31, 2018 at 8:25pm CDT

The Padres have seen bench coach Mark McGwire step down from his post and dismissed hitting coach Matt Stairs and infield coach Josh Johnson in recent weeks. They’re filling the gaps on the coaching staff from within, per a team announcement. Former big league catcher Rod Barajas, who has been serving as the Padres’ Triple-A manager for the past three seasons, will be the Friars’ new bench coach in 2019. San Diego is promoting assistant hitting coach Johnny Washington to hitting coach. Meanwhile, another former big leaguer, Damion Easley, is moving up from the team’s minor league ranks to serve as assistant hitting coach and infield coach.

Barajas, 43, spent parts of 14 seasons as a catcher in the big leagues, seeing action with the D-backs, Rangers, Dodgers, Blue Jays, Mets, Pirates and Phillies. A career .235/.284/.407 hitter in 3784 plate appearances, he’s managed at three levels in the minors and also served as a hitting coach. He’s been connected to Major League managerial openings in the past, most recently seeing his name floated as a potential candidate in the Rangers’ ongoing search. I’s not clear if he ever received an interview, but presumably, his appointment as the bench coach in San Diego indicates that he is not under serious consideration in Arlington either way.

The 34-year-old Washington is among the league’s youngest coaches and has somewhat remarkably already spent two seasons on the Padres’ big league staff. He won’t turn 35 until next May, but Washington has already been coaching professionally since the 2010 season and has steadily risen to more prominent roles in spite of his youth.

Now 48 years of age, Easley is likely a familiar name for many fans after playing 17 seasons in the Majors — from 1992 through 2008. An All-Star and Silver Slugger winner at second base in a career-year back in ’98, Easley spent seven seasons with the Tigers, five with the Angels, two apiece with the Mets and Marlins and individual seasons with the D-backs and Rays. He was a career .253/.329/.404 hitter in his 17 seasons and has been coaching in the Padres’ minor league ranks for the past seven years.

The rest of the Padres’ coaching staff will include returnees Darren Balsley (pitching coach), Doug Bochtler (bullpen), Glenn Hoffman (third base) and recently retired utilityman Skip Schumaker (first base).

Share 0 Retweet 10 Send via email0

San Diego Padres Damion Easley Darren Balsley Johnny Washington Rod Barajas Skip Schumaker

Willie McCovey Passes Away
Main
Pirates Sign Patrick Kivlehan To Minor-League Deal
View Comments (17)

Comments

  1. mlb1225

    4 years ago

    Rod Barajas, that’s not a name that I’ve heard in years.

    Reply
    • skip

      4 years ago

      That’s exactly what I said.

      Reply
  2. Palmerpark

    4 years ago

    Minor league coaches getting more and more opportunities as clubs get away from the retreds as the should.

    Reply
  3. RATTY

    4 years ago

    Rod Barajas- He hit his first career home run in the last game of the season on October 3, 1999, against the San Diego Padres, a line-drive to left-center field off of Heath Murray.

    Reply
    • aj_54

      4 years ago

      wow

      Reply
    • truthlemonade

      4 years ago

      why did someone downvote this? Is it Heath Murray?

      Reply
      • lowtalker1

        4 years ago

        The same trolls that down vote anything on here that factual but it hurts their feelers

        That’s why I’m on the app I don’t see this stuff

        Reply
        • truthlemonade

          4 years ago

          Actually, I just looked up Barajas on wikipedia, and that little home run anecdote is quoted verbatim on wikipedia. So, yeah, it is unlikely that the original poster was citing first hand knowledge. If he is just quoting wikipedia, yeah, that is kind of lame.

        • morebreakdowns

          4 years ago

          what if he wrote the wiki?

        • bilak33

          4 years ago

          Why is that lame? Nice stat, who cares how RATTY found it?

  4. driftcat28

    4 years ago

    I actually had no idea Big Mac was the bench coach in SD last year

    Reply
    • mack22

      4 years ago

      He ain’t much

      Reply
  5. bbatardo

    4 years ago

    I am glad Barajas got promoted. He’s done great with El Paso. Maybe he’ll replace Andy Green soon lol

    Reply
  6. Kwflanne

    4 years ago

    Feel sorry for washington…. the article discusses his youth and how he has risen so quickly to prominent roles. Well, if there’s one way to bring your coaching career to a screeching haunt, it’s to be the hitting coach for the Padres. I expect, this time next year, we will be looking for a new hitting coach once again. Interesting though, they wanted a different approach…. so they promote an assistant hitting coach, instead of bringing in an outsider with a different philosophy? 2019…. expect more of the same from the Padres

    Reply
    • SixFlagsMagicPadres

      4 years ago

      Yeah these guys go through hitting coaches like pairs of socks. Maybe this guy will be able to connect better with the players than Stairs did last year. It’s pretty pathetic that they’ve finished dead last in the majors in team OBP for the past five years now.

      Reply
  7. SixFlagsMagicPadres

    4 years ago

    It’s great to see Barajas finally get promoted to a major league coaching position. He’s done very well in the minors. As for their new hitting coach, well, we all know the teams’ history with them…

    Reply
  8. mdogger12

    4 years ago

    the Padres are perennial losers…nothing they do will help them, period..been following them since the 60’s and they haven’t figured it out yet..

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.
Log in Register

ad: 300x250_1_MLB

    Top Stories

    Braves Option Vaughn Grissom, Braden Shewmake

    Jose Altuve To Undergo Surgery On Fractured Thumb

    Rockies To Sign Jurickson Profar

    Jose Altuve Leaves WBC Game After Hit By Pitch

    Edwin Diaz Undergoes Surgery To Repair Patellar Tendon

    Out Of Options 2023

    Cade Cavalli To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Edwin Diaz Helped Off Field With Right Knee Injury

    José Quintana Out Until At Least July Due To Rib Surgery

    Trevor Bauer Signs With NPB’s Yokohama DeNA BayStars

    Craig Stammen “Highly Unlikely” To Pitch Again Following Shoulder Injury

    Diamondbacks, Corbin Carroll Agree To Eight-Year Deal

    Nationals Sign Keibert Ruiz To Eight-Year Extension

    Rockies Showing Interest In Jurickson Profar

    Andrew Painter Diagnosed With UCL Sprain; Ranger Suarez Dealing With Forearm Tightness

    Marlins, Jose Iglesias Agree To Minor League Contract

    Marlins In Agreement With Yuli Gurriel On Minor League Deal

    Carlos Rodon, Tommy Kahnle, Lou Trivino To Begin Season On IL

    Mitch Moreland Announces Retirement

    Astros Facing Gaps In Extension Talks With Kyle Tucker, Framber Valdez

    Recent

    Latest On D-Backs’ Rotation

    Matt Foster Diagnosed With Forearm Strain

    Adrian Houser Expected To Begin Season In Brewers’ Bullpen

    Competition Committee Evaluating Potential Alterations To 2023 Rule Changes

    Rockies Option Nolan Jones

    Braves Option Vaughn Grissom, Braden Shewmake

    Red Sox’ Joely Rodríguez Diagnosed With Grade 2 Oblique Strain

    Phillies Acquire Jordan Qsar From Rays

    Angels’ José Marte Shut Down For Four Weeks With Stress Reaction In Elbow

    Rangers Plan To Use Robbie Grossman As Primary Left Fielder

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Offseason Outlook Series
    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Go Ad-Free
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2023
    • 2022-23 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2023-24 MLB Free Agent List
    • MLB Player Chats
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    ad: 160x600_MLB

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • Feeds by Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    hide arrowsFOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top
    Close

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version