Brad Mills is being reassigned to another role within the Indians organization and won’t return as the club’s bench coach in 2021, president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti announced on Friday. Mills has been the bench coach since 2014, and a member of Cleveland’s coaching staff since 2012.
Mills opted out of participating in the 2020 season, and with manager Terry Francona also missing much of the season due to health issues, first base coach Sandy Alomar took over the acting manager role while third base coach Mike Sarbaugh assumed bench coach duties. With Francona and the rest of the Tribe’s coaching staff expected to return next season, the obvious move might be to move Alomar into the bench coach job, though it remains to be seen how the club will address the vacancy.
Perhaps best known for managing the Astros from 2010-12, Mills has long been a fixture on Francona’s coaching staffs. He worked as the bench coach under Francona with the Red Sox from 2004-09, and also as a first base coach when Francona managed the Phillies from 1997-2000.
Wow, wonder if Tito will be back? These guys are BFFs and he’s a baseball lifer, couldn’t see him in a role not in the clubhouse or dugout.
What does a bench coach do exactly that a manager doesn’t already do? Is the bench coach in charge of the bench?
He makes sure they clean up during/after the games…no Gatorade bottles left behind,
All seed swept up. Making it look like they were never there.
The way I’ve always heard it is that the Bench Coach is second in command. He’s the guy the manager talks with and bounces things off of, he sometimes mediates between players and manager if disputes happen, he might be the one actively maintaining the paperwork while the manager watches the field, etc. I would imagine in the age of analytics there’s a lot of info that needs to be pored through to double check things, so he serves as sort of the liason between the analytics folks upstairs and the manager.
With Tito being high-risk, you need to have a bench coach that you know is going to be there during a questionable 2021, so you’re not having to shuffle around coaches, like what CLE was able to do. They were more than capable with Alomar Jr. (obviously they liked his steering by giving him the bench coach title). It would be awkward if Mills’ new job is Alomar’s old one (1st base coach), effectively trading the coaches duties.
Mills chose to be reassigned from his bench coach role, so I imagine he wouldn’t want a role on the field anymore and he might be a special assistant in the front office or something
Makes sense. I just pictured him bossing the bench around…
I think Ricky Renteria would be a wonderful addition for this organization. For any organization, for that matter. But particularly coming back into the dugout of a Chisox division foe.
What is John Farrell doing?
The bench coach validates or gives a different strategy idea to the head coach. They are like a VP or the President. Very important role.
Consigliere to the manager who sometimes has so much going on his his head he needs somebody to reign him in with the voice of reason.
This is easy. If Francona comes back, make Alomar bench coach, and make Van Burkleo 1B coach.
That way they can hire a real hitting coach.
I heard Beltran is looking for a job. Maybe the Indians want to jump on the reinstating cheaters bandwagon. Lol jk I know the Indians organization has more class and respect for baseball then that.
i wouldnt be surprised of tito leaves and retires he has had serious health issues from blood clots to heart problems.. and honestly to, i think were all surprised that the team isnt better since he took over after what we did in boston, not saying they were ever good enough to win it all and he did get them to a world series, i guess just one would think his tenure would of been more successful, honestly after he left here( being boston) i thought he would of gone to a better team, like, one that spends money. What i would give for a red sox reunion!
Dolla Dolla Mills