The Padres on Monday announced manager Bob Melvin’s staff for the 2022 season, revealing within that former Reds skipper Bryan Price has joined the organization as a senior advisor to the Major League coaching staff. Price, according to today’s press release, “will work alongside the Major League coaching staff throughout Spring Training and the 2022 season, serving as a both an on-field instructor and a mentor within the clubhouse.”
Price’s hire was not previously reported and comes as something of a surprise, given that he’d announced his retirement following the 2020 season. Price spent that year as the Phillies’ pitching coach and also managed the Reds from 2014-18, though the 59-year-old comes with decades of experience beyond those most recent roles.
An eighth-round pick out of UC Berkeley by the Angels back in 1984, Price pitched in parts of five minor league seasons before setting out on a coaching track that would make him one of the more successful and well-regarded coaches in recent memory. He spent 11 years as a minor league pitching coach and/or pitching coordinator in the Mariners’ system from 1988-99 before joining their Major League staff as pitching coach. Price held that role through the 2005 season, working as pitching coach under Melvin there for two of those seasons (2003-04).
Price was named the D-backs’ pitching coach prior to the 2006 season — again serving under Melvin — and remained there through the 2009 season. At that point, he was hired by the Reds as pitching coach, holding that post until being promoted to manager in the 2013-14 offseason.
Aside from Price, there are no new surprises included within San Diego’s announcement, as the entirety of the staff’s composition had already been reported. Ryan Christenson will follow Melvin from Oakland to San Diego, reprising his role as bench coach. Ruben Niebla heads over from Cleveland after serving as an assistant pitching coach there last year. Matt Williams will also reunite with Melvin as third base coach after spending the past two seasons managing in the KBO. (He’d previously been Melvin’s third base coach in Oakland, in addition to a two-year stint managing the Nationals.) David Macias, who formerly managed in the Mariners’ system and was on the East Carolina University staff, is the team’s first base/outfield coach. Recently retired catcher Francisco Cervelli is the team’s new catching coach.
The Padres are also welcoming back a few coaches from former skipper Jayce Tingler’s staff. Quality control coach Ryan Flaherty (best known for his six-year stint as an Orioles utilityman), bullpen coach Ben Fritz and game-planning/coaching assistant Peter Summerville are all on the staff again under the newly hired Melvin.
Wonder when MLB will set a limit on how many coaches a team is allowed. Maybe after a team has a second base coach blocking the center fielder’s view. Of course I’m being facetious.
Don’t think your to far off. Seems like there are coaches for the coaches coaches.
Don’t think his what is too far off?
Why should there be a limit to the number of coaches allowed? Do you want to see quality baseball
Or require female managers. Or gays, lesbians, transgenders, etc. I think that will happen in the NFL first.
Did he once coach for the Rangers? Surely he did
Does the Sr Advisor have to wear the player’s uniform?
Now they just need to make a free agent signing or two that makes no sense and blocks prospects that are better.
I think they’ll try to unload a couple of bad contracts first. Hosmer, Myers, Profar, and Kim are all making too much money to perform so poorly and the Padres are too close to the luxury tax to make new additions.
San Diego is getting desperate, as if the coaching staff was the problem.
desperation? Price is a good baseball guy. Excellent addition to any organization
As a Padres fan I agree. The problem for the Padres is a severe lack of talent at the OF corners and 1B spots along with major injury/health issues in the pitching staff. And not enough quality depth at starting pitcher. And the likelihood these things get fully addressed this off-season is LOW due to the Padres team salary status. Basically it’s another puke year for the Padres…If there is even a season..
Yes coaching was the problem. Especially, when you consider was an organization like the Ray’s, Marlins, and As do with less
@Vegas …
No, coaching was not the problem. How many times does Preller get to blame others by “cleaning house” in the organization that HE built?
@Jarred … I’ve seen a lot of poorly run businesses in other industries make the same mistake of trying to fix problems by throwing more people and money at it. It usually ends poorly for the company.
Price is there if melvin fails.
Melvin isn’t some no name first year manager, he got hired away from a team that he managed for 10 years. He’s got a 2-3 season leash for sure.
Price should be the pitching coach.
If the current pitching coach fails he likely will take over that role on an interim basis.
He’s an excellent baseball guy and will fulfill a different role until that happens.
Baseball (pro sports) is the last bastion of “the good old boy network) and Melvin exercised it to bring in ” another one of HIS guys”
Assistant to the Regional Senior Advisor of Management Advise.