The D-Backs are hiring Tim Bogar as third base coach, report Nick Piecoro and José M. Romero of The Arizona Republic. He’d already been in the organization’s player development department but now returns to coaching. Arizona skipper Torey Lovullo announced on Wednesday that they were removing prior third base coach Shaun Larkin from that responsibility; Larkin will remain on staff in a different capacity.
After playing parts of nine MLB seasons as a utility infielder, Bogar has spent over two decades in coaching. He has plenty of minor league managerial experience, including with Arizona’s Double-A club last year. He has been on big league staffs in various roles going back to 2008. Bogar spent a couple seasons as a base coach with the Red Sox. He has worked as a bench coach in Boston, Texas, Seattle and Washington and spent a month as Rangers’ interim manager in 2014. Bogar’s most recent MLB coaching experience came in 2023, when he worked as Dave Martinez’s bench coach with the Nationals.
Larkin, previously the organization’s farm director, was hired as third base coach last offseason. That came after Tony Perezchica departed to take the same role in Houston. Steve Gilbert of MLB.com writes that Larkin had garnered criticism for some poor send/hold decisions.
The final of those came on Wednesday. Larkin waved Alek Thomas around from first base after Guardians center fielder Angel Martínez stumbled following a bloop single. Martínez got to his feet and set up shortstop Gabriel Arias for a relay to the plate. Cleveland threw Thomas out, the first in what would be a scoreless inning. Arizona came back to win in extras, but Lovullo decided it was time for a change. Gilbert writes that Larkin will focus on infield instruction.
How incompetent does someone have to be to get relieved of his duties as a third base coach?
I think the Dbacks have the 3rd most runners out at home this year. So that. Haha
He’s been awful this year. Not to say I’d be better, but he made some really critical “keep running” where the runners were out by feet at the plate, and “stop” when the runners on third could have easily made it home.
Yes the Diamondbacks problem has been the third base coach, not bad pitching, offense, and manager decisions.
One of many things, but when we were trying to compete instead of sell, he made some really bad calls. It’s been a disappointing season and there’s been many reasons why we’ve been this bad. Horrible bullpen, injuries, bad managerial decisions, bad owner moves, bad GM moves, a lackluster farm system, etc.
So if the third base coaching is bad, they’re supposed to ignore it because they have other problems? Of all the problems you listed, third base coaching is the easiest one to fix, so why not fix it?
Your guess is as good as mine. D-Back fans have been demanding he be fired for months.
Is this Bogar man related to Humphrey bogart perchance?
The T was thrown out at the plate.
Lovullo Picks Boger.
Film at 11 !!!
Are you allowed to make an AI bot the third base coach? Maybe that could create perfect hold/send scores.