News
Hale named Red Sox's bench coach
Boston third-base coach replaces departed Mills
By Ian Browne / MLB.com
11/23/09 9:29 PM EST
BOSTON -- What spoke loudest about the job DeMarlo Hale did in his four years as the Red Sox's third-base coach is that nobody noticed him. It was not an easy spot to stay under the radar when you consider the unique angles of Fenway Park, not to mention a rabid fan base that is quick to scrutinize when any Boston runner gets thrown out at the plate.But the Red Sox could no longer justify keeping Hale in the spot where he performed so ably. In short, he was ready for a promotion. The Red Sox gave him just that on Monday, moving Hale into the position of bench coach, where he will sit next to manager Terry Francona and be his top sounding board during games.
It was part of a staff revamping. While Hale filled the spot vacated when Brad Mills became the manager of the Houston Astros, Tim Bogar moved across the diamond to take Hale's spot at third. Ron Johnson, who managed at Triple-A Pawtucket for the last five years and has been in the organization for more than a decade, moved to the Major League staff, taking over as first-base coach.
Meanwhile, Rob Leary has been appointed Major League coaching staff assistant. He will take on several duties, including the organization of Spring Training, a job that used to belong to Mills. Leary joined Boston's farm system as a roving Minor League catching instructor in 2002 and has served as the Minor League field coordinator for the last seven seasons.
Was it hard for Francona to move Hale off third base?
"It actually was," Francona said. "It probably wasn't fair to DeMarlo but that was a concern of mine. When you go four years and you never hear DeMarlo's name, that's about the biggest compliment you can give a guy. It's the toughest market to be at third base and the toughest field and you never heard people talk about him so that was a huge compliment to him. Part of the reason, a big reason you never heard about him, was because he did such a good job. He will take that and do the same thing as a bench coach."
It is a challenge Hale is looking forward to. A longtime manager in the Minor Leagues, Hale hopes to one day manage in the Majors and working so closely with Francona can't help but help in that preparation.
"It is rewarding," said Hale. "I think the approach I'm taking is, it's a very good opportunity. I appreciate Tito and the organization giving me that chance. I approach this as when you get opportunities, you make the best of it. I can't look too far down the line. I've always taken that approach to do the job at hand right now. I don't look too far into the future but I think this is a great opportunity for me -- no question."
As for Johnson, he won't feel like a new guy in Spring Training. With a bubbly personality, Francona's staff couldn't help but enjoy their interaction with Johnson in previous Spring Trainings. In fact, Johnson would often join the Red Sox for the final few weeks of the regular season. Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jon Lester, Jonathan Papelbon and Kevin Youkilis are just some of Boston's players whom Johnson managed in the Minors.
"Any time someone comes to the big leagues, whether they're young or old, they all say the same thing, that they enjoyed playing for RJ. He's been terrific for the organization and he deserves this chance," Francona said. "He's been in the Minor Leagues for a long time. He kind of said during his interview he felt like he was the sixth man. He felt like he was part of the staff, but he was in Triple-A for five months. He was with us in Spring Training and the month of September and now he has a chance to be part of the staff and we're thrilled for him."
Johnson sounded elated to make the move to Boston.
"It was unbelievable the other day," Johnson said. "It took a while to actually set in when Tito called me Friday and told me I was going to be the guy."
As for Leary, his role will be less conventional, but Francona is excited about the way he can fit in with the overall staff.
"One of the things with [Leary] was his organizational ability," Francona said. "He's done the player development for a long time now. He'll get a chance to learn the league and learn our team and we can use his strengths in the meantime, which are plenty. He'll help us prepare our scouting, he'll run our Spring Training and he has a chance to really help our staff round into shape."
Ian Browne is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
