O's hire Drew French as pitching coach

BALTIMORE -- The Orioles have filled a vacancy on their big league coaching staff, hiring Atlanta bullpen coach Drew French to serve as the team’s pitching coach.

French, 39, has been in his role with the Braves since 2021, when he won a World Series championship during his first year on the staff. He previously worked in the Astros’ organization from 2016-20, which included serving as Triple-A Round Rock’s pitching coach in '19. He worked at the club’s alternate training site during the pandemic-shortened '20 campaign.

French’s time in Houston overlapped with that of Baltimore general manager Mike Elias, who was the Astros’ assistant GM from 2016-18.

The Orioles needed a pitching coach after deciding that Chris Holt would no longer serve in the role following the 2023 season. Moving forward, Holt will still be the club’s director of pitching, working with pitchers throughout the organization.

Baltimore could still decide to hire an assistant pitching coach this offseason, as Darren Holmes is not returning. The rest of manager Brandon Hyde’s coaching staff is expected to be back.