Sox set staff; Fatse new hitting coach
BOSTON, MA -- The Boston Red Sox today announced the following changes to the major league coaching staff:
- Peter Fatse has been named hitting coach, after serving as Boston’s assistant hitting coach in 2020 and 2021.
- Luis Ortiz has been hired as assistant hitting coach/interpreter.
- Ben Rosenthal has been hired as assistant hitting coach.
- Ramón Vázquez has been named first base coach, after serving as the Red Sox’ coach/interpreter (2018-20) and quality control coach/interpreter (2021). He will also coordinate the club’s base running instruction.
- Andy Fox has been named major league field coordinator, after serving as the Red Sox’ minor league infield coordinator (2011-21) and assistant field coordinator (2019-21).
- Mike Brenly has been named major league staff assistant, after serving as a Red Sox bullpen catcher from 2016-21.
- Will Venable (bench coach), Dave Bush (pitching coach), Kevin Walker (bullpen coach), Carlos Febles (third base coach), and Jason Varitek (game planning coordinator) will resume their roles on the major league coaching staff. Venable will also coordinate the club’s outfield instruction, while Varitek will resume his role as catching coach.
Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom and Manager Alex Cora made the announcement.
“I feel fortunate to work with such a talented and diverse group of coaches,” said Cora. “In addition to Luis and Ben bringing fresh perspectives from outside of our organization, I am excited for the new opportunities presented to Pete, Ramón, and Mike. Andy has been a valuable member of the Red Sox for more than a decade, and I’m thrilled to welcome him to the major league staff. I look forward to working with this group to achieve the ultimate goal of winning another World Series.”
Ortiz, 51, spent the last four seasons on a major league coaching staff, first as an assistant hitting coach for the 2018 Los Angeles Dodgers, followed by a three-year stint as hitting coach for the Texas Rangers (2019-21). Prior to joining the professional coaching ranks, he owned a baseball academy in Keller, TX. From 2008-12 he worked in the Rangers’ organization as a hitting instructor with Short-A Spokane (2008), a roving hitting instructor (2009-11), and an assistant hitting coordinator (2012). After working in Cleveland’s player development system from 2013-14 as assistant field coordinator and cultural development coordinator, Ortiz spent three years as the San Diego Padres’ field and hitting coordinator (2015-17).
Selected by the Red Sox in the 1991 June Draft, Ortiz’s 14-year professional playing career included 60 major league games with Boston (1993-94) and Texas (1995-96). The former third baseman spent most of the 1997 season with the Yakult Swallows in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, then returned to Minor League Baseball and played through the 2004 season.
Born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Ortiz was a standout baseball player at Union University (Jackson, TN) from 1988-91. He majored in physical education with a minor in marketing, earning his degree in 2003 before earning induction to the university’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.
Rosenthal, 42, spent the last five seasons in the Houston Astros organization as a minor league hitting coach, joining in 2017 with Single-A Quad Cities before assuming the role with High-A Buies Creek in 2018 and with Triple-A Sugar Land from 2019-21. Prior to his professional coaching career, Rosenthal spent time as the third base coach and hitting coach for Point Loma Nazarene University (CA) from 2014-16, head coach of Mira Mesa High School (CA) in 2013, and first assistant at Bishop Gorman High School (NV) from 2011-12.
A left-handed hitting catcher and outfielder, Rosenthal played two seasons in the St. Louis Cardinals system (2004-05), appearing in 63 games between Single-A Peoria and High-A Palm Beach. He also played 198 games across three seasons of independent baseball for the Niagara Stars (2003), Allentown Ambassadors (2003), Les Capitales de Quebec (2005), and El Paso Diablos (2005-06).
Born in Phoenix, Rosenthal played baseball at Riverside City College (1998-99) and San Diego State University (2000-01). He earned his degree in kinesiology with a supplement in introductory sciences from San Diego State in 2002 and received a master’s degree in physical education from Asuza Pacific University in 2008. Rosenthal holds certification from Titleist Performance Institute and The Ready State.
Fox, 50, is entering his 12th season in the Red Sox organization, having previously served as the club’s minor league infield coordinator (2011-21) and assistant field coordinator (2019-21). The California native also worked with the major league club last season, including during the Red Sox’ postseason run to the American League Championship Series.
Prior to his time in the Red Sox organization, Fox spent three seasons (2007-09) on the Florida Marlins’ major league staff as first base coach and infield coach. He began his coaching career as manager of the Texas Rangers’ Single-A Clinton affiliate in 2006, and in 2010 he served as hitting coach for the Seattle Mariners’ Double-A West Tennessee affiliate (2010).
A two-time World Series champion as a player, Fox batted .239 (461-for-1,925) in 776 games across nine seasons with the New York Yankees (1996-97), Arizona Diamondbacks (1998-2000), Florida Marlins (2000-2003), Montreal Expos (2004), and Texas Rangers (2004). He was a member of New York’s 1996 World Series champion team as a rookie, playing in 113 games during the regular season and eight in the postseason. Selected by the Yankees in the second round of the 1989 June Draft out of Christian Brothers High School (CA), Fox appeared in 264 games at shortstop, 169 at second base, 135 at third base, 47 in right field, 24 in left field, 16 at first base, and 10 in center field.