Dodgers announce 2018 coaching staff
The Los Angeles Dodgers today announced their Major League coaches for the 2018 season, highlighted by the addition of former Major League All-Star Mark Prior as bullpen coach. Prior joins Danny Lehmann (game planning/communications coach), Brant Brown (assistant hitting coach) and Luis Ortiz (assistant hitting coach) as coaches in their first season with the Dodgers. The rest of Dave Roberts' staff is rounded out by pitching coach Rick Honeycutt, bench coach Bob Geren, hitting coach Turner Ward, first base coach George Lombard and third base coach Chris Woodward.
Dave Roberts -- Manager (third season)
Bob Geren -- Bench Coach (third season)
Rick Honeycutt -- Pitching Coach (13th season)
Turner Ward -- Hitting Coach (third season)
George Lombard -- First Base Coach (third season)
Chris Woodward -- Third Base Coach (third season)
Mark Prior -- Bullpen Coach (first season)
Brant Brown -- Assistant Hitting Coach (first season)
Luis Ortiz -- Assistant Hitting Coach (first season)
Danny Lehmann -- Game Planning/Communications Coach (first season)
Prior, 37, joins the Dodgers as bullpen coach after spending the last four years in San Diego, first as a baseball operations assistant and then as their minor league pitching coordinator from 2015-17. Prior was the second overall selection by the Cubs out of the University of Southern California in the 2001 draft and won 18 games while finishing third in the Cy Young voting in just his second season (2003). In that year, Prior also won two games in the postseason and helped the Cubs to within a game of the NL pennant. A variety of injuries limited the length of his career and he would retire with a record of 42-29 and a 3.51 ERA over 106 starts in parts of five seasons. The San Diego native and USC All-American also served as the pitching coach for Team USA in the 2016 MLB Futures game.
Lehmann, 32, was the Dodgers' advance video scout the last three seasons. In his new role, he will combine that game planning and positioning knowledge with more on field and in the dugout responsibilities, including both pre-game and in-game work. Lehmann was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the eighth round of the 2007 draft out of Rice and played in their organization until 2013. After retiring as a player, Lehmann worked on a double major at Rice in sports management and managerial studies until joining the Dodgers prior to the 2015 campaign.
Brown and Ortiz were previously announced as the new assistant hitting coaches on December 1, 2017.