TAMPA, Fla. -- The Yankees have finalized Aaron Boone's first coaching staff as manager, announcing the hires of bench coach Josh Bard and third-base coach Phil Nevin on Monday.
Pitching coach Larry Rothschild, bullpen coach Mike Harkey and hitting coach Marcus Thames are returning from the 2017 staff, with Thames taking over as the primary hitting coach following two seasons as an assistant. It will be Rothschild's eighth year in pinstripes and Harkey's ninth.
The team also announced that Carlos Mendoza (quality-control coach and infield instructor), P.J. Pilittere (assistant hitting coach) and Reggie Willits (first-base coach and outfield instructor) have been promoted from posts within the farm system.
"I'm really excited of what we were able to put together with the staff so far," Boone said recently. "I think it's going to be a really impactful staff for our team."
Prior to Monday, only Rothschild's return had been formally announced by the team. The other staff members had been either mentioned by Boone and general manager Brian Cashman or otherwise confirmed by MLB.com.
"We've got a good group of guys," Nevin said. "Energetic, really excited about getting going. The conversations we've all had as a group, we're all excited about it. We're all going to work well together. I think that'll feed down into the players and create excitement amongst them as well."
Bard and Nevin, the two hires from outside the organization, each have links to Boone. The 39-year-old Bard, a former catcher, was a teammate of Boone's in 2005 with Cleveland. He spent the past two seasons as the Dodgers' bullpen coach, following three years as a scout and special assistant in the team's front office.
Nevin, 46, attended the same high school as Boone's older brother, Bret. Nevin spent last season as the Giants' third-base coach after managing Triple-A Reno from 2014-16. A 2001 National League All-Star infielder, Nevin played 17 seasons in the Majors with the Astros, Tigers, Angels, Padres, Rangers, Cubs and Twins.
"I kind of grew up in the Boone house," Nevin said. "When I went behind the plate to catch for a couple of years, Bob was the first guy I went to. The Boone family has always been special to me. We've always been close. To be able to get a chance to work with Aaron and be part of this is something special."
In addition, Jason Brown will serve as catching coach, Radley Haddad will be a coaching assistant/bullpen catcher and Brett Weber is returning as coaching assistant/instant-replay coordinator. It is the second season on the big league staff for Brown and Haddad, and Weber's fifth in control of the Yankees' replay-review operations.