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Change is on the horizon for the Phillies coaching staff.
Bob McClure is in, the team clearly having chosen him over Chase Utley after the Great Bob McClure/Chase Utley War of 2015. This was a PR move done for the fans, among whom the second-year pitching coach is a favorite, unlike the grizzled, useless second baseman from a lost generation.
Steve Henderson is also in. He offers the Phillies instruction on how to hit. He was on vacation for most of 2015?
The Phillies recently filled in slots vacated by assistant hitting coach John Mizerock and bullpen coach Rod Nichols with two new faces:
Rick Kranitz, bullpen coach: Pictured above as the pitching coach of the Brewers in 2010. Once served as a player-coach for two different minor league teams from 1984-85, but somehow only gave himself three total innings of playing time.
John McLaren, catching coach: Coached China in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. A communist sympathizer? No one can be sure. If the Phillies' catching corps begins distributing pamphlets in the clubhouse, it should probably raise a few "red" flags.
That leaves Larry Bowa and Juan Samuel, both of whom are presumed to be considering options elsewhere. Bowa is in the running as a serious candidate to be the manager of the Miami Marlins, while Samuel's situation is mired in mystery. What jobs has he been offered? Are they even in baseball? God damn, is Juan Samuel mysterious and cool.