The Boston Red Sox coaching staff will look a little different next season. After consecutive last-place finishes in the American League East, they have fired pitching coach Dave Bush and third base coach Carlos Febles. What will this change heading into the 2024 season? On Monday, the Red Sox fired pitching coach Dave Bush and 3rd base coach Carlos Febles. Febles had been with the team since 2018, while Bush had been there since 2019. It signals changes in significant areas that need improvement heading into the 2024 season.
Red Sox Coaching Staff Changes
Pitching
Bush was the pitching coach since the 2020 season. He proved as a Red Sox minor league pitching coordinator for three seasons. Boston’s pitching struggled in 2023 as Bush was a scapegoat for the problems that took place. The Red Sox were 21st in team ERA at 4.52. They also needed to get more innings out of their starting pitchers. Brayan Bello was 51st in the MLB in innings pitched but was first on the Red Sox with 157 innings.
Bush should earn criticism for his performance, but it should said that the Red Sox faced numerous injuries throughout 2023. Relying on the injury-prone James Paxton and Chris Sales is attributed to the front office. This isn’t something that should have the pitching coach at fault. However, the philosophy will change though with a new voice. It might cause the Red Sox to get more out of those returning to the roster. The organization has struggled with pitching development, and this move could just be the first one in restructuring the pitching department.
Infield Defense
Febles was a longtime minor league instructor. He was added to the coaching staff before the 2018 season. He earned praise for the development of Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers. Bogarets departure followed the team’s defensive collapse this season. Infield defense is an area that the Red Sox struggled in 2023, and they decided they needed a change. The Red Sox had two infielders towards the bottom of Baseball Savant’s outs above average statistic.
For instance, Devers was a -9 outs above average, whereas Triston Casas was a -10. These two need to make significant improvements defensively to help the pitching staff in 2024. A new voice may be able to get the most out of them defensively. The return of Trevor Story in 2023 did help solidify the shortstop position, but there is still a question mark with second base. Pablo Reyes or Luis Urias could return and be the starter in 2024. Enmanuel Valdez is an intriguing bat but is another player who needs to make a big leap defensively in 2024. Whoever the new 3rd base coach is, improving the infield play would be his top priority.
A New Translator?
The Red Sox are looking to hire a new translator for Masataka Yoshida. Apparently, the organization felt that communication between Yoshida and the coaching staff could have improved. Keiichiro Wakabayashi filled the role this past season.
Takeaway
Overall, these firings could have been more surprising. With two last-place finishes in a row, some changes took place to get the most out of the players. The two areas of change were the Red Sox’s most significant weaknesses in 2023. Sometimes, you need new voices on the staff that might be able to get more out of the players. The quality of the player also was a problem, and that is expected to change, especially on the pitching side. Look for pitching and defense to improve for the Red Sox in the 2024 season. If they get a higher quality of defense, it will significantly help the pitching staff. It will be interesting to see who replaces Bush and Febles in 2024.
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