Coaching Search Flying Well Under the Radar

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“I would say first week of November is my goal as far as any decisions.” These were the words of Arizona Diamondbacks manager AJ Hinch when he was asked for a timeline of when he hoped to fill the two coaching vacancies on his staff.

When the disappointing 2009 season came to an end, so did the tenure of third-base coach Chip Hale and first-base coach Lorenzo Bundy. Their contracts were not renewed for 2010 leaving two openings on the major league coaching staff.

Hinch asked reporters to allow him the space he needed to identify and interview candidates. His preference was to not have a lot of speculation surrounding who potential candidates were or what attributes Hinch was looking for in his new coaching staff.

Clearly the Arizona market has respected Hinch’s wishes. There has been absolutely nothing written in any of the local media outlets as to who Hinch may be interviewing. No one has speculated whether the coaches would be promoted within the Diamondbacks farm system or if the hiring process would include coaches on other teams.

If you did not know any better, you would think that the Diamondbacks already have a complete coaching staff. Hinch who was previously the Diamondbacks Director of Player Personnel suggested if there are any internal candidates that he already knew their strengths and weaknesses and that would factor into his decision of whether to interview them.

With the first week of November quickly coming to an end the question will be whether Hinch has found the candidates he was looking for and would he be able to convince them to join the coaching staff for a team that has underachieved for much of the past two seasons.

Clearly Hinch has a very specific list of personality traits in mind for the coaches he wants on his staff. It will be interesting to see who he has selected when the vacancies are fulfilled. It should give the media and the fans an indication of what Hinch believes this team needs from a coaching perspective.

Personally I am hoping Hinch brings in coaches who feel a sense of urgency and who will instill into these young players that every game is important and that if you are not mentally and physically prepared for each game in the 162-game schedule you will not be successful.

While patience is a virtue, a quick start and a team playing with a purpose is imperative if the Diamondbacks hope to be in contention for the National League Western Division title next year.

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