Dodgers' Entire Coaching Staff to Return

The 2009 National League West Division Champion Los Angeles Dodgers announced that their entire Major League coaching staff will return for the 2010 season. Led by manager Joe Torre, the staff has guided the Dodgers to two straight National League West Division titles and two consecutive National League Championship Series. General Manager Ned Colletti made the announcement

  The coaches:  

Larry Bowa – Third Base Coach (third season)
Mariano Duncan – First Base Coach (fifth season)
Rick Honeycutt – Pitching Coach (fifth season) Ken Howell – Bullpen Coach (third season)
Don Mattingly – Hitting Coach (third season)
Manny Mota – Coach (31st season)
Jeff Pentland – Instructor (third season)
Bob Schaefer – Bench Coach (third season)  

Bowa will enter his fifth straight season as a third base coach for Torre and his third with Los Angeles. The 2010 season will be Bowa’s 45th in professional baseball as a player, coach or manager. The California native and longtime Phillies’ shortstop will be inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame along with Dodger Special Advisor to the Chairman Tommy Lasorda this week.   

Duncan played for the Dodgers from 1985-87 and 1989 was inducted into the Dominican Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. The San Pedro de Macoris native first joined the Dodgers as the first base coach in 2006.  

Honeycutt will enter his fifth consecutive season as the Dodgers’ pitching coach and last year his staff led the Major Leagues with a 3.41 ERA. Since he took over the reigns in 2006, Los Angeles has posted a 3.88 ERA, which is the best in baseball over that time. In 2009, the Dodgers’ also led the Majors in opponents’ batting average (.233) and finished tied for second with 1,272 strikeouts.  

Howell oversaw a bullpen in 2009 that led the Majors with a 3.12 ERA, finishing well ahead of the second-ranked Oakland A’s (3.46). Since Howell came onboard in 2008, the Dodgers’ bullpen ERA is a Major-League best 3.22 and the bullpens’ 999 strikeouts over that time ranks second to the New York Yankees (1,006).  

Mattingly, who officially became the Dodger hitting coach at the 2008 All-Star break, will return for his second full season. In 2009, the club hit .270, which tied them with the New York Mets for tops in the National League. The Dodgers also led the National League with 1,511 hits and a .346 on-base percentage.  

Schaefer will enter his 30th year in professional baseball, a span that includes seven seasons as a minor league manager (1980-81, 1983-87). Schaefer also twice managed the Kansas City Royals on an interim basis, most recently in 2005. In a game against the Giants in San Francisco this past season, Schaefer’s knowledge of the rare “four-out rule” helped the Dodgers to an extra run in their 3-1 victory.