The Miami Marlins announced several coaching changes including the addition of new hitting coach Barry Bonds on Friday.
Bonds will serve as the hitting coach for Miami with incumbent coach Frank Menechino sliding into an assistant role. This will be the first ever full-time coaching position for Bonds who previously had only served as an instructor during spring training.
Miami also announced the hiring of Juan Nieves as pitching coach, Brian Schneider as catching coach, Lorenzo Bundy as outfield/base running coach and Tim Wallach as bench coach.
Nieves comes over to the Marlins after serving as pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox. Nieves was fired during the 2015 season in what was a poor campaign for Boston. All the blame can't be pointed at Nieves however as he had an inconsistent rotation to work with. With Miami, he will be able to work with talents such as Jose Fernandez.
Schneider's coaching position is a new one for the Marlins and could pay dividends. The veteran backstop had been managing for the Marlins in the minor leagues and offers a wealth of experience and knowledge. Schneider will now have the opportunity to work with J.T. Realmuto on a daily basis.
Bundy was a part of Mattingly's staff in Los Angeles and takes over for Brett Butler with Miami. Bundy will work not only on defense with the outfielders, but also on the running game for the team. In 1998, Bundy was an outfield and baserunning coach for the Marlins' entire farm system as well.
Wallach was Mattingly's bench coach with Los Angeles and is one of the more respected minds in the game. The veteran was a candidate to replace Mattingly with the Dodgers before they hired Dave Roberts instead. Wallach undoubtedly gives Mattingly a comfort level that other bench coaches simply may not have.
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Miami also announced that Perry Hill (1B), Lenny Harris (3B), and Reid Cornelius (Bullpen) would return to the staff after working under Mike Redmond and Dan Jennings in 2015.
