On Monday, reports suggested that the Phillies were set to hire Kevin Long as their next hitting coach. It appears the team could also be close to filling another vacancy on the coaching staff.
Per Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia, the Phillies have spoken with Bobby Dickerson about returning to Philadelphia and serving as the team’s infield coach. Dickerson is under contract with the San Diego Padres, but he has been given permission to speak with other teams following Jayce Tingler’s dismissal as Padres manager.
Dickerson, 56, served as the Phillies infield coach in 2019. That year, the Phillies infield finished with +3 defensive runs saved and -10 outs above average, which ranked 21st in MLB. Dickerson was hired as the Padres bench coach and infield instructor following the 2019 season. In two seasons, the Padres infield ranked in the top ten in outs above average under Dickerson. He was named Baseball America’s MLB Coach of the Year in 2020.
Prior to the final game of 2021, the Phillies fired infield coach Juan Castro. The former Phillies infielder held the position since 2020.