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The Arizona Diamondbacks are reportedly set to hire Ben Fritz, currently the bullpen coach for the San Diego Padres, as their next pitching coach. The move, which is not yet official, would see Fritz replace Brian Kaplan, who was let go after two seasons in the role.
Fritz, 45, has been with the Padres' major-league staff for the past seven seasons and took over as bullpen coach in 2020. He also served as the team's interim pitching coach in 2021 following the dismissal of Larry Rothschild. This would be his first full-time pitching coach position.
Key Analysis
Fritz's background with San Diego's bullpen is notable: since 2020, Padres relievers have recorded the seventh-lowest ERA and third-highest fWAR in the majors, and the unit ranked first in fWAR in 2026 while Fritz worked alongside pitching coach Ruben Niebla. Before coaching, Fritz was a first-round pick by the Oakland Athletics in the 2002 MLB Draft out of Fresno State and pitched seven seasons in the minor leagues. He joined the Padres organization as a coach in 2015.
In Arizona, Fritz is expected to work with returning assistant pitching coach Owen Dew and bullpen coach Wellington Cepeda. The Diamondbacks are reportedly keeping the rest of their coaching staff intact, making Kaplan's departure the only change. The team will look to Fritz to help improve consistency and get more production from the pitching staff as it prepares for the 2027 season.
Originally reported by yahoo.