Washington Nationals announce major league coaching staff for 2022

Washington’s Nationals introduced Darnell Coles as Davey Martinez’s new hitting coach last month, and reports in the last few weeks had both Eric Young, Jr. and Gary DiSarcina joining Martinez’s staff as well, as the new First and Third Base coaches, respectively, but there was some actual news in today’s press release from the team to make the coaches for the 2022 campaign official.

Pat Roessler (often referred to as “Six” because he wears No. 66 on his uniform) is staying on as Assistant Hitting Coach after serving in that role under Kevin Long (who left D.C. to sign on in Philadelphia), Ricky Bones (cool name) is joining the staff as the Bullpen Coach, and Henry Blanco, who had been the Bullpen Coach, moves to a newly-created role, Catching and Strategy Coach.

Tim Bogar, Bench Coach, and Jim Hickey, Pitching Coach, are back in the same roles with the club.

Young, Jr., 36, “will serve as Washington’s first base coach,” as the Nationals noted in a press release on today’s news.

“It will be his first stint as a member of a major league coaching staff after spending the 2021 season in the Mariners organization as a coach for Triple-A Tacoma.”

A veteran of ten major league seasons and 651 games, “... with the Colorado Rockies (2009-13), New York Mets (2013-14, 2015), Atlanta Braves (2015), New York Yankees (2016), and Los Angeles Angels (2017-18),” Young, Jr., “... was the National League stolen base champion in 2013 with 46 stolen bases.”

DiSarcina, 53, spent, “the previous four seasons (2018-21) with the New York Mets. He most recently served as New York’s third base coach for three seasons (2019-21) after serving as the Mets’ bench coach in 2018.”

Bones, 52, “joins the Nationals staff as bullpen coach after serving in the same role for the New York Mets (2012-21). He spent part of the 2019 season as a pitching coach in the Mets’ minor league system.” He has history in the Nationals’ organization, having served as the pitching coach at Single-A Potomac in 2005.

Blanco, 50, moves into, “... the newly created position of catching and strategy coach. Prior to this change, Blanco served as Washington’s bullpen coach since joining the staff in 2018.”

As the Nationals noted, the 2022 campaign will be Blanco’s, “... eighth consecutive season coaching alongside [Martinez],” after, “... the two also worked together while Blanco held the role as the Chicago Cubs’ quality assurance coach for three seasons (2015-17).”

Bogar, 54, is back for a fifth season as part of Martinez’s staff and his third as the Bench Coach.

Hickey, 60, is back for a second season as the Pitching Coach in D.C.

Roessler, 61, returns for a third season as the Assistant Hitting Coach.

Thoughts on the new additions and returning coaches?