Bowa Returns to Phillies as Bench Coach

By Cash Kruth, phillies.com

The Phillies made a host of changes to their coaching staff Oct. 8, highlighted by the returns of Larry Bowa and Pete Mackanin.

In addition, Steve Henderson will return as hitting coach next season while Wally Joyner has declined to return as assistant hitting coach.

Bowa, a former Phillies player, coach and manager, will serve as manager Ryne Sandberg’s bench coach. Bowa, 67, played shortstop for Philadelphia from 1970-81, was third-base coach from 1988-96 and managed the club from 2001-04. He has also coached for the Angels (1997-99), Mariners (2000), Yankees (2006-07) and Dodgers (2008-10) and spent a season and a half (1987-88) managing the Padres. Bowa has been an in-studio analyst for MLB Network the past three years.

Larry Bowa won’t be afraid to get in anyone’s face.

Mackanin, another former Phillies player, is returning to the team to be its third-base coach. He spent four years (2009-12) as Phillies’ bench coach under former manager Charlie Manuel, who was let go in August. Mackanin worked this past season as a pro scout for the Yankees, a post he previously held in 2008. The 62-year-old former infielder has also coached for the Montreal Expos (1997-2000) and Pirates (2003-05), and was an interim manager for both the Reds (2007) and Pirates (2005). Mackanin appeared in 18 games with the Phillies over the 1978-79 seasons during a nine-year Major League career.

Henderson, 60, will return for his second season as hitting coach. The statuses of bullpen coach Rod Nichols and first/third-base coach Juan Samuel have yet to be determined as both are under consideration for the 2014 staff. Nichols, 48, completed his first season on the Phillies’ Major League staff, while Samuel, 52, has been a coach with the club for the past three seasons.