Curt Schilling wants to return to Phillies as pitching coach
Curt Schilling was a successful pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, and now he’d like to return to the team in a different capacity.
After another losing season, the Philadelphia Phillies are looking to turn things around and interject some fresh perspectives. The first step in that process is the hiring of Gabe Kapler as the new manager, with an official announcement coming soon.
But Kapler will also have to assemble a coaching staff, perhaps among from a mix of experienced and not so experienced candidates in terms of coaching acumen.
Former Phillies pitcher Curt Schilling joined 97.5 The Fanatic on Monday afternoon. He played with Kapler on the Boston Red Sox in 2004, where they won a World Series ring together. So there was some possible insight to be offered to an unfamiliar local fanbase regarding Kapler. Schilling appears to not have disappointed, while breaking a bit of news about himself regarding the Phillies new manager.
"In 22 years of playing, he is one of my 5 favorite people I ever suited up with. He's doing this to be the best" - @gehrig38 on Gabe Kapler
— 975TheFanatic (@975TheFanatic) October 30, 2017
"This is the first time I felt interest in going into coaching with a pitching coach role" - @gehrig38 on the rumors of Gabe Kapler
— 975TheFanatic (@975TheFanatic) October 30, 2017
.@gehrig38 just told @MikeMiss975 that he sent a text to Gabe Kapler last night expressing some interest in being his pitching coach
— 975TheFanatic (@975TheFanatic) October 30, 2017
Schilling has gone directly to Kapler to express some interest in being the Phillies new pitching coach. It’s unclear if Kapler has any interest in hiring him. But Schilling showed he can break down pitching during his time as an ESPN analyst and can presumably transfer his knowledge to others.
Of course, Schilling is also very outspoken, and a few bad, insensitive episodes on social media forced ESPN to fire him a couple years ago. He is currently working as a radio host on Breitbart News and had mentioned a possible run for senate in Massachusetts.
The bottom line is Schilling should be a good pitching coach, based on his own experience pitching on big stages and knowing the mindset it takes to succeed as a major league pitcher. But it’s safe to assume he’ll have some trouble ignoring the background noise and the public criticism that may come with the job via various avenues.
Next: 5 candidates to replace Joe Girardi as Yankees manager
Kapler will be vetting candidates to fill out his coaching staff in the coming days and perhaps weeks. Schilling has reached out early to put himself in the mix to be pitching coach, and we should know soon if that interest will be reciprocated.