Dodgers have confirmed what had been rumored for the last few weeks, Josh Bard was returning to the team as the 2020 bullpen coach, the same position he held for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Over that two year period, the team had one of the very best bullpens in Major League Baseball:

• First in holds
• First in percent of runners left on base
• Second in saves
• Third in earned run average

Bard left the Dodgers after the 2017 season to become the bench coach for manager Aaron Boone and the New York Yankees. After successfully serving in that capacity for two seasons, Josh walked away so that he could look for a baseball position closer to his Colorado home and family.

The Yankees loss has turned into a Dodgers win. Bard’s return will hopefully help the Dodgers bullpen to return to the prominence it achieved under his watch in 2016 – 17. Bard was not a pitcher during his 10 year MLB career from 2002 to 2011. Instead, he worked on the other side of home plate wearing the tools-of-ignorance (a phrase coined by Yankees catchers Muddy Rule and/or Bill Dickey) as a catcher for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres, Washington Nationals, and Seattle Mariners. But as a catcher, he was keenly aware of pitchers’ mechanics, setting up hitters, game planning and when pitchers needed to be relieved.

The return of Bard does not guarantee a better bullpen in 2020, but it is definitely a step in the right direction. In addition, his experience as the Yankees bench coach enhances his overall skill set and possibly prepares him for a larger role when Bob Geren finally gets that inevitable managerial position he has been pursuing.

Welcome back to the Dodgers Josh. We are looking forward to your guidance of the 2020 bullpen.

    *    *    *    *    *