Phillies hire two coaches to complete Joe Girardi’s staff
Bobby Meacham was hired as a coaching assistant while Greg Brodzinski was added as a bullpen catcher and catching coach.
Joe Girardi’s coaching staff was finalized Monday with the hiring of two coaches, nearly five weeks before Girardi will begin his first spring training as Phillies manager.
Bobby Meacham, a third-base coach for Girardi with the Marlins and Yankees, was hired as a coaching assistant. Greg Brodzinski, a Bishop Eustace graduate and former Phillies minor leaguer, was added as a bullpen catcher and catching coach.
The team’s pitchers and catchers will report to Clearwater, Fla., on Feb. 11, and the first full-squad workout will be Feb. 17.
Meacham, 59, spent the last three seasons managing Toronto’s triple-A affiliate. He was a first-round pick by the Cardinals in 1981 and played parts of six major-league seasons as a Yankees infielder. Meacham has been a coach or manager for an affiliated team since 1992, including stints with the Yankees, Marlins, Padres, and Astros.
Brodzinski was a coach for the last two seasons with the Williamsport Crosscutters, the Phillies’ short-season Class A affiliate. He grew up a Phillies fan in South Jersey and was a star catcher at Eustace before the Phillies drafted him out of junior college in the 18th round in 2015.
Brodzinski, 28, spent parts of two seasons in the minors before transitioning to coaching. He traveled with the Phillies as a coach during the final month of last season, getting his first taste of the majors.