Bryan Price retires
Phillies pitching coach Bryan Price is retiring from a full-time coaching capacity, the organization announced on Sunday. 

Price spent one season with the Phillies and was under contract through the end of the 2022 season. 

"Bryan provided a trusted voice and had a major impact on our pitchers this season,'' Phillies interim general manager Ned Rice said in a statement. "We wish Bryan nothing but the best in his retirement and thank him for his contributions this past season."

In a call with reporters on Sunday, Price cited the difficulties of being away from family as the driving force behind his decision to step away. 

"COVID has been extremely challenging for all of us," Price said. "It accelerated this for me. It was a reminder of what it’s like to be away from family. The inability for them to access me because of the limitations of the world we live in was difficult. That said, it was clear to me by end of the season and the weeks I’ve been home that I’m just done full time on the field. 

"I miss my family. I’ve been taking them through this since 1991. They’re great and supportive. It just doesn’t resonate with me anymore to spend this much time away from home."

The search for a replacement will begin this week, meaning the club will open the 2021 season with its fifth different pitching coach in five years. 

The starting rotation improved significantly from 2019 to 2020, but the bullpen pieced together the worst season in the majors in 90 years.  

"We weren’t good out of the ’pen, and that should fall on me because our guys had histories of performing well," Price said. "But I’ve been around long enough to know that had this been a 162-game season, they would have put together some good stretches. Given the nature of the season, we couldn’t find a hot hand. And that led to perpetual underperformance."
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Follow Patrick on Twitter: @PGordonPBR

BY PATRICK GORDON
Managing Editor
pgordon@philadelphiabaseballreview.com

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