Dodgers Way Quick Hits: LA Fills Two Coaching Vacancies

The Dodgers are slowly but surely getting ready to enact their off-season plans.  First up was shoring up the holes on their coaching staff before getting into bigger plans.

The Dodgers filled two of their coaching vacancies on Monday as the club hired Dino Ebel to be their third base coach and Robert Van Scoyoc to be their next hitting coach.  Ebel will also fill the role of infield instructor as Chris Woodward handled that duty last year and did tremendous work the past few seasons with the club’s infielders.

Van Scoyoc will be one of the youngest coaches in baseball as he is thirty-two years old.  He previously worked with the Arizona Diamondbacks and has also worked with Chris Taylor in the past.  Taylor has blossomed from a fringe backup infielder to a vital role as a utility man with the Dodgers.  Van Scoyoc has also worked with JD Martinez in the past who has turned into one of the best power hitters in the game.

More from LA Dodgers News

• Recapping who Dodgers gained and lost in Rule 5 Draft
• Dodgers ironically sign former all-star to potentially replace Cody Bellinger
• Padres-Xander Bogaerts contract feels like Manny Machado desperation
• Aaron Judge leaving Giants directionless is another massive win for Dodgers
• Cody Bellinger avoided breaking Dodgers fans’ hearts with free agency decision

While the Dodgers still have some front office roles to fill, including the GM role, their coaching staff has been sorted out so next up should be giving Dave Roberts the extension he deserves.  The GM role may not be filled as Andrew Friedman could take on the role with himself and the Dodgers’ front office assistants.

Other news…

• The Dodgers are one of the early suitors for former Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu along with the Nationals and the Twins.  This is the second time that LA has been linked to LeMahieu this winter so there is real interest there.  It’s a bit puzzling as DJ would not be a big upgrade over Chris Taylor and Kiké Hernandez but we’ll wait to see how it pans out.
• As the Dodgers continued to clear out spaces on their forty man roster releasing Zac Rosscup and Erik Goeddel, there will be more moves coming as more players are acquired this winter.  Yimi Garcia and Rocky Gale are two obvious candidates who could be released to open more roster spaces.

• The free agent catcher market is moving quickly as Kurt Suzuki, Jeff Mathis, and Brian McCann have all come off the board.  McCann was the latest as he inked a one year deal with the Braves yesterday.  If the Dodgers don’t plan on starting Austin Barnes next season the secondary options are dwindling down by the day.  A trade for a catcher is looking more and more likely.