Arizona announced a pair of coaching hires, adding Turner Ward as assistant hitting coach and Steve Sax as first base coach.
Don Baylor is the Diamondbacks’ primary hitting coach, but they’re joining the rapidly expanding list of teams with two people devoted to the job. Ward previously managed at Double-A in Arizona’s farm system.
Sax has never coached professionally before, but during his 14-year career the five-time All-Star second baseman was teammates with Kirk Gibson on the Dodgers. Steve Gilbert of MLB.com notes that Sax “worked in finance and made some television appearances” along with authoring a motivational book. He’ll replace Eric Young and as part of the job Sax will coach the Diamondbacks on baserunning.
General manager Kevin Towers told Gilbert that Sax was chosen over Triple-A manager Brett Butler, calling it “a tough decision, a hard decision.”
