Coaching staff complete

Manager Mark Mason has completed his coaching staff for the 2009 season. Former Washington shortstop Jon Cahill, pictured, will return to the organization as the hitting coach and Larry Wayman will be back for his second season as pitching coach. Also returning is coach Bob Bozzuto.

This will be Bozzuto's fourth season with the Wild Things. He was the third-base coach last year under manager Greg Jelks.

Cahill spent the last two years as manager of the Frontier League's Traverse City Beach Bums. In 2005, Cahill was an assistant coach under Mason with the Ohio Valley Redcoats.

Cahill's return had been rumored for a long time. The return of Wayman, however, was somewhat of a surprise to me. I expected Mason to bring in someone outside the organization, especially after the Wild Things' pitching struggles last year. One reader of this blog mentioned that Wayman never seemed to connect with the pitchers last year, which got me thinking (I do that once every two weeks). He/she might be right. Not one pitcher mentioned the pitching coach during interviews all season, which was a first.

Mason must think Wayman is the right guy for the job, and with all the injuries and youth in the bullpen last year we'll surely get a better evaluation of the guy this year.