Ben Fritz
San Diego Padres – No. 53
Bullpen coach
Born: (1981-03-29) March 29, 1981 (age 42)
San Jose, California
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Teams
As coach

Benjamin James Fritz (born March 29, 1981) is an American professional baseball coach and former pitcher. He is the bullpen coach for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Career

Fritz attended Oak Grove High School in San Jose, California, and California State University, Fresno, where he played college baseball for the Fresno State Bulldogs.[1] The Oakland Athletics selected Fritz in the first round, with the 30th overall selection, of the 2002 MLB draft.[1]

Fritz played in the Oakland organization from 2002 through 2007.[2] He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2004.[3] Fritz was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the minor league phase of the 2007 Rule 5 draft.[4] After spending 2008 with Detroit, he played his final two seasons with the Lancaster Barnstormers of the independent Atlantic League.[2]

In 2015, Fritz joined the San Diego Padres organization as a coach for the AZL Padres.[5] He served as the manager of the Tri-City Dust Devils in 2016 and 2017.[2] Fritz served as rehabilitation coordinator for the Padres Arizona complex in 2018 and 2019.[6]

Fritz was named the Padres bullpen coach following the 2019 season.[7][8] When the Padres fired Larry Rothschild as their pitching coach in August 2021, they named Fritz the new pitching coach.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Susan Slusser (June 5, 2002). "A's snap up top target". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Tri-City Dust Devils (January 30, 2017). "2017 Dust Devils Coaching Staff Announced". MiLB.com. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  3. ^ Geoff Edgers (March 23, 2017). "After 'Moneyball,' Tabitha Soren kept shooting, and the results are stunning". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  4. ^ Monte Poole (February 19, 2011). "Monte Poole: Oakland A's GM Billy Beane moves on from 'Moneyball'". The Mercury News. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  5. ^ "Padres announce minor league coaching staffs and player development coordinators". MLB.com. January 14, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  6. ^ "Padres Announce Minor League Coaching Staffs and Player Development Coordinators". MLB.com. January 10, 2019. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  7. ^ "Padres Announce 2020 Major League Coaching Staff". MLB.com. December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  8. ^ Kevin Acee (November 25, 2019). "Padres hire new bullpen coach, still looking for hitting coach". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  9. ^ "Who is Ben Fritz? Get to Know the Padres New Pitching Coach".

External links

San Diego Padres current roster
Major League Baseball bullpen coaches by team
2002 Major League Baseball draft first round selections
Oakland Athletics first-round draft picks
Categories