Things are starting to come together for the Washington Nationals and their coaching staff.
Following the decision to hire Blake Butera that will make him the youngest Major League Baseball manager in over 50 years, the Nationals went and added veteran coach Michael Johns to serve as the bench coach.
Hiring someone with vast big league experience to that role was always seen as something Washington would do. And the expectation was that the rest of the staff would be veteran laden when it came to working in the majors.
However, that has not been the case when it comes to who the Nationals have hired thus far, as it’s clear they are taking a total youth approach and are willing to hire an up-and-coming staff alongside Butera that has high upside.
Their latest hire is no different. Jacob Rudner of Baseball America first reported that Washington made another addition to their coaching staff, this time dipping into the college ranks by hiring Charlotte 49ers hitting coach Phillip Cebuhar to become their new hitting coordinator.
Phillip Cebuhar Had Impressive Track Record During Charlotte Tenure
Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
“Phillip Cebuhar has been a tremendous asset to Charlotte Baseball, and we are incredibly grateful for his relentless effort, professionalism, and dedication to our program,” head coach Robert Woodard said in an announcement made by the school. “His daily commitment to developing our players and elevating our standards has made a lasting impact on this team and our culture. We are extremely proud of Phillip and thrilled for his opportunity to serve as the Hitting Coordinator for the Washington Nationals. It is a well-earned next step for a coach of his talent, integrity, and work ethic.”
That’s high praise on the way out the door for Cebuhar, and it’s for good reason based on what he was able to provide Charlotte during his tenure.
According to the team’s website, the 49ers hit 346 total home runs in the four seasons Cebuhar was there. They also crossed the 100-mark in 2023 for the second time in program history. Charlotte also had two different stretches where they at least hit one homer in 15 consecutive games under Cebuhar’s leadership.
But it wasn’t just the longball that was notable during his four years in Charlotte. The 49ers also drew at least 250 walks in all four seasons Cebuhar was there and had back-to-back campaigns where they walked 350-plus times as a team, including a program-record 371 times in 2022 that led the country in walks per game.
How Phillip Cebuhar Can Impact the Washington Nationals
Brad Mills-Imagn Images
Per Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post, Cebuhar is being hired on the player development side. That means he’ll have a large hand in developing the hitting tools of the next wave of Nationals players coming up the pipeline and those already on the big league roster.
Adding a more patient approach that includes drawing walks while not sacrificing power would be huge for plenty of players on the MLB team and throughout the organization, as James Wood and Brady House are examples of players who can provide major pop but also struggle with strikeouts.
It will be interesting to see how Cebuhar handles jumping from the college ranks to the pros. Plenty of coaches have had success doing so in the past. So if he’s able to apply what he did at Charlotte to this organization, then that should go a long way in helping this Washington get the most out of their players.
More Nationals News