Bogar hired to manage Diamondbacks' Double-A club

Tim Bogar, let go by the Nationals at season’s end, won’t be returning to the major leagues this year but will get a chance to manage professionally again.

Bogar was named manager of the Amarillo Sod Poodles, the Diamondbacks’ Double-A affiliate, on Monday. The longtime Nats coach under Davey Martinez will have the opportunity to re-establish himself overseeing an entire team for the first time since 2013.

The 57-year-old former infielder was the most prominent (and perhaps unexpected) of the four Nationals coaches who were dismissed in October. A member of Martinez’s staff since 2018, he served as first base coach for two seasons and then became the skipper’s right-hand man as bench coach for four seasons.

The Nats wound up replacing Bogar with Miguel Cairo, the White Sox’s former bench coach and interim manager. They also dismissed first base coach Eric Young Jr., third base coach Gary DiSarcina and assistant hitting coach Pat Roessler, replacing them with Gerardo Parra, Ricky Gutierrez and Chris Johnson, respectively.

“Obviously, it was a tough decision,” Martinez said in December when asked about the coaching changes. “Very close to all those guys. I’m going to miss them. But I thought it was an opportunity, being where we’re headed, to bring some fresh guys in and some guys that are very well capable of coaching young players. So I decided to make that change.”

Bogar had a lengthy background managing in the minor leagues prior to joining the Nationals, dating back to 2004 when he guided the Astros’ rookie league club in Greeneville, Tenn. He proceeded to earn three consecutive Manager of the Year awards with three different clubs, ultimately earning his first big-league coaching job in 2008 with the Rays (joining a staff that included Martinez).

He had been a major-league coach every season since, aside from 2013 when he managed the Dodgers’ Double-A club.

“I am so grateful to Shaun Larkin and the Diamondbacks for this exciting opportunity,” Bogar said in a statement, referencing Arizona’s director of player development. “Working with young players is a passion of mine, and I am eager to engage with my players to teach and learn from them.”

Bogar has aspired to manage in the major leagues and has interviewed for jobs in the past, but to date has not been hired for that position.

Bogar’s staff in Amarillo includes two holdover coaches with long ago ties to the Nationals. Pitching coach Tom Gorzelanny appeared in 75 games (16 starts) in 2011-12, going 8-8 with a 3.56 ERA. And hitting coach Terrmel Sledge played in 20 games in 2005 and famously hit the first home run in club history on Opening Day in Philadelphia.