Returning coaches embrace change of roles

The Nationals return all but one of the members of their World Series-winning coaching staff this season, with only assistant hitting coach Joe Dillon (who got the lead hitting coach's position in Philadelphia) departing. But there are some significant changes to the roles some of the returning coaches will hold in 2020.

Manager Davey Martinez decided to rotate three key members of his staff - Chip Hale, Tim Bogar and Bob Henley - around the diamond and dugout, in an attempt to keep everyone from getting complacent and to offer some new challenges to the affected parties.

Hale, who had been Martinez's bench coach the last two seasons, is now coaching third base. Bogar, who had been first base coach, replaces Hale on the bench as Martinez's right-hand man. And Henley, who coached third base for six seasons and under three different Nationals managers, now shifts to first base for the first time in his long coaching career.

All three admitted they were surprised when they got the news earlier this winter, but all three expressed excitement over the new roles and all pledged to serve at the pleasure of their skipper.

"I'm just glad to be a part of it," Henley said. "If Davey asked me to park cars, I'd ask him: 'Which lot, A or B?' At the end of the day, I'm an assistant coach, and I'm asked to assist in whatever he wants me to do. I'm up for the challenge, and I'll do it to the best of my ability for the sake of the team."

A member of the organization since 2003 and a member of the big league coaching staff since 2014, Henley is hugely popular among players and staffers alike, his folksy demeanor masking his knowledge of the sport and hours of preparation he puts into every game. Though some will look at this change as a demotion of sorts for a third base coach who earned the nickname "Bob Sendley" for his penchant to wave just about any baserunner around, Martinez insisted that wasn't the case.

If anything, Martinez wants Henley to be able to devote even more time to his other primary responsibility on the staff: coaching the Nationals' outfielders. Henley, a catcher during his playing days, took particular pride in watching two of his young outfielders (Juan Soto and Victor Robles) earn Gold Glove Award finalist status last year.

He was initially nervous about taking charge of an unfamiliar defensive position but saw how effective he could still be in that role. And he's taking the same mindset in his switch from one side of the diamond to the other.

"I've been asked to do numerous things over the years," Henley said. "I've done the catching (instruction), and then Davey asked me to do the outfield, which was a learning curve. ... For me, it's just another challenge. He's asked me to coach first base. I've never coached first base, and all that goes with that."

Hale now takes over the high-profile spot as third base coach, where every mistake gets magnified and correct calls rarely get noticed. The 55-year-old has done it before with the Diamondbacks, Athletics and Mets, and he filled in at third base for one game last season when Henley was attending his daughter's graduation.

The book on Hale is that he'll be aggressive waving runners around third, but he doesn't believe he has a particular style when it comes to this job.

"Your style is what your team allows you to be," he said. "We're going to try to get it in spring training to a point where they're basically giving me a chance to send them. I mean, I'm basically just a stop sign if I don't think they can make it, or they look like they're slowing down. We do have some veteran players in our group, so we do have to make sure we keep them healthy for the season. But as a style ... be as aggressive as we can."

Bogar, meanwhile, now becomes Martinez's top lieutenant in the dugout as bench coach. He's done it before with the Red Sox, Rangers and Mariners, and he's comfortable being one heartbeat away from taking over as manager.

That literally became an issue last fall when Martinez had to leave a game and go to the hospital to receive a cardiac catheterization.

"I've managed at this level before, and being a bench coach, I've done it quite a few times with other managers getting thrown out," Bogar said. "I'm there if Davey has to go, or if he decides that his heart's bothering him again. But obviously, the less I have to do that, the better. Davey's there for a reason, but I'm there to support him."

Bogar interviewed for the Mets' managerial position after the season, and Martinez noted he may get more opportunities to interview for jobs in the future as a bench coach than a first base coach.

Regardless of anyone's formal title, though, there is consensus among this group that everyone wields the same amount of power, and everyone is encouraged to assist in any aspect of the game.

"It's just an amazing group of guys with a lot of baseball knowledge," Bogar said. "I don't think there's ever been any lines drawn about what we can and can't coach. So even though there's some role changes, I don't think a lot of things are going to change in the fact of how Davey reaches his final decisions on things."