Holt won't serve as Orioles pitching coach next season, Holmes leaving organization

The Orioles are making changes to the pitching side of their major league coaching staff.

According to a source, Chris Holt won’t serve as pitching coach in 2024 but maintains his duties as director of pitching, a title pinned to him prior to the pandemic 2020 season.

Assistant pitching coach Darren Holmes is leaving the organization, per the source, creating a second opening on the staff.

Holt was hired in 2019 as minor league pitching coordinator, following executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias and vice president and assistant general manager Sig Mejdal from the Astros organization, where he was assistant pitching coordinator. The Orioles promoted Holt to pitching coach in 2021 as Doug Brocail’s replacement.

The latest switch enables Holt to concentrate fully on supervising the rest of the organization in the quest to develop more pitching, leveraging his skill set and experience. He retains access to and authority over the minor league pitchers while also able to work directly with the major league staff.

Holmes completed his third season as assistant pitching coach after serving as bullpen coach in 2020. He previously spent five seasons with the Rockies as their bullpen coach.

The Orioles relocated Holmes to the dugout during games in 2022, with major league field coordinator/catching instructor Tim Cossins moving to the bullpen.

The rest of the coaching staff is expected to return next year, per the source. The unit stayed intact following the 2022 season, with the only change being Cody Asche’s addition as offensive strategy coach. Asche had just completed his first season as upper-level hitting coordinator in the minors.

Anthony Villa was put in charge of overseeing the entire system as minor league hitting coordinator after working at the lower levels.

Besides Cossins return next year, the Orioles also will retain Fredi González as bench coach, Ryan Fuller and Matt Borgschulte as co-hitting coaches, Anthony Sanders as first base coach/outfield instructor, Tony Mansolino as third base coach/infield instructor, José Hernández as major league coach, and Ryan Klimek as pitching strategy coach.

Manager Brandon Hyde is back, as well, after guiding the Orioles to a 101-win season and the best record in the American League before the Rangers swept them in the American League Division Series. Hyde was hired in December 2018.

What’s unknown is how the Orioles will fill the roles occupied by Holt and Holmes. The configuration is to be determined.

One possibility would be to stay in-house with Triple-A pitching coach Justin Ramsey, but it’s only speculation at this point.

The Orioles posted the seventh-lowest ERA in the majors this season at 3.89. The bullpen was fifth at 3.55.