Rhoades Takes Job with Marlins
March 17, 2016 - Frontier League (FL)
Florence Y'alls News Release
Chad Rhoades of the Florence Freedom
(Florence Y'alls)
Florence, Ky. - Chad Rhoades, who served as the Freedom's Pitching Coach in 2015, has accepted a job as a Pitching Coach with the Batavia Muckdogs, the Class A Short Season Affiliate of the Miami Marlins.
"I was really excited to get the call because this is definitely the next evolution in what I want to do in my life," Rhoades said. "At the same time it's bittersweet because it's hard to leave Dennis [Pelfrey], A.J. [Cicconi], Brian [White], and the pitching staff in Florence."
Last season, his first with the Freedom, Rhoades helped Florence's pitching staff to improvements in ERA (3.69), opponents' batting average (.242), opponents' slugging percentage (.357), and WHIP (1.27). The Freedom ranked fifth-or better among Frontier League teams in all four statistics and had its best team ERA since the team moved to Florence.
"The season we had as a pitching staff last year was really special and the guys deserve all the credit," Rhoades said. "To watch them buy into our philosophy and improve the way they did is what impressed me the most. I love that pitching staff."
Freedom manager Dennis Pelfrey thinks Rhoades' ability to help each pitcher individually was a large part of the Freedom's pitching prowess in 2015.
"Last season was arguably the best pitching season in Freedom history and Chad played a big role in our success on the mound," Pelfrey said. "Chad does a great job of adapting to each individual pitcher's needs. Whether it's a mental tweak or a small adjustment to mechanics, he has a way of making every pitcher better. With the caliber of coach that Chad is, I am not surprised to see him move up the ladder so quickly."
Images from this story
 Chad Rhoades of the Florence Freedom |
Frontier League Stories from March 17, 2016
- Beach Bums Welcome Assistant Coach VanAsselberg - Traverse City Beach Bums
- Rhoades Takes Job with Marlins - Florence Y'alls
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