Diamondbacks to make former Padres coach their new pitching coach

The Diamondbacks are set to hire Ben Fritz as their next pitching coach, a source confirmed on Friday, Oct. 30.Fritz, 45, will join the Diamondbacks after spending the previous seven seasons as the bullpen coach for the San Diego Padres.The news of the hiring was first reported by The Athletic.Fritz will replace Brian Kaplan, whose contract was not renewed after two seasons on the job.The Diamondbacks will retain assistant pitching coach Owen Dew and bullpen coach Wellington Cepeda in their same roles, a source said.Fritz, a former first-round pick whose playing career topped out at Triple-A, spent five years in various roles in the Padres’ player development system before moving to the big league staff as bullpen coach in 2020.He will become the fifth pitching coach to work under manager Torey Lovullo, who will be in his 11th season on the job next year.This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks to make former Padres coach their new pitching coach