Jason Varitek isn’t the only former Boston Red Sox player interested in pursuing a coaching career.
Tim Wakefield isn’t necessarily looking to dive into the world of coaching right now, as he’s enjoyed his roles with the Red Sox, the Red Sox Foundation and NESN since retiring after the 2011 season. The longtime knuckleballer truly appreciates the art of pitching, though, so he’s keeping an open mind.
“I would love to,” Wakefield said Monday on a conference call when asked whether he’d like to coach someday. “I think in my position, I love to watch mechanics in pitchers. I can tell almost immediately.
“Because of throwing a knuckleball, I knew my mechanics had to be dead-on perfect to be successful. Because I’m a knuckleballer, it doesn’t necessarily mean my mechanics are different from a conventional guy’s mechanics. So I kind of know a lot about the mechanics of pitching.”
Wakefield will join three others — Varitek, former outfielder Ira Flagstead and Red Sox president/CEO emeritus Larry Lucchino — in being inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2016. The pitcher had an excellent 17-year run with Boston that included 186 wins, an All-Star selection and two World Series titles.
But Wakefield is far from done with the game of baseball. He’s served as the honorary chairman of the Red Sox Foundation, a special assignment instructor with the Red Sox and an analyst with NESN since hanging up the spikes. Perhaps he’ll someday add to his already impressive résumé.
“I do dabble in that a little bit, whether it’s with pitching coaches,” Wakefield said Monday of coaching. “I don’t want to step on anybody’s toes at this time and I don’t necessarily want a big league pitching coach job with two young kids at home right now, but maybe eventually down the road, it’s something I definitely wouldn’t mind entertaining.”
Wakefield was a leader during his playing career with the Red Sox. It earned him respect throughout the organization and across Major League Baseball, so a transition to coaching — if/when he’s ready — should be seamless.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@masslivenews
