{
  "id": 17292312,
  "title": "Diamondbacks to make former Padres coach their new pitching coach",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/diamondbacks-to-make-former-padres-coach-their-new-pitching-coach",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-30T21:29:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/diamondbacks-former-padres-coach-pitching-212937518.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Arizona Diamondbacks are set to appoint Ben Fritz as their new pitching coach, according to a confirmed source on Friday, October 30. The 45-year-old Fritz will take over the position after a seven-year tenure as the bullpen coach for the San Diego Padres. This news was initially reported by The Athletic. Fritz will be replacing Brian Kaplan, whose employment was not renewed following a two-season stint. The Diamondbacks have decided to keep Owen Dew and Wellington Cepeda in their current roles as assistant pitching coach and bullpen coach, respectively. Fritz, a former first-round draft pick whose professional career peaked at Triple-A, dedicated five years to the Padres' player development system before transitioning to a big league staff role as bullpen coach in 2020. He will become the fifth pitching coach under manager Torey Lovullo, who will commence his 11th season with the organization next year.",
  "summary": "The Arizona Diamondbacks are set to hire Ben Fritz, the San Diego Padres' bullpen coach, as their next pitching coach.",
  "key_points": [
    "Arizona Diamondbacks appoint Ben Fritz as new pitching coach.",
    "Fritz previously coached bullpens for San Diego Padres for seven years.",
    "Owen Dew and Wellington Cepeda retain assistant and bullpen coach roles."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}