The White Sox shuffled their coaching staff on Tuesday, promoting Daryl Boston from their minor league system to first base coach and naming former Sox closer Bobby Thigpen as bullpen coach.
Thigpen replaces Juan Nieves, who left to become the Boston Red Sox’ pitching coach.
Harold Baines, the team’s first base coach the last seven years, moves to a newly created position of assistant hitting coach.
Boston, 49, spent the last 12 seasons as Sox minor-league outfield coordinator and has served as a hitting coach with three teams in the minor league system. A Sox first-round draft pick in 1981, he played 11 major-league seasons with the Sox and three other teams from 1984-94. Boston was with the big-league club during September of last season.
Thigpen, 49, the franchise leader with 201 saves, saved 57 games in 1990 — the second-highest total in major-league history. He spent the last four seasons as a pitching coach for the Sox’ AA Birmingham (2012) and Class A Winston-Salem (2009-11) teams. Thigpen also managed at Bristol from 2007-08.
Baines, who ranks among all-time Sox leaders in homers, RBI and several other categories, spent the last nine seasons on the Sox coaching staff, including a two-year stint as Ozzie Guillen’s bench coach from 2004-05. He’ll work alongside hitting coach Jeff Manto.
Manto, pitching coach Don Cooper, third base coach Joe McEwing, bench coach Mark Parent and bullpen catcher Mark Salas return to complete manager Robin Ventura’s staff for 2013.
