The Phillies recently announced their field staffs for their minor league teams for the upcoming season. In part three of our series that is taking a look at the minor league staffs, we preview the minor league pitching coaches for the 2020 season.

Aaron Fultz will take over as the IronPigs pitching coach after spending last season guiding the pitching staff for Double-A Reading. The 46-year old spent eight seasons in the majors – including the 2005 and 2006 seasons with the Phillies – and has worked his way through the Phillies organization as a pitching coach.

Brad Bergesen is the new guy on the Reading staff, taking over for Fultz. Last season, Bergesen was the pitching coach for the Clearwater Threshers. The 34-year old pitched three seasons with Baltimore and another with Arizona in the majors.

With Bergesen reassigned to Reading, Hector Mercado joins Clearwater’s staff to serve as the pitching coach. This is Mercado’s fifth season as a Phillies minor league coach after he spent six seasons coaching in the Houston Astros organization. The 45-year old spent two seasons pitching in the majors with Cincinnati and two more with the Phillies (2002, 2003).

Temple alum Matt Hockenberry will spend his second season leading the pitching staff at Lakewood. The Phillies selected Hockenberry in the ninth round of the 2014 Draft and he spent four seasons in the Phillies minor league system before turning to coaching in the GCL for the 2018 season. Having played for Lakewood in 2014 and 2015, Hockenberry is the first BlueClaws player to return to the team as a coach.

Hector Berrios begins his 23rd year as a minor league pitching coach – the last five with Williamsport – in 2020. Prior to joining the Phillies, Berrios was a minor league pitching coach for the Dodgers, Mets, Blue Jays and Tigers after spending eight seasons pitching in five different organizations.