After a nearly decade-long absence from coaching, former Atlanta Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone has returned to baseball.
On Wednesday, Mazzone was named special adviser to the Furman Paladins baseball team of the Southern Conference.
Mazzone’s hiring is impressive for the SoCon school. He’s widely considered to be among the best pitching coaches in MLB history for his work with the Braves from 1990 to 2005. Mazzone is responsible for shaping the careers of Tom Glavine and John Smoltz and worked extensively with Hall of Famer Greg Maddux. His accomplishments in the league are vast, as Mazzone was a big part in the Braves 14 consecutive division titles and 1995 World Series Championship.
Mazzone joined the Baltimore Orioles organization after the 2005 season, and was fired in 2007. The Braves replaced him as pitching coach with Roger McDowell, who has held the job ever since.
Since his firing by the Orioles, despite his impressive resume, Mazzone hasn’t been involved in coaching for nearly a decade. However, he has worked as a color commentator for Fox and has co-hosted a morning show on Atlanta’s WCNN-AM.
Furman gets an adviser with a plethora of experience shaping top major league talent. It should have pitchers excited. At the very least, they’ll get to hear stories about Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz. Mazzone is a great person to leech information off of.
For whatever reason, Mazzone was out of the game for an extended period of time. It’s great to see him back, even if it’s just as an adviser. Mazzone is one of the best pitching coaches of all-time, and Furman is lucky to have him.
[AJC]
