With the news being that Arroyo most likely done as a pitcher, many folks would love to see him become a coach in the Reds organization. In theory it makes sense, right? Great dude who is a fan favorite with a wealth of experience.
But then ask yourself if it makes sense for Arroyo...a carefree, Key West Florida guy who loves the beach and the guitar..to now spend his days GRINDING it out as a minor league pitching coach, traveling on a bus from city to city?
Ask yourself if this same carefree guy who has over $30M in the bank wants to spend his days evaluating and working with countless pitchers from any number of the Reds affiliates on countless baseball fields across America?
Or does it make more sense that he grabs a surfboard and a Gibson acoustic and kicks back in the sand?
The GRIND of a coach is much different that that of a player, especially in baseball and especially a pitcher. A pitcher performs once a week. The rest of that week is spent on his own maintenance and preparation. A coach must be “on” every day. Not for himself but for the entire staff. Every day a handful of young pitchers that need to be coached and tweaked. Every day a delivery that needs to be perfected, an arm angle that needs to be changed, and a pitch count that needs to be considered. Every day. GRIND. Arroyo wouldn’t just retire tomorrow and be standing next to Bryan Price in the Reds dugout the next. He’d go down to the minors he would be working with any number of pitchers from AAA Louisville, AA Pensacola, Advanced A Daytona, A Dayton, plus rookie leagues and Latin American leagues.
Does this sound like fun if your 40 and worth multiple eight-figures?
If the value of Arroyo is as a guy who can “help the young guys out” then this is not a once in a while duty. This is an every day, in the locker room, watching guys, evaluating them, working with them, up early, to bed late, BEING THERE to help their daily development. Should we just expect him to overtake this tremendous task?
It makes sense for Arroyo but only in theory. The reality is it takes two to tango. Again, coaching is a GRIND, you have to love everything about it on your way up that ladder. This very well may be a toil that Arroyo wants absolutely no part of. I just don’t see it happening.