Pitching Coach: Curt Young

The Red Sox have named Curt Young as their new pitching coach. Young had spent 27 years in the Oakland organization -- 12 as a player, eight as a minor league coach, and the last seven as pitching coach. He declined a contract for 2011.

WEEI's Alex Speier notes that in Young's seven years as pitching coach, the A's team ERA of 4.03 "ranks as the best in the American League. The Oakland staff also had a 3.58 this year that led the American League".

Theo Epstein:

Curt has a proven track record of success in this job, mixing excellent relationship-building skills with expert knowledge of pitching and how to get hitters out ... We think he will work well with our pitching staff and within the culture of our clubhouse.

Terry Francona said that in September, he and former pitching coach (and current Blue Jays manager) John Farrell -- knowing Farrell would be leaving -- both made a list of internal and external candidates. Young was at the top of both of their lists.

The SoSH thread quotes Craig Breslow, who pitched briefly for the Red Sox in 2006 and was with Young in Oakland in 2009-10:

Curt showed a remarkable ability to adapt and a flexibility to navigate different personalities and abilities. I think that's probably his best attribute. Naturally, players respond differently to different stimuli, and Curt did an exemplary job of finding out how to motivate and reach individuals.

BP Q&A with Young from October 2007.