PHILADELPHIA -- Rick Kranitz helped the Phillies move forward in 2018. He helped Aaron Nola become a National League Cy Young Award candidate. He guided a rotation that boasted four pitchers with 30-plus starts and almost single-handedly kept the Phillies in first place in the National League East through early August.
Kranitz worked closely with a pitching staff that sat atop the league in many of the metrics the organization prizes most.
But the Phillies recently dismissed Kranitz as pitching coach after one season and replaced him by promoting assistant pitching coach Chris Young, who had drawn interest from other teams. The move surprised many, particularly Phillies pitchers. Some were upset about it.
"Of course, I was surprised," Kranitz said in a telephone interview Thursday. "I built so many great relationships with these young men. I'm just sorry that I'm not able to see it through. I felt like they all grew. They all grew and I'm very proud of that. I'm going to miss them.
"But it's their decision. It's Matt [Klentak] and Gabe [Kapler's] decision and I have to live with that."
There are pitching coach openings available, including in Atlanta. Kranitz might get an opportunity. If not, he has another year on his contract with the Phillies.
"Thankfully, one thing I thank Matt for is that I do have another year on my contract," Kranitz said. "He's always treated me well. I don't know all the circumstances of why it happened, but I'm going to miss the relationships that I had with those guys on a daily basis.
"I heard from quite a few pitchers. It's nice to know that they care. I mean, we live with these young men every day for seven and a half months. They know that I cared deeply for them, and I'm getting that same feeling in return now, which I'm grateful for."
Kranitz has a more traditional baseball background, previously serving as pitching coach with the Brewers, Orioles and Marlins. The Phillies are one of the most analytically driven organizations in baseball. Analytics guides everything they do, and no doubt analytics are a big reason why they hired Young as assistant pitching coach last year.
Young is well-versed in data.
Did the Phillies value Kranitz's opinions and contributions, despite his relatively old-school background?
"I think they value a good coach, I really do," Kranitz said. "I really believe that, but obviously they felt they needed to move this forward. But I'm grateful for the time I had in Philly. I loved being in Philly. Very passionate people, very passionate fans."
Asked what Kranitz was looking forward to most in 2019, he said, "So many of the guys took a step forward. There's nothing better than experience. I think they all gained valuable experience at the Major League level. They're all going to be better for that. They'll all continue to flourish. I was looking forward to seeing that. I have no doubt in my mind that this group is going to continue to grow."