<P> Full - time coaches in professional baseball date to 1909, when John McGraw of the New York Giants engaged Arlie Latham and Wilbert Robinson as coaches . By the 1920s, most Major League teams had two full - time coaches, although the manager often doubled as third - base coach and specialists such as pitching coaches were rare . After World War II, most MLB teams listed between three and five coaches on their roster, as managers increasingly ran their teams from the dugout full - time, and appointed pitching and bullpen coaches to assist them and the baseline coaches . Batting and bench coaches came into vogue during the 1960s and later . Because of the proliferation of uniformed coaches in the modern game, by the late 2000s Major League Baseball had restricted the number of uniformed staff to six coaches and one manager during the course of a game . Beginning with the 2013 season, clubs are permitted to employ a seventh uniformed coach, designated the assistant hitting coach, at their own discretion . </P> <P> The first bench coach in baseball was George Huff, who took that helm for the Illinois Fighting Illini baseball in 1905; at the time, it meant a coach present throughout the season . </P> <P> More recently, the bench coach is a team's second - in - command . The bench coach serves as an in - game advisor to the manager, offering situational advice, and bouncing ideas back and forth in order to assist the manager in making game decisions . If the manager is ejected, suspended, or unable to attend a game for any reason, the bench coach assumes the position of acting manager . If the manager is fired or resigns during the season, it is usually the bench coach who gets promoted to interim manager . The bench coach's responsibilities also include helping to set up the day's practice and stretching routines before a game, as well as coordinating spring training routines and practices . </P> <P> A pitching coach mentors and trains teams' pitchers . He advises the manager on the condition of pitchers and their arms, and serves as an in - game coach for the pitcher currently on the mound . When a manager makes a visit to the mound, he typically is doing so to make a pitching change or to discuss situational defense . However, to talk about mechanics or how to pitch to a particular batter, the pitching coach is the one who will typically visit the mound . The pitching coach is generally a former pitcher . One exception is Dave Duncan, the former pitching coach of the St. Louis Cardinals, who was a catcher . Prior to the early 1950s, pitching coaches were usually former catchers . </P>

What does a bench coach do in the mlb
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