Red Sox World Series Champ Finds ‘Breath Of Fresh Air’ Coaching In CCBL

BOURNE, Mass. -- It was a summer night in the middle of June on Cape Cod. The Bourne Braves of the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League had just defeated the Orleans Firebirds to open up the season.

And after all the action concluded for the night at Doran Park, Jarrod Saltalamacchia hopped on a tractor and raked up the infield dirt to prepare the diamond for its next game.

It was an unusual sight to see that from a former big leaguer of 12 seasons who earned just over $32 million in his career. But the job wasn't beneath the 2013 Boston Red Sox World Series champion.

"That's a true baseball player right there and a true baseball coach," Braves manager Scott Landers said.

Saltalamacchia has spent the last three summers coaching in the shadow of the Bourne Bridge. He first got into coaching at the high school level soon after he retired from MLB following the 2018 season when he joined the staff at The King's Academy in West Palm Beach, Fla. After a season as an assistant, Saltalamacchia took the reigns as the program's head coach.

But Saltalamacchia looked to expand his coaching horizons and wanted the chance to coach some of the best players the college game had to offer. Saltalamacchia knew that opportunity would come back in Massachusetts despite not playing in the CCBL since he was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the first round out of high school in 2003.

"I've always known the Cape," Saltalamacchia told NESN.com. "The Cape is known throughout all of baseball as the best league to play in if you're a college player. It was a no-brainer when I was looking to get into coaching at the college level."

Getting an invite to the CCBL, which is a breeding ground for big leaguers with the likes of Kyle Schwarber, Aaron Judge, Adley Rutschman, Chris Sale and Paul Skenes among hundreds of other stars passing through in recent years, is a special honor for college baseball players looking to dramatically improve their draft stock.

But getting the chance to be coached by Saltalamacchia made it an even bigger draw for Oregon catcher Chase Meggers, who joined the Braves in the middle of this season.

"Obviously it's unreal to be able to play for someone like him," Meggers said. "I was super excited. I told my dad right away. When I found out, I looked at the roster and looked at the coaching staff and I was like, 'Holy cow. I'm a catcher and I watched him play.' It was pretty neat to see that he was going to be my coach and I was just super excited to meet him and learn from him."

Yarmouth-Dennis first reached out to Saltalamacchia about coaching prior to the 2022 season, but after he hit it off with Landers, he came aboard the Braves' staff. The two get along so well that Saltalamacchia even lives with Landers during the season.

Saltalamacchia is now a pivotal piece of the Braves, who have won back-to-back CCBL titles with Saltalamacchia on board and are in search of a three-peat this month.

Being in the dugout allows Saltalamacchia to dispense all the baseball knowledge he accumulated over the course of his career to eager college players looking for any information to keep their dreams alive. The questions can come in a flurry, but Saltalamacchia is more than happy to oblige and answer each one.

"I really, really enjoy these college kids because they're just dying for information," Saltalamacchia said. "I mean, every second of every day they're just hanging around me, trying to get whatever input they can, which I love."

Meggers said Saltalamacchia helped him out with the intricate details of the game, making mechanical adjustments to his swing and framing technique. For Virginia Tech infielder Garrett Michel, he leaned on Saltalamacchia's wisdom to overcome a slump at the start of this season.

"He's always here," Michel said. "I text him privately and ask him to work one-on-one, like early, early work, and he's there, no hesitation. He always wants to work with guys and make guys better. We all love him."

Saltalamacchia hopes to parlay this experience into something bigger in the future. He worked to mold himself into a desirable target for a college job someday by coaching the top college players in the country. If that's not enough, he went a step further as he is close to getting a degree in business and leadership from Northeastern.

Saltalamacchia would prefer to coach at the college level instead of in the pros. But MLB teams, including the Red Sox, have still called to gauge his interest. Saltalamacchia isn't interested in those jobs for the time being, but won't rule out jumping to coach pro ball.

"College for me, you get to recruit obviously, so you're getting kids as puppies and you get to build them into attack dogs. That's kind of my mindset," Saltalamacchia said. "Whereas in the pro level, they put a lot of restrictions on things. They say, 'Hey this guy can't do this. This guy can't play this day.' And they want you to work on certain things. There's so much numbers involved, you're like, 'Golly, it's baseball, let's just teach them how to play the game.' So college it's a little more freedom."

Saltalamacchia said he looks to emulate his coaching style from coaches who made an impact on him, like Gary Tuck, who worked as a bullpen coach and catching instructor with the Red Sox from 2007-2012, Terry Francona and Hall of Famer Bobby Cox.

Saltalamacchia brings a humble and hands-on approach to go along with a decorated baseball pedigree with him to the diamond. It's hard for college players to not gravitate toward him.

Landers sees that first hand and has thoroughly enjoyed having Saltalamacchia's baseball mind in the dugout. But he knows there will be coaching options waiting for his assistant beyond the CCBL.

"Having him around and these guys knowing where he's from and what he's done, they really look up to him. And he's invested in it, which is an awesome thing to see," Landers said. "I tip my cap to him because he works his ass off because he doesn't need to do it, he wants to do it. I'm just fortunate to have him here."

Saltalamacchia has more coaching goals he'd like to accomplish. But until the right job opens up for him, he will keep returning to the Cape, where it feels like he goes back to his baseball roots each summer.

"Like I said, you're dealing with guys who are one step away from the big leagues. There's so much more you can teach them because they're so much stronger, they're more physical, athletic," Saltalamacchia said. "It allows me to use what I've gained in my life playing the game a little bit more, where as the high school game it's more about fundamentals.

"So, that's why I love doing it. I just love coming out here. It's a breath of fresh air to redo everything.''