Most of the Nationals 2025 coaching staff has been let go by the new regime. However, Sean Doolittle has survived the cuts. Paul Toboni and Blake Butera have decided to keep the pitching strategist and former closer. His role has not been announced though.
This is an interesting move because I understand it, but it also brings up some questions. Doolittle certainly fits the new regime’s ethos. He is an analytical guy, who is also very good at building relationships. In 2024, Doolittle’s analytical voice really helped the Nationals pitching staff. Pitchers like Jake Irvin, Mitchell Parker and DJ Herz all showed major improvement.
However, that magic was gone in 2025. The pitching staff regressed heavily, posting a 5.35 ERA, the worst in team history. Even as a Sean Doolittle fan, he has to shoulder some of that blame. The team was throwing too many fastballs last season, which is a pitching strategy problem. As the pitching strategist, Doolittle has to take some heat for that. When he was a pitcher, Doolittle was extremely fastball reliant, but most pitchers do not have the kind of life on their fastballs that Doolittle had.
Despite the poor results, the players spoke very highly of Doolittle. Blake Butera said that all the pitchers mentioned how much Doolittle helped them, often unprompted. They also spoke about how much Doolittle cared about them. This new regime is very focused on relationship building, so keeping Doolittle around makes sense from that perspective.
Another thing working in Doolittle’s favor was an existing relationship with new pitching coach Simon Mathews. The two crossed paths at the Push Performance pitching lab. Clearly, the two like each other and will be pushing in the same direction.
Doolittle is still very early in his coaching journey. He is likely to learn a few things from Mathews, as well as other people on the staff. While Doolittle is almost a decade older than Mathews, the Nats new pitching coach has been in the coaching game for longer. Mathews has also coached in a number of roles, both in an organization and in a pitching lab. Hopefully those two can help each other grow as coaches.
I am also curious as to what Doolittle’s role will be. Right now that has not been decided yet. Will he be the pitching strategist again, or will he shift to a new role? As a former closer, the bullpen coach could be a fit for Doolittle. Whatever that role is, we now know that Sean Doolittle will be sticking around in 2026.
With so much change in the organization, you need to keep some people around. Clearly Doolittle is a coach that the players trust and really respect. Having those relationships with the players is a huge part of coaching. Blake Butera talked a lot about relationship building in his press conference. Keeping a coach with an analytical mind and those great relationships makes sense, even if the results were not great last season.