BOSTON - Dana LeVangie has been a part of the Red Sox organization since 1997, but it wasn't until last week that he began watching games from the dugout.
LeVangie served as bullpen catcher from 1997 to 2004, and after that season moved on to a scouting position for the team. Before the 2013 season, LeVangie moved back to the bullpen - this time as the bullpen coach.
But after John Farrell's cancer diagnosis and Torey Lovullo's moving to the interim manager role, a need for bench coach opened up. LeVangie was the guy chosen to fill that role.
For Lovullo, LeVangie adds a fresh perspective on the goings-on during the game, offering support or a challenge to any of Lovullo's decisions.
But there's another plus to having LeVangie in the dugout. While bullpen coach, LeVenagie also served as the team's catching instructor, working directly with Ryan Hanigan and Blake Swihart on a daily basis.
Now that he's in the dugout, both catchers get to bounce things off him and pick his brain during the game.
"We deal with him more than anybody, really," Hanigan said of the catchers' relationship with LeVangie. "He's got a lot of insightful stuff. He's always got some simple informative things here and there. He can throw one or two things at you that are valuable. You take them for what they are, use them if you can. And he's always giving you a pat on the back and understands the game can be difficult and you get frustrated. So he's got a good way about him, everyone appreciates him, everyone appreciates the work he puts in, the knowledge, and the amount of preparation he does."
Blake Swihart is one of the Red Sox' two young, up-and-coming catchers along with Christian Vazquez. With Vazquez out this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, Swihart got called up to the big league club earlier than expected. Swihart spent most of his rookie season focusing on catching and calling games, something LeVangie undoubtedly helped him with along the way. He's now starting to heat up at the plate.
Being able to chat with LeVangie in the dugout between innings can only be a good thing for the young catcher.
"I like having him in the dugout a little better," Swihart said. "We do drills every day even when I'm not playing. Even [Friday] I went out there and did a couple drills early with him. He's been really helpful. Understanding everything, how to control myself. Having him in the dugout now I get a lot of feedback which is very helpful."
Who knows what will happen to the coaching staff after the 2015 season, but LeVangie getting out of the bullpen and into the dugout can only be a positive for him and all the position players he's now able to talk baseball with during the game.
"Dana is money," Hanigan said. "I love him. No matter where he is he's a huge asset to this team in terms of understanding everything, really. He sees everything, the hitters, the pitchers, the defense, he's very prepared. And he delivers his point of view in a way that's not abrasive to guys. Sometimes he keeps it real simple, sometimes he elaborates. He understands when guys don't want to hear it. So he's just a great baseball guy. He's basically a wealth of knowledge for us when we need it."