Tag: charlie madden

Drew Ehrhard joins Red Sox as bullpen catcher

Red Sox minor leaguer Drew Ehrhard has retired from playing and joined the big league club as a bullpen catcher, as was first reported by Alex Speier of The Boston Globe.

Ehrhard, 27, has been in the Red Sox organization since signing as an undrafted free agent out of Division II Tampa (where he played six years) in July 2023. The Florida native is effectively replacing catching coordinator Parker Guinn, who has moved from his role as a bullpen catcher to the dugout, where he will assist with PitchCom and other tasks under interim manager Chad Tracy.

Before joining the Red Sox’ new-look coaching staff in the wake of Alex Cora’s stunning ouster over the weekend, Ehrhard had spent the first month of the 2026 season at Double-A Portland. In 11 games for the Sea Dogs, the right-handed hitter batted .132/.227/.316 with one double, two home runs, eight RBIs, five runs scored, one stolen base, four walks, and 10 strikeouts across 45 plate appearances. He made eight starts at first base and two at DH, adding two relief appearances on the mound as well.

In parts of four minor league seasons between the Florida Complex League, High-A Greenville, and Portland, Ehrhard slashed .233/.306/.376 with 15 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, 39 RBIs, 39 runs scored, five stolen bases, 28 walks, and 76 strikeouts over 104 career games (363 plate appearances). Defensively, the 5-foot-9, 185-pounder made 42 starts at first base and DH, along with two at second base. He also appeared in three games behind the plate, where he did not have an opportunity to throw out a base stealer, and nine on the mound, compiling a 3.60 ERA with one strikeout and no walks in 10 innings of relief.

With Portland last season, Ehrhard had the chance to play alongside his younger brother, Zach, before the latter was traded to the Dodgers in late July. The elder Ehrhard was also recognized as the Sea Dogs’ 2025 Charlie Eshbach Citizen of the Year for “displaying an even stronger testament to the impact that players can have on an organization both on and off the field.”

Ehrhard joins Charlie Madden as one of two bullpen catchers on the Red Sox’ coaching staff. Similar to Ehrhard, Madden — a former 24th-round draft pick out of Mercer in 2017 — played three seasons in the minor leagues before spending most of 2021 on Boston’s taxi squad. He was then brought on as a bullpen catcher following his release in March 2022.

(Picture of Drew Ehrhard: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox hire Charlie Madden as bullpen catcher

The Red Sox have hired Charlie Madden as a bullpen catcher, per The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham. The move comes after Madden was officially released by the club on Wednesday.

Madden, 26, was originally selected by Boston in the 24th round of the 2017 amateur draft out of Mercer University. The Georgia native was a lifetime .220/.291/.344 hitter in the minors before the 2020 season was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The following spring, Madden was in minor-league camp with the Red Sox and was expected to begin the 2021 season with Triple-A Worcester. Although he was assigned to the WooSox’ roster, the right-handed hitting backstop actually joined the big-league club in May.

At that time, Madden was told by director of player development Brian Abraham that he would be used as a taxi squad catcher. It was initially unclear how long Madden’s stint as a catcher on the taxi squad would last, but he remained with the team for the remainder of the regular season and throughout the postseason.

“The reason Charlie is here is because our staff knew he had all those qualities,” chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) back in October. “And when you’re looking for someone to do this job, you want someone wired like Charlie; with a head on his shoulders like Charlie has. He’s been great as a part of this group. All the credit … to our people who knew him and identified him as a good candidate for this.”

Becoming Boston’s taxi squad catcher allowed Madden to work closely with the team’s coaching staff and pitchers, including fellow 2017 draftee Tanner Houck, who credits Madden for his ability to ‘break down analytics and present it in a simple, understandable way.’

“He understands all of the analytical side but then he can sit there and talk about it in a baseball format and not just say, ‘Oh, well, the numbers are saying this,’” Houck explained to Smith last fall. “He can say, ‘From a hitter’s perspective I would probably see this.’ Or ‘In this situation, I’d probably be sitting (on this pitch) if I was facing you.’”

With Madden joining Red Sox manager Alex Cora’s coaching staff for the 2022 season as a bullpen catcher, he will be sharing those responsibilities with Mani Martinez.

An opening for a second bullpen catcher came about when Mike Brenly, who served in the role from 2016 through 2021, was promoted to major-league staff assistant in December.

(Picture of Charlie Madden: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)