Jagers named Reds assistant pitching coach

A man with local ties has been named as the new assistant pitching coach for the Cincinnati Reds.

Eric Jagers, 25, son of Tom and Gail Jagers of Princeton, will replace Caleb Cotham, who became the Phillies' pitching coach. Jagers served as assistant pitching coordinator last season for the Reds.

According to mlb.com, Jagers will employ technology and video for advanced pitching research and data collection for the Reds pitching staff working under pitching coach Derek Johnson and manager David Bell.

"He's really excited about it and really likes the guy he's going work under, Derek Johnson. He'll be a good mentor for Erik and a good person learn from," Tom Jagers said.

Reds pitcher Michael Lorenzen, tweeted out congratulations to Jagers: "This is REALLY good news! Congratulations! Hard work and an obsession to learn is paying off brother!! Soon, every team will be trying to steal you from us."

Jagers, whose brother Alex is a junior member of the PHS baseball team, lived in Iowa with his mother and attended Davenport Assumption High School. Assumption was state runner-up his senior year (2013) and won the Iowa State title the next year.

Injuries sidetracked Jagers pitching career at Des Moines Community College and the University of Iowa. He stayed in the game with Driveline Baseball in 2018, a Seattle-based performance center founded by Kyle Boddy, now the Reds' pitching coordinator, according to mlb.com. He was a pitching strategist in the Phillies' Minor League system in 2019.