Cuellar in the Dodgers’ system was pitching coach in Ogden, Great Lakes, and Arizona, as well as a roving instructor in the system.
Bobby Cuellar, a Dodgers minor league coach for the last 10 years, died of a heart attack on Monday in Houston, at age 72.
Cuellar was a pitching coach at various levels in the Dodgers minors dating back to 2015, and most recently was a roving instructor in the system. In his well over five decades in baseball, Cuellar was a pitching or bullpen coach in the majors with the Mariners, Expos, Rangers, Pirates, and Twins.
Drafted by the Rangers in 1974, Cuellar pitched in four games in the majors for Texas in 1977, and allowed only one run in his 6⅔ relief innings.
Cuellar won the Mike Coolbaugh Award in 2023, an annual honor for people with “outstanding baseball work ethic, knowledge of the game and skill in mentoring young players on the field”
Cary Osborne at Dodger Insider has more on Cuellar, including this 2023 quote from Dodgers director of player development Will Rhymes about Cuellar:
“The knowledge is profound in every area,” Rhymes said. “There are certain people who just don’t understand baseball, they’re like a grandmaster of chess, but they’re like the grandmaster of baseball. And he sees the game at a really, really high level. He sees everything with players. And one of his best qualities is empathy. And obviously, from doing it as a player and as a staff member, he understands where every player is at. And so his ability to mentor players is off the charts due to that.”
Petie Montero, the Dodgers minor league coach and major league video coordinator, shared a tribute to Cuellar on Instagram this week.