Mike Bianco identified a specific profile for the new pitching coach role in the Ole Miss program and filled it on Thursday with Joel Mangrum, a Mississippi native and most recently the Cleveland Guardians minor league pitching coordinator.
College experience was obviously important, as there are key differences versus professional baseball, and Ole Miss needs urgency and pitchability, not just lab creations who throw hard with high spin rates — though the Rebels could use that, too.
Professional baseball experience was the primary requirement, as the Rebels have to maximize technology, streamline coaching staff responsibilities and focus on development in an attempt to repair a pitching staff that was 12th in the SEC in 2024.
Ole Miss was also 13th in offense, 14th in defense and went 17-43 in SEC games the past two seasons.
Bianco says he is handing over the day-to-day pitching coach responsibilities, which is the most notable change to the Ole Miss coaching setup since he was hired in 2000.
Mangrum checks those boxes and isn’t coming to Oxford as a figurehead. The Guardians are one of the best at pitcher development and system success on the mound. Four years as their MiLB pitching coordinator likely had him on the track for notable steps up soon.
Former Rebel Mickey Callaway had that exact job in the Cleveland organization and turned it into the franchise’s pitching coach and then the manager for the New York Mets.
Mangrum’s college experience includes Division I stops at New Mexico State and Austin Peay. ULM hired him in 2017, but he never coached a game before leaving for the Guardians.
ULM head coach Michael Federico’s son, Hayden, is an incoming freshman infielder for the Rebels.
Mangrum is an excellent hire on paper, as the Rebels sought to solve a problem, and he fits their idea of a solution.
The program has to get better at developing pitchers with both technology and mental makeup. The resources exist, but the results haven’t materialized the past two seasons.
Ole Miss hasn’t finished in the top half of the SEC in ERA since having the fifth-best in 2018. From 2019-2024, Ole Miss’ conference ERA finishes are 10th, 11th, ninth, 12th and 12th. The Rebels hosted regionals in 2019 and 2021 and won the national title in 2022.
Bianco threw out a wide net and shot for the stars early in the search, gauging interest from multiple Big League pitching coaches — a good sign of searching for talented options but also potentially detrimental as time is the elephant in this situation.
Ole Miss needs transfer portal help, and as of Friday morning, there hasn’t been an incoming public commitment. Most of the pitching side of portal recruitment was on some level of hold until the hire was made.
The Rebels also lost out on their top catching target to date with Wofford’s Daniel Jackson committing to Georgia days before he was scheduled to visit the Rebels. It’s potentially Ole Miss’ biggest portal need.
Beyond the immediate ticking clock with the portal, Mangrum needs to improve the Rebels in year one. It’s not a secret that Bianco’s tenure is largely dependent on turnaround next season, making a multi-year rebound not much of an option.
Mangrum’s in-state ties or longterm recruiting ability are immaterial currently when compared to what he’s able to do with Grayson Saunier, Liam Doyle, JT Quinn and other returners while being an attractive option for portal pitchers and draft-eligible Rebels.
Former Ole Miss pitcher and 2022 College World Series MVP Dylan DeLucia praised Mangrum on Thursday. The two worked together with the Guardians. DeLucia is close to returning to game action from Tommy John surgery.
“He’s great and what Ole Miss needed,” DeLucia said. “He’s probably one of the best pitching guys in the game.”
And that’s likely true. The Guardians don’t just give that job away. It’s one of the most critical positions for one of the best organizations.
I also believe Bianco is going to stay out of the way. That’s been a message board topic since the search began. I get it. I just don’t believe it’s a concern.
The way Ole Miss coordinated its coaching staff is obsolete and broken for 2024 high-level college baseball. There’s no guarantee this move is going to mean a stark improvement, but it’s the only way it might happen.
With NIL and the portal and all the other changes, manager fits the bill more than coach when talking about the head of an SEC baseball team. It’s time for Bianco to be that, and he knows it. If he falls short executing that change, then the result is likely written anyway.
This is an A hire because it focuses on the program, in both Ole Miss’ reputation with development and the practical application of getting better quickly.
The Rebels recruit well. They land guys SEC powers want. It just doesn’t translate often enough to success on the mound, and Mangrum fits who can improve that. Both in the immediate and beyond this pivotal season.
Bianco brought in someone who makes a lot of sense. Now it’s time to hand it over, let him work and see what happens.
