Padres Hire Dobson, Otis and Sommers

Pat Dobson, Amos Otis and Denny Sommers were added to the Padres’ coaching staff for the 1988 season, the club announced Thursday.

Dobson, pitching coach; Otis, hitting coach, and Sommers, bullpen coach, will join holdovers Sandy Alomar, who will shift to third base, and Greg Riddoch, who will be at first.

The additions conclude a restructuring of Manager Larry Bowa’s staff. Alomar had been the first base coach, and Riddoch had been the coach in the dugout.

Otis, 40, who hit .277 in a 17-year major league career spent primarily with the Kansas City Royals, was a roving hitting instructor for the Padre organization in 1987. This will be his first major league coaching assignment since his retirement in 1984.

Dobson, 45, a minor league pitching instructor for the Seattle Mariners in 1987, pitched for the Padres in 1970. His best year as a pitcher was a 20-victory season for the Baltimore Orioles in 1971. He was pitching coach for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1983 and ’84.

Sommers, 47, a scout for the last two years for the Minnesota Twins, was the Cleveland Indians’ bullpen coach from 1979 through ’85. He has spent 19 years in the minor leagues, 12 as a manager and 7 as a player.