Several Texas Rangers legends named to coaching staffs for 2024 All-Star Futures Teams
Major League Baseball today announced the full coaching staffs for the 2024 All-Star Futures Game, which will be played on Saturday, July 13th at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The coaching staffs, which will be led by previously announced managers Adrian Beltré of the American League Futures Team and Michael Young of the National League Futures Team, feature numerous Texas Rangers legends who have a combined 28 All-Star Game selections.
Beltré, who will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown next month, will work alongside bench coach Raul Ibañez; hitting coach Prince Fielder; third base coach Nelson Cruz; pitching coach Francisco Cordero; bullpen coach Derek Holland; first base coach Mitch Moreland; coach Elvis Andrus; and Minor League coach Kenny Holmberg.
Ibañez, who managed the NL Futures squad last year in Seattle, played 19 seasons in the Majors for the Seattle Mariners (1996-2000, 2004-08, 2013), Kansas City Royals (2001-03, 2014), Philadelphia Phillies (2009-11), New York Yankees (2012) and Los Angeles Angels (2014). The 2009 All-Star, who currently serves as the Vice President of Baseball Development and Special Projects for the Los Angeles Dodgers, recorded 2,034 career hits with 424 doubles, 51 triples, 305 home runs, 1,207 RBI and 1,055 runs scored. Prior to his current role with the Dodgers, he served four years as a special assistant in the organization before spending nearly four years as MLB’s Senior Vice President of On-Field Operations.
Fielder, a six-time All-Star and the 2011 Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player, played 12 seasons in the Majors for the Milwaukee Brewers (2005-11), Detroit Tigers (2012-13) and the Rangers (2014-16). Fielder, a two-time Home Run Derby Champion (2009 and 2012), amassed 319 career homers and finished in the top five of MVP voting on three occasions (2007, 2009, 2011).
Cruz, a seven-time All-Star and the 2021 Roberto Clemente Award winner, played 19 seasons in the Majors for the Brewers (2005), Rangers (2006-13), Baltimore Orioles (2014), Mariners (2015-18), Minnesota Twins (2019-2021), Tampa Bay Rays (2021), Washington Nationals (2022) and San Diego Padres (2023). In May, Cruz was named a consultant to MLB as a special advisor for baseball operations, serving as a liaison on issues in Latin America. Cruz helped lead the Rangers to consecutive AL pennants in 2010 and 2011, and was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2011 ALCS after hitting .364 with six home runs and 13 RBI in the six-game series.
Cordero, a three-time All-Star, pitched 14 seasons in the Majors for the Tigers (1999), Rangers (2000-06), Brewers (2006-07), Cincinnati Reds (2008-11), Toronto Blue Jays (2012) and Houston Astros (2012). The right-hander recorded 329 career saves, including 117 with Texas, highlighted by a career-best 49 saves during the 2004 campaign.
Holland pitched 13 seasons in the Majors for the Rangers (2009-16), Chicago White Sox (2017), San Francisco Giants (2018-19), Chicago Cubs (2019), Pittsburgh Pirates (2020) and the Tigers (2021). The left-hander, who helped guide the Rangers to consecutive AL pennants, tallied a career-best 16 wins during the 2011 season. Holland pitched 8.1 scoreless innings of two-hit ball en route to a victory in Game 4 of the 2011 World Series.
Moreland, an AL All-Star in 2018 and a 2016 AL Gold Glove Award winner, played 12 seasons in the Majors for the Rangers (2010-16), Boston Red Sox (2017-20), Padres (2020) and Oakland Athletics (2021). A member of two AL-pennant-winning teams in Texas, Moreland batted .389 in six ALCS games before hitting .462 across five World Series games in 2010.
Andrus, a two-time All-Star, played 15 seasons in the Majors for the Rangers (2009-20), Athletics (2021-22) and White Sox (2022-23). The durable shortstop played in at least 145 games in each of his first 10 seasons, finishing second in AL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year voting in 2009 and earning All-Star selections in 2010 and 2012 while helping the Rangers to the Fall Classic in 2010 and 2011. Andrus recorded 2,091 career hits, including 380 doubles, 51 triples and 102 home runs, with 347 stolen bases.
Holmberg, who is currently the Minor League Field Coordinator in the Rangers’ organization, was selected by the Brewers in the 22nd round of the 2005 MLB Draft and played four seasons in the Milwaukee organization. Since 2009, Holmberg has served in a variety of coaching and managerial roles within the Texas Minor League system.
Young’s NL staff will include bench coach Ian Kinsler; hitting coach Mark Teixeira; pitching coach Darren Oliver; bullpen coach Colby Lewis; first base coach Gary Matthews Jr.; coach Vernon Wells; and third base coach Gabe Alvarez.
Kinsler, a four-time All-Star and the two-time Gold Glove Award winner, played 14 seasons in the Majors for the Rangers (2006-13), Tigers (2014-17), Angels (2018), Red Sox (2018) and Padres (2019). The infielder, who was a member of two AL Championship teams in Texas, was inducted into the Rangers Baseball Hall of Fame in August 2022. He is one of just two second basemen and 14 total players in history with at least 30 homers and 30 stolen bases in multiple seasons, accomplishing the feat in 2009 and 2011. Kinsler, who won a gold medal with Team USA during the 2017 World Baseball Classic and played for Team Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics, served as manager of the Israel squad during the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Teixeira, a three-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove Award winner, played 14 seasons in the Majors for the Rangers (2003-07), Atlanta Braves (2007-08), Angels (2008) and Yankees (2009-16). The switch-hitting slugger recorded 409 career home runs, including a career-best 43 homers and 144 RBI during his 2005 All-Star season with the Rangers in which he played in all 162 games.
Oliver pitched 20 seasons in the Majors for the Rangers (1993-98, 2000-01, 2010-11), St. Louis Cardinals (1998-99), Red Sox (2002), Colorado Rockies (2003), Florida Marlins (2004), Astros (2004), New York Mets (2006), Angels (2007-09) and Blue Jays (2012-13). The left-hander made six consecutive Postseason appearances from 2006-11, capped off by his two AL pennants with Texas. In Rangers’ history, Oliver ranks sixth in games pitched, ninth in wins and 10th in starts.
Lewis pitched 11 seasons in the Majors for the Rangers (2002-04, 2010-16), Tigers (2006) and Athletics (2007). The right-hander ranks among all-time team leaders in starts (194, fourth); wins (77, sixth); and innings pitched (1,174.1, sixth). Lewis, who pitched and won the series-clinching Game 6 of the 2010 ALCS for the Rangers, compiled a 4-1 record with a 3.11 ERA over 10 Postseason appearances for Texas, including nine starts.
Matthews Jr., a 2006 All-Star with the Rangers, played 12 seasons in the Majors for the Padres (1999, 2003), Cubs (2000-01), Pirates (2001), Mets (2002, 2010), Baltimore Orioles (2002-03), Rangers (2004-06) and Angels (2007-09). During his 2006 All-Star campaign, Matthews posted career-bests with 620 at-bats, 102 runs scored, 194 hits, 44 doubles, six triples, 19 home runs, 79 RBI, a .313 batting average and an .866 OPS.
Wells, a three-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove Award winner, played 15 seasons in the Majors for the Blue Jays (1999-2010), Angels (2011-12) and Yankees (2013). Wells, who grew up in Arlington and attended Bowie High School, led the AL with 215 hits and 49 doubles during his 2003 All-Star campaign. The versatile outfielder finished his career with 270 home runs, 379 doubles, 109 stolen bases and 958 RBI.
Alvarez played three seasons in the Majors for the Tigers (1998-2000) and the Padres (2000). The native of Mexico and product of the University of Southern California was selected by the Padres in the second round of the 1995 MLB Draft. Following his playing career, Alvarez returned to USC as an assistant coach in 2010 and served in different capacities until his final season in 2021. Alvarez is currently in his third season as manager of the Double-A Erie SeaWolves of the Tigers’ organization.
The 2024 All-Star Futures Game features the top Minor League prospects competing as part of All-Star Saturday. The Futures Game will once again feature a National League vs. American League format, which was introduced in 2019 following 20 years of U.S. vs. World matchups. The game, which is scheduled for seven innings, will begin at 4:00 p.m. (ET)/3:00 p.m. (CT). Last year in Seattle, the NL earned a 5-0 victory, led by Nasim Nuñez, who drove in three runs and was presented with the Larry Doby Award as the game’s Most Valuable Player. With the victory, the NL now holds a 2-1-1 advantage under the AL vs. NL format.
Following the conclusion of the Futures Game will be the brand-new MLB Futures Skills Showcase. The hitting competition, which will feature three rounds of hitting challenges, is inspired by fan-favorite baseball video games past and present. The competition is the latest initiative to highlight baseball’s future stars on a national platform and guarantees fans the opportunity to see top prospects display their all-around hitting abilities in a fun and competitive environment. Rosters for the 2024 All-Star Futures Game and participants for the inaugural MLB Futures Skills Showcase will be announced tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. (ET) on MLB Network.
The Minor League Baseball Umpires who will work the All-Star Futures Game are Triple-A Umpire Felix Neon; Double-A Umpire Matt Blackborow of the Eastern League; Triple-A Umpire Casey James; and Double-A Umpire Sean Sparling of the Texas League. All four umpires will also be on the field for the T-Mobile Home Run Derby on Monday, July 15th. In addition, two of the four umpires will be assigned to the Futures Skills Showcase while the other two will work Saturday evening’s All-Star Celebrity Softball Game presented by Corona.
Single day tickets for All-Star Saturday on July 13th are now available at allstargame.com. Tickets for All-Star Saturday include access to all three events taking place at Globe Life Field, including the All-Star Futures Game, MLB Futures Skills Showcase and the All-Star Celebrity Softball Game presented by Corona. Tickets are also available now at allstargame.com for the HBCU Swingman Classic presented by T-Mobile at Globe Life Field on July 12th, and for Capital One All-Star Village at Choctaw Stadium from July 13th-16th.
For more information about MLB All-Star Week, please visit allstargame.com and follow @MLB and @AllStarGame on social media.