Rockies announce full player development staff for 2023

The Colorado Rockies announced on Friday the coaching staffs for all of their Minor League affiliates for the 2023 season, as well as the club’s player development staff.

The Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes will see Pedro Lopez take over as manager, replacing Warren Schaeffer who will join the Rockies as third base and infield coach in 2023. Lopez will be joined by Bench Coach Bobby Meacham, Pitching Coach Chris Michalak and Hitting Coach Jordan Pacheco.

Lopez takes the helm of the Isotopes after serving as Albuquerque’s bench coach in 2022 and hitting coach in 2021. He originally joined the Rockies staff prior to the canceled 2020 Minor League season. Previously, Lopez spent 12 seasons with the Mets organization where he served in numerous roles, most recently as the manager of Low-A Columbia. The Vega Baja, Puerto Rico native began his coaching career as a manager and coach in the Texas Rangers’ system from 2000-07 after a 13-year professional playing career with the Padres, Brewers and Astros organizations.

Meacham joins the Rockies organization in 2023 after most recently serving as a coaching assistant on Joe Giradi’s Phillies staff from Jan. 2020 - June 2022. The Los Angeles native spent the 2013-19 seasons managing at three levels in the Blue Jays Minor League system. Meacham has also previously served on the Major League coaching staffs of the Marlins, Padres, Yankees and Astros from 2006-12. Prior to his first Minor League coaching role, Meacham played six seasons with the Yankees from 1983-1988, primarily as a shortstop, hitting .236 with eight home runs and 114 RBI over that span.

Michalak will enter his first season in the Rockies organization, coming from the Nationals organization. The Joliet, Ill. native served as a pitching coach at three different levels in the Washington system from 2010-2017, before assisting the Major League staff. Michalak pitched in parts of four seasons in the Major Leagues with the Diamondbacks (1998), Blue Jays (2001), Rangers (2001-02) and Reds (2006).

Pacheco enters his second season with Albuquerque as the club’s hitting coach. The Albuquerque native and graduate of the University of New Mexico joined the Rockies Minor League staff in 2022 after a 14-year professional player career, including Major League stints with Colorado (2011-14), Arizona (2014-15) and Cincinnati (2016). He retired from playing professionally following the 2021 season after hitting .370 in 39 games with the independent Lexington Legends in the Atlantic League. Originally selected by Colorado in the ninth round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, Pacheco appeared in 270 games with the Rockies across parts of four seasons (2011-14). In 2012, the catcher and infielder appeared in 132 games for the Rockies, hitting .309 (147-for-475) with 32 doubles, three triples, five home runs and 54 RBI.

At Double-A Hartford, Chris Denorfia returns to the helm of the Yard Goats, along with Bench Coach Luis Lopez, Pitching Coach Blaine Beatty and Hitting Coach Tom Sutaris.

Denorfia enters his fourth season with the Rockies after being named the Yard Goats’ manager prior to the canceled 2020 Minor League season. He began his coaching career as the Chicago Cubs’ quality assurance coach in 2019 following a year as a special assistant to the president/general manager in the organization. Denorfia played 16 seasons professionally (2002-17), totaling 808 Major League games across 10 seasons with Cincinnati (2005-06), Oakland (2008-09), San Diego (2010-14), Seattle (2014) and Chicago-NL (2015). In his final season in 2017, he hit .275 across 20 games for Triple-A Albuquerque.

Lopez enters his second season as the club’s bench coach and his second season with the Rockies organization. Previously, Lopez served as a hitting coach in the Boston Red Sox organization (2008-11), was the Minor League infield coordinator for the Atlanta Braves (2012-17) and the manager of the GCL Tigers (2018-19). The Cidra, Puerto Rico native began his career at 17 years old in the Padres organization and played professionally from 1988-2005. He appeared in parts of 11 big league seasons with San Diego (1993-94, ’96), New York-NL (1997-99), Milwaukee (2000-02), Baltimore (2002, ’04) and Cincinnati (2005).

Beatty embarks on his fifth season in the Rockies organization, his 26th season coaching, and his second as the pitching coach with the Yard Goats. He previously served in a similar role with Albuquerque (2021) and Grand Junction (2019). Prior to joining the Rockies, Beatty spent 12 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles organization (2006-18), three seasons in the New York Mets organization (2003-05) and five seasons in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization (1998-2002). As a player, Beatty was drafted by the Orioles in the ninth round of the 1986 First-Year Player Draft and totaled 12 seasons in the Minor Leagues. He debuted in 1989 with the Mets and appeared in seven Major League games from 1989-91.

Sutaris enters his third season as Hartford’s hitting coach and his sixth in the Rockies organization. He spent 2018-19 with High-A Lancaster and previously served as an assistant baseball coach at the University of Incarnate Word in 2017 and a special assistant for the University of Texas baseball team from 2014-17. The New Jersey native played professionally in the independent Frontier Baseball League from 1993-96, earning All-Star nods in 1993 and 1996, while also serving as the team’s hitting coach in 1995.

The High-A Spokane Indians will be led by Robinson Cancel, moving from Single-A Fresno to take over as the Indians manager. He will be joined by Bench Coach Joe Mikulik, Pitching Coach Ryan Kibler and Hitting Coach Zach Osborne.

Cancel enters his first season as Spokane’s manager and his seventh overall season as a coach in the Rockies organization. He most recently guided the Single-A Fresno Grizzlies to the playoffs in both 2021 and 2022. Cancel previously served as a coach with Short-Season Boise in 2017, his first season with the Rockies, and spent two seasons in the Atlanta Braves organization as the manager of Rookie Level Danville (2016) and the Gulf Coast League Braves (2015). Cancel was originally drafted by Milwaukee in 1994 and played parts of four Major League seasons with Milwaukee (1999), New York-NL (2008-09) and Houston (2011).

Mikulik returns to the Rockies organization after serving as Single-A Asheville’s manager from 2000-12. The Weimar, Texas native began his coaching career in 1995 in the Cleveland organization. Mikulik served as a manager in the Rangers system from 2014-19 before becoming the hitting coach for the Grand Junction Rockies in 2021 and manager of the Rocky Mountain Vibes in 2022, both of the Pioneer League. Prior to his coaching career, Mikulik played in the Astros Minor League system from 1984-1994, reaching Triple-A.

Kibler enters his 12th season as a pitching coach in the Rockies organization, his third as the pitching coach for Spokane. He previously served as the pitching coach for Short-Season Boise (2019), Low-A Asheville (2017-18) and Rookie Level Grand Junction (2012-16). Kibler was originally drafted by Colorado in the second round of the 1999 First-Year Player Draft and spent his entire six-year playing career in the Rockies organization, missing two seasons due to injury. The right-handed pitcher had a career Minor League record of 37-30 with a 3.64 ERA (566.2 IP, 229 ER) in 95 games from Rookie Level to Double-A.

Osborne enters his fifth season as a hitting coach in the Rockies system, his third with Spokane after spending two seasons as a hitting coach in Grand Junction (2017-18). He played five years in the Rockies Minor League system (2012-16) and was signed as a Minor League free agent on June 10, 2012. Osborne reached as high as Double-A, batting .252 (49-for-206) in 329 career games across six teams. The Louisville, Ky., native attended Pleasure Ridge Park High School in his hometown, which won the state title in 2008. Osborne went on to attend the University of Tennessee where he started 188 of 189 games across four seasons as a Volunteer.

Transitioning from bench coach to manager, Steve Soliz will take the reigns of the Single-A Fresno Grizzlies. He will be joined by Bench Coach Cesar Galvez, Pitching Coach Mark Brewer and Hitting Coach Nic Wilson.

Soliz enters his fourth season in a coaching role in the Rockies system after serving as Fresno’s development supervisor in 2021. He previously served as the manager of Short-Season Boise in 2019. Prior to joining the Rockies, Soliz spent 15 seasons with the Angels organization, most recently with the Major League team, serving as the catching and information coach from 2016-18. He was the Angels bullpen catcher for eight seasons (2003-10) and was originally selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 13th round of the 1993 First-Year Player Draft. Soliz played eight professional seasons as a catcher with Cleveland (1993-99) and San Diego (2000-01), compiling a .236 batting average with 168 runs scored, 62 doubles, three triples, 13 home runs and 144 RBI in 473 Minor League games.

Galvez moves into the Grizzlies bench coach role, his seventh year as a coach, after serving in the same position in the Arizona Complex League in 2022. He spent the 2021 season as a coach with Double-A Hartford. Prior to his time in Hartford, Galvez spent three seasons (2017-19) as a coach with Short-Season Boise, and was tabbed to manage Boise in 2020 prior to the cancellation of the Minor League season. Galvez spent seven seasons as an infielder in the Rockies’ Minor League system from 2010-16, reaching as high as Triple-A.

Brewer enters his fourth season as the Rockies’ Single-A pitching coach and his ninth with the Rockies overall. Brewer served as the pitching coach with Double-A Hartford in 2018 and Triple-A Albuquerque in 2017 after previously working three seasons as Asheville’s pitching coach from 2014-16. He came to Colorado after serving as the pitching coach for Triple-A Buffalo in the New York Mets organization. His previous experience includes working in the systems for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1993-99, 2001-04), Texas Rangers (1999-2000), Kansas City Royals (2004-05), Pittsburgh Pirates (2008-09) and the New York Mets (2006-08, 2009-12).

Wilson enters his second season as Fresno’s hitting coach and his third with the Rockies organization after originally being hired prior to the canceled 2020 season as the hitting coach for Short-Season Boise. Prior to joining the Rockies, he served as a volunteer assistant and hitting coach for Eastern Kentucky University in 2019, where he received his master’s degree in sports science. Wilson was selected in the 24th round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays and went on to spend the 2014 season with Rookie Level Princeton and the 2015 season with Short-Season Hudson Valley. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Georgia State University, where he was named a second-team Louisville Slugger All-American after batting .322 with 18 home runs and 52 RBI as a senior in 2014.

The Arizona Complex League will be led by Manager Fred Ocasio with Julio Campos serving as bench coach, Dave Burba and Helmis Rodriguez serving as the pitching coaches and Trevor Burmeister as the hitting coach.

Ocasio enters his second year in his managerial role after serving as the High-A Spokane development supervisor in 2021 and the supervisor of development for Short-Season Boise in 2019. His previous managerial stint came with High-A Lancaster/Modesto, where he managed from 2015-18. Entering his 26th season with the Rockies organization, Ocasio has also served as a manager of Low-A Asheville (2013-14), manager of Short-Season Tri-City (2006-12), hitting coach for Tri-City (2001-05), hitting coach for High-A Salem (2000) and hitting coach at Rookie Level Tucson (1998-99). His managerial record includes a championship with Asheville in 2014 and three trips to the Northwest League Championship with Tri-City. The former infielder spent two years as a player in the Rockies organization from 1994-95 before moving into a coaching role.

Campos enters his fourth season in a coaching role within the Rockies system and his 11th with the club overall. In 2022, Campos served as High-A Spokane’s bench coach. He managed the Dominican Summer League Rockies for two seasons (2018-19), earning DSL Manager of the Year and All-Star Team manager honors in 2018 after helping DSL Colorado win the Northeast Division with a 53-19 record. Campos has primarily served as an area scouting supervisor in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic since joining the club in 2012 when he transitioned from being an infield instructor at the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy (2002-12). The Hato Rey, Puerto Rico native was drafted by Philadelphia in the 21st round of the 2000 First-Year Player Draft out of Missouri Baptist University. Campos saw action across four professional seasons in the Phillies system with the Batavia Muckdogs (2000), GCL Phillies (2000-01) and Clearwater Phillies (2001).

Burba returns as one of the ACL Rockies’ pitching coaches, his 13th season as a pitching coach in the Rockies farm system. Prior to joining the ACL club, Burba spent the 2018-19 seasons as High-A Lancaster’s pitching coach after three seasons with Double-A Hartford/New Britain (2015-17). He also spent time as the pitching coach for High-A Modesto (2013-14) after beginning his career as a coach with Short-Season Tri-City (2011-12). Burba made the transition to coaching after 19 seasons as a pitcher in professional baseball, including 15 seasons in the Major Leagues with Seattle (1990-91), San Francisco (1992-95, 2004), Cincinnati (1995-97), Cleveland (1998-2002), Texas (2002) and Milwaukee (2003-04).

Rodriguez also returns as a pitching coach with the ACL Rockies, his sixth season as a pitching coach in the Rockies organization. Prior to joining the ACL club in 2021, Rodriguez served for three seasons as a pitching coach in the Dominican Summer League. He was originally signed by the Rockies as a player at the age of 16 in 2010, playing seven seasons in the Rockies organization from 2011-17.

Burmeister enters his fourth season with the Rockies organization, his third as the hitting coach with the Arizona Complex League Rockies. He was originally hired as the hitting coach for Rookie Level Grand Junction prior to the canceled 2020 season. Prior to joining the Rockies, he served as the assistant baseball coach and recruiting coordinator for Madison College (2016-19) and as the assistant baseball coach for the University of Minnesota Duluth (2015-16).

In the Dominican Summer League, Mauricio Gonzalez and Eugenio Jose each return as managers of the Rockies’ two DSL clubs. Joining them will be Pitching Coach Sam Deduno, Hitting Coach Florentino Nuñez and Hitting Coach Felix Rosario.

Gonzalez enters his second consecutive season in a managerial role after serving as the High-A Spokane development supervisor in 2021 and the supervisor of development for Short-Season Boise in 2019. His last managerial stint came with High-A Lancaster/Modesto, where he managed from 2015-18. Entering his 26th season with the Rockies organization, Ocasio has also served as a manager of Low-A Asheville (2013-14), manager of Short-Season Tri-City (2006-12), hitting coach for Tri-City (2001-05), hitting coach for High-A Salem (2000) and hitting coach at Rookie Level Tucson (1998-99). His managerial record includes a championship with Asheville in 2014 and three trips to the Northwest League Championship with Tri-City. The former infielder spent two years as a player in the Rockies organization from 1994-95 before moving into a coaching role.

Jose begins his 18th season with the Rockies, his fourth as manager of the Rockies’ second DSL team. He previously served 14 seasons as a hitting coach in the DSL. In addition to his managerial duties, he also works in various areas of player development. A former professional player who originally signed with the Rockies in 1999, Jose played in Colorado’s system for three years.

Deduno enters his fourth season as a pitching coach with the Rockies after joining the club prior to the canceled 2020 season. Deduno entered the coaching ranks after a professional pitching career that included Major League stints with Colorado (2010), San Diego (2011), Minnesota (2012-14) and Houston (2014-15).

Nuñez begins his 16th season with the Rockies, all as a coach in the Dominican Summer League. The former Rockies Minor Leaguer (2001-06) works with players in all areas of defense, baserunning and hitting.

Rosario will serve as a hitting coach for the DSL clubs for the fourth season. A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Rosario played in the Puerto Rican semi-pro leagues for 12 years and served as the travel manager for Team Puerto Rico in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. He also worked for Major League Baseball’s After School Program for kids ages 14-18, where he coordinated tryouts and games and recruited coaches.