Guardians set on-field coaching staff
CLEVELAND, OH – The Cleveland Guardians today completed newly-hired Manager Stephen Vogt’s Major League Coaching Staff, promoting Rouglas Odor (Infield Coach) and Brad Goldberg (Bullpen Coach) from the Player Development System and adding Kai Correa (ML Field Coordinator) to round out the on-field staff. The Guardians also named Craig Albernaz to the role of Bench Coach.
Odor, 55, enters his 34th season in the Guardians organization, beginning his tenure as a Minor League player in 1988 before transitioning to the Cleveland Player Development coaching ranks in 1998. He has spent the last four Minor League campaigns managing the Double-A Akron RubberDucks, guiding Akron to a 278-257 (.520) record since 2019, which included a 2021 Double-A Northeast division regular season title. The Maracaibo, Venezuela native played six seasons in the Cleveland system, 1988-94, following his 32nd round selection by Cleveland in the 1988 draft out of the University of New Orleans. He is the uncle of 10-year Major League veteran Rougned Odor.
Goldberg, 33, will be in his third season in the Guardians organization, joining the club in 2022 as a Pitching Coach based out of the club’s Arizona Player Development Complex before spending 2023 as the Pitching Coach at Double-A Akron with Odor. Under his direction last season, Akron pitchers posted the second-lowest ERA in the Eastern League (3.87). Prior to joining Cleveland, he spent 2020 and 2021 at Ohio State as the Director of Pitching Development. The Beachwood, Ohio native compiled a six-year professional ERA of 3.25 in 200 appearances in the White Sox and Diamondbacks systems from 2013-2018, appearing in 11 games at the Major League level for the Chicago White Sox in 2017. He was Chicago’s 10th round selection in the 2013 draft out of OSU, graduating from Beachwood High School in 2008.
Correa, 35, rejoins the Guardians organization after spending the last four seasons since 2020 as the San Francisco Giants Major League Bench Coach. He was the interim manager for the Giants over the final three games of the 2023 campaign. The Hilo, Hawaii native originally coached in the Cleveland system in 2018 and 2019 as Arizona Infield Coordinator (’18) and then to Lower-Level Defensive Coordinator the following campaign before joining SF. Prior to joining the professional coaching ranks, he coached collegiately at his alma mater, the University of Puget Sound, and at the University of Northern Colorado from 2011-17 in addition to various coaching capacities at USA Baseball.
The Guardians have also confirmed the return of First Base/Catching Coach Sandy Alomar, Jr. (15th season), Pitching Coach Carl Willis (14th season with Cleveland), Asst. Pitching Coach Joe Torres (3rd), Hitting Coach Chris Valaika (3rd), Asst. Hitting Coach Victor Rodríguez (7th), Outfield Coach JT Maguire (2nd), Run Production Coordinator Jason Esposito (2nd), and Bullpen Catchers Armando Camacaro (15th) and Ricky Pacione (11th).
Additionally, Albernaz will shift into the role of Bench Coach following the departure of DeMarlo Hale, who recently was named the Associate Manager of the Toronto Blue Jays. Albernaz, 41, joined the on-field staff upon his November 10th hiring following four seasons as the SF Giants Bullpen Coach.
Josh Tubbs also has been elevated to the role of Major League Hitting Analyst. Tubbs, 29, is in his seventh season in the Cleveland organization, spending 2022 and ‘23 as the organization’s Hitting Resource Coordinator based out of Goodyear. He joined the organization in 2018 as a coach in the Arizona Rookie League following a collegiate pitching career at Jackson State and Belmont University, here he earned a degree in Exercise Science. He will assist the hitting team and on-field coaches with the team’s analysis efforts.