Padres announce 2022 Player Development staff
SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Padres today announced their player development staff for the 2022 season.
Ryley Westman returns for his second season as director of player development, with 2022 marking his eighth year in the Padres’ organization. Mike Daly joins the Padres as assistant director of player development after spending the last five seasons as the Texas Rangers’ assistant general manager with Brett Becker promoted to manager of player development. Kaitlyn Teske takes on an expanded role as manager of learning, education, and life skills, Jason Amoroso serves as professional development advisor, and Vicente Cafaro returns as international player development coordinator. Nathan Landau returns as director of sports science and Mario Paciuc serves as a baseball research & development analyst. After joining the club as a rehab pitching coach, Christian Wonders takes on the role of sports science instructor, and Jesus Ramos joins as sports science biomechanist after spending the last three years with the Cincinnati Reds. Ethan Dixon returns as manager of player development video operations, and Clinton Sewell returns as player development technology and video assistant. Also returning are Todd Stephenson as manager of minor league administration/Peoria operations, Zach Nelson as minor league clubhouse & equipment manager, and Kyle Ross as clubhouse assistant. Former major league players returning to the club in player development advisory roles are Moises Alou, Allen Craig, A.J. Ellis, Glenn Hoffman, Hall-of-Famer Trevor Hoffman, and Ian Kinsler. Joining the Padres in 2022 as a player development consultant is Mike Shildt, who spent the last four seasons as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Special Assistant to the General Manager Mark Conner has added the responsibilities of Field Coordinator to his purview, overseeing the instruction of players and coaches throughout the minor league system. In his first year in the organization, Rob Marcello assumes the role of director of pitching development after spending the last two years in the Mariners’ organization as Triple-A Tacoma’s pitching coach. Oscar Bernard and Mike McCoy will both serve as minor league hitting coordinators. Ryan Barba joins the organization as minor league infield coordinator, having spent 2021 as assistant field coordinator in the Angels’ minor league system. Brian Whatley returns as minor league catching coordinator, and Matt Hancock returns in the role of rehab pitching coordinator.
Under the umbrella of Sports Medicine and Performance, Vinny Lopez was promoted to oversee minor league strength and conditioning as manager of player programming & performance, after previously serving as minor league outfield coordinator. Also returning are Paul Porter as minor league athletic training coordinator, Whitney Milano as performance nutrition and dietician coordinator, overseeing nutrition programs for the Major League team and minor league affiliates, and JoJo Tarantino as medical administration coordinator. Ryo Naito joins the organization as minor league strength & conditioning coordinator after spending the last eight seasons as the Baltimore Orioles’ Major League strength & conditioning coach. Both Aaron Wengertsman and Taylor McWilliams return as minor league physical therapists.
For the Arizona Complex League, Lukas Ray will assume managerial duties after serving as fielding coach for the ACL Padres in 2021. Carlos Chavez and Robert Price will both serve as pitching coaches for the ACL Padres. Chavez joins the organization after coaching for eight seasons in the Oakland A’s system (2013-2020) and as pitching coach for El Águila de Veracruz in the Mexican League (2021). Price will make his professional coaching debut this year having pitched for Tulane University from 2017-2020. Jed Morris returns as hitting coach for his fifth year in the Padres’ system, and Miguel Del Castillo will also serve as hitting coach after managing for the Dominican Summer League Padres. In his first year with the Padres’ organization, Bench Coach Jake Mueller makes his professional coaching debut, having played at Wake Forest University (2016-19) and serving as an assistant coach for Marshall University in West Virginia (2021). Edinson Rincon will also serve as bench coach, entering his sixth season in the coaching ranks in the Padres’ system. Josean Prieto begins his second season with the organization as an athletic trainer, and joining him is Lauren Gottschall, who served as an athletic training intern for the ACL Padres in 2021. Dwayne Peterson joins as a strength & conditioning coach, having spent the last seven seasons coaching in the San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros minor league systems. Having recently completed an internship with the Padres, Stephany Soto also assumes the role of strength & conditioning coach after working for Baseball Factory and the Arizona Venom Baseball Academy.
Luis Mendez will manage the Dominican Summer League Padres after previously serving as a minor league fielding coach. Both Nelson Cruz and Jackson Quezada rejoin the club in the role of pitching coach. Cruz enters his seventh season with the DSL Padres and his 12th overall in the organization, and Quezada enters his 11th season as a coach in the San Diego system. This season marks Yunir Garcia’s fourth as hitting coach for the team, and Wilfri De La Cruz, Juan Rojas, Diego Cedeno, and Ruddy Giron will all serve as bench coaches. Athletic Trainer Jairo Garcia enters his sixth season with the Padres’ organization, and both Maria Cifuentes and Sergio West join the Padres in 2022 as strength & conditioning coaches.