Rays name Minor League coaching staffs for 2024
The Tampa Bay Rays have named the minor league on-field coaching and medical staffs for the 2024 season. Below are the organizational changes for minor league managerial roles:
- Triple-A Manager Morgan Ensberg, spent last season managing Double-A Montgomery
- Double-A Manager Kevin Boles, spent last season managing the Princeton WhistlePigs in the summer-collegiate Appalachian League
- Florida Complex League Manager Héctor Giménez, spent last season as a coach for the FCL Rays
Below are the organizational changes for minor league coordinator and roving instructor roles:
- Hitting Research and Video Coordinator Steve Livesey, spent last season as a Hitting Coordinator
- Strength and Conditioning Coordinator Paul Jones, spent last season as Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coordinator
- Process and Development Coordinator Josh Kozuch, spent last season as Mental Performance Coordinator
- Roving Hitting Instructor Wuarnner Rincones, spent last season as Hitting Coach for Double-A Montgomery
Below are the new hires for minor league coordinator and roving instructor roles:
- Pitching Coordinator Buddy Carlyle, spent last season as Minor League Pitching Coordinator for the Los Angeles Angels
- Pitching Coordinator, Performance Development Christian Wonders, spent last season as a Sports Science Instructor for the San Diego Padres
- Roving Pitching Instructor Tony Watson, retired from MLB in 2022 having last pitched for the San Francisco Giants in 2021
Below are the new hires to the minor league on-field coaching and medical staffs:
- Assistant Hitting Coach Tyler Ladendorf (Triple-A Durham), spent last season as a Hitting Fellow for Double-A Tennessee (Chicago Cubs)
- Hitting Coach Brett Schneider (Class-A Charleston), spent last season as Hitting Coach for the ACL Mariners
- Hitting Coach K.C. Judge (Florida Complex League), spent last season as Hitting Coach for the ACL Diamondbacks
- Coach Chris Roberson (Florida Complex League), played in 2023 for Acereros de Monclova in the Mexican League
- Process and Development Coach Elliot Cox, was previously a Mental Performance Coach for IMG Academy
Below are new roles in Player Development Leadership and Administration:
- Assistant Director of Player Programs and Integration Dani Dockx, spent last season as Coordinator of Baseball Development
- Assistant Director of Latin America Player Programs Jairo De La Rosa, spent last season as Latin America Cultural Coordinator
- Senior Manager of Minor League and International Administration Giovanna Rodriguez, spent last season as Senior Administrator of Minor League and International Operations
- Pitching Development Assistant Matthew Bruno, spent last season as a Baseball Performance Science Assistant
- Player Programs and Integration Assistant Sam Bennett, spent last season as a Baseball Operations Intern
Below are the organizational changes to the minor league coaching and medical staffs for the 2024 season:
Name Position 2024 Club 2023 Assignment
Brett Ebers Bullpen Coach Durham (AAA) Baseball Training Methods Coordinator
Mathew Bennett Process & Integration Durham (AAA) Baseball Development Assistant
Riley Welch S&C/BB Perform. Science Durham (AAA) Montgomery (AA)
Paul Rozzelle Hitting Coach Montgomery (AA) Bowling Green (A)
Perry Roth Bench Coach Bowling Green (A) Hitting Coach with Charleston (A)
Jim Paduch Pitching Coach Bowling Green (A) Pitching Coordinator
Braxton Martinez Hitting Coach Bowling Green (A) FCL
Giovanni Caraballo S&C Coach Charleston (A) FCL
Victor Cruz S&C Coach FCL FCL-seasonal coach
David Lianes Process & Development FCL Mental Performance (DSL)
Carla Diaz Process & Development FCL/DSL Mental Performance
Morgan Ensberg, 48, joins Triple-A Durham after spending the previous four seasons (2019, 2021-23) managing Double-A Montgomery. The Biscuits reached the postseason in each of his four years at the helm, including a 2019 season that saw Montgomery win a franchise-record 88 games and earn Ensberg Southern League Manager of the Year honors. He joined the Rays after managing for two seasons in the Astros system, with Class-A Buies Creek (2018) and Rookie-level Tri-City (2017). Ensberg spent the 2016 season as the Astros minor league mindset coach, the 2014-15 seasons as the Astros minor league special assignment coach and the 2013 season as the infield coach at Class-A Lancaster. He joined the coaching ranks in 2011 and spent two seasons as a hitters and infielders coach for the University of California San Diego.
Kevin Boles, 49, joins Montgomery after managing the Princeton WhistlePigs in the summer-collegiate Appalachian League in 2023. Prior to Princeton, he spent four years in the New York Mets organization, including stints as manager of Triple-A Syracuse (2022), minor league field coordinator (2020-2021) and manager of Double-A Binghamton (2019). Boles spent the 2008-2018 seasons in the Boston Red Sox organization, managing Triple-A Pawtucket (2014-18), Double-A Portland (2011-13), Class-A Salem (2010) and Class-A Greenville (2008-09). He managed in the Minnesota Twins system from 2004-2007, leading Class-A Fort Myers (2006-07), Class-A Beloit (2005) and Class-A Quad Cities (2004). He managed the AZL Royals 2 in 2003, Class-A Utica (Miami) in 2001 and made his managerial debut at age 25 with the GCL Marlins in 2000.
Héctor Giménez, 41, enters his first season managing the FCL Rays after spending the 2023 season as a coach with FCL team. It marks the second managerial season of his career after leading DSL Tampa Bay in 2022. His coaching career began as an assistant hitting coach and catching instructor for the DSL Rays 1 in 2021. Giménez’s playing career ended after spending the 2016-18 offseasons in the Venezuelan Winter League. He played professionally for 16 seasons, including a combined 37 games in the majors with the White Sox (2012-13), Dodgers (2011) and Astros (2006). Giménez came to Rays camp as a non-roster invite in 2008 and split the season between Triple-A Durham and Class-A Vero Beach, totaling 81 games between the two levels.
RAYS PLAYER DEVELOPMENT LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE
Senior Director, Player Development: Blake Butera
Director, Minor League Operations: George Pappas
Director, Player Programs & Integration: Simon Rosenbaum
Director, Pitching: Winston Doom
Assistant Director, Coaching & Player Development: Alejandro Freire
Assistant Director, Pitching: Ryan Pennell
RAYS MINOR LEAGUE COORDINATORS & ROVING INSTRUCTORS
Pitching Coordinator: Alberto Bastardo
Pitching Coordinator: Buddy Carlyle
Pitching Coord., Performance Development: Christian Wonders
Roving Pitching Instructor: Tony Watson
Hitting Coordinator: Will Bradley
Hitting Coordinator: Kyle Wilson
Hitting Research & Video Coord.: Steve Livesey
Roving Hitting Instructor: Wuarnner Rincones
Catching Coordinator: Jeff Smith
Infield Coordinator: Ivan Ochoa
Outfield/Baserunning Coordinator: Jared Sandberg
Process & Development Coordinator: Josh Kozuch
Strength and Conditioning Coordinator: Paul Jones
Latin America and Complex S&C Coordinator.: Cesar Gutierrez
Minor League Affiliate Medical Coord.: Marty Brinker
Complex Medical & Rehab Coordinator: Scott Thurston
Minor League Equipment Coordinator: Tim McKechney
Asst. Minor League Equipment Coordinator: Shane Rossetti
Language Education Coordinator: Lenore Sanchez
DURHAM (TRIPLE-A - INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE)
Manager: Morgan Ensberg
Hitting Coach: Kenny Hook
Pitching Coach: Brian Reith
Bench Coach: Reinaldo Ruiz
Bullpen Coach: Brett Ebers
Assistant Hitting Coach: Tyler Ladendorf
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Steve Chase
S&C/BB Performance Science: Riley Welch
Process & Integration Coach: Mathew Bennett
Athletic Trainer: Kris Russell
Athletic Trainer: Tsutomu Kamiya
Clubhouse Manager: Pat Phelan
MONTGOMERY (DOUBLE-A - SOUTHERN LEAGUE)
Manager: Kevin Boles
Hitting Coach: Paul Rozzelle
Pitching Coach: Steve Merriman
Bench Coach: German Melendez
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Austin Teets
Athletic Trainer: James Ramsdell
BOWLING GREEN (HIGH-A – SOUTH ATLANTIC LEAGUE)
Manager: Rafael Valenzuela
Hitting Coach: Braxton Martinez
Pitching Coach: Jim Paduch
Bench Coach: Perry Roth
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Garrett Hudson
Athletic Trainer: Ruben Santiago
Clubhouse Manager: Jacob Osborne
CHARLESTON (LOW-A – CAROLINA LEAGUE)
Manager: Sean Smedley
Hitting Coach: Brett Schneider
Pitching Coach: Levi Romero
Bench Coach: Ronnie Richardson
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Giovanni Caraballo
Athletic Trainer: Halee Williams
Clubhouse Manager: John Horaz
FCL RAYS (FLORIDA COMPLEX LEAGUE)
Complex Programming & Fundamentals Coordinator: Frank Maldonado
Manager: Héctor Giménez
Hitting Coach: K.C. Judge
Hitting Coach: Hez Randolph
Hitting Coach: Alejandro Segovia
Pitching Coach: Henry Bonilla
Pitching Coach: Jose Gonzalez
Rehab Pitching Coach: Doc Watson
Bench Coach: Esteban Gonzalez
Coach: Jim Morrison
Coach: Leandro Francisco
Coach: Julio Zorrilla
Coach: Chris Roberson
Coach: Manny Castillo
Process & Development Coach: David Lianes
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Victor Cruz
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Andrew Mitchell
Physical Therapist: Sarah Clay
Physical Therapist: Colleen Hamman
Athletic Trainer: Kyndell Crowell
Athletic Trainer: Nick Faciana
Athletic Trainer: Brianna Tovar
Athletic Trainer: Halee Williams
Clubhouse Manager: Steve Berhalter
Clubhouse Manager: Cesar Guillen
Minor League Clubhouse & Nutrition Assistant: Sean Jones