Guardians announce on-field staff promotions
Craig Albernaz & Kai Correa Promoted; Grant Fink Named Hitting Coach
CLEVELAND, OH – The Cleveland Guardians and Manager Stephen Vogt today announced the following promotions and hirings to the 2025 Major League Coaching and Performance Staff.
Promoted Craig Albernaz to Associate Manager
Promoted Kai Correa to ML Field Coordinator/Director of Defense, Baserunning and Game Strategy
Promoted Grant Fink to Major League Hitting Coach
Promoted Jason Esposito to Major League Assistant Hitting Coach
Promoted Hasani Torres to Head Major League Strength and Conditioning Coach
Promoted Joe Kessler to Senior Coordinator, Strength and Conditioning, Integration and Development
Albernaz and Correa joined the Guardians Coaching Staff prior to the 2024 season and were key members in leading the Guardians to their sixth Postseason appearance in the last nine seasons. Albernaz spent the 2024 campaign as Bench Coach and will continue to support Vogt daily as well as organizing the Coaching and Performance Staffs. As part of his Field Coordinator duties, Correa will continue to organize and oversee ML Spring Training camp as well as daily regular season workdays while taking on additional duties coordinating club defense, baserunning and game strategy.
Fink, 33, joins the Major League Coaching Staff after spending the last three seasons as Cleveland’s Minor League Hitting Coordinator, overseeing the hitting development of the organization’s position players. He began his professional coaching career with Cleveland in 2017 after a three-year playing career, 2013-15, following his 23rd round selection by Cleveland in the 2013 MLB Draft out of Missouri Western State University. Rounding out the hitting group will be Dan Puente, who returns for his second season on the staff, and Jason Esposito. “Espo” spent the 2023 and ’24 campaigns as the ML club’s Run Production Coordinator.
The Guardians also confirmed the return of First Base/Catching Coach Sandy Alomar, Jr. (16th season), Pitching Coach Carl Willis (15th season with Cleveland), Asst. Pitching Coach Joe Torres (4th), Bullpen Coach Brad Goldberg (2nd), Infield/Third Base Coach Rouglas Odor (2nd), Outfield Coach JT Maguire (3rd), Hitting Analyst Josh Tubbs (2nd) and Bullpen Catchers Ricky Pacione (12th) and Eric Rodríguez (2nd).
2025 Major League On-Field Coaching Staff
Manager……………….. Stephen Vogt
Associate Manager…... Craig Albernaz
First Base/Catching….. Sandy Alomar, Jr.
Pitching Coach……….. Carl Willis
Asst. Pitching Coach…. Joe Torres
Bullpen Coach…………Brad Goldberg
Outfield Coach………… JT Maguire
Bullpen Catchers…….. Eric Rodríguez/Ricky Pacione
ML Field Coordinator/Dir. of Defense, Baserunning and Game Strategy…... Kai Correa
Infield/Third Base Coach… Rouglas Odor
Hitting Coach…………. Grant Fink
Asst. Hitting Coach…… Dan Puente
Asst. Hitting Coach…… Jason Esposito
ML Hitting Analyst…… Josh Tubbs
ML Staff Asst./Interpreter..Agustin Rivero