D-backs announce Minor League coaching staff

PHOENIX – The Arizona Diamondbacks today announced their 2012 Minor League coaching staff, with former D-backs Jay Bell and Robby Hammock both joining the Player Development department. Bell will serve as the hitting coach for Double-A Mobile while Hammock will hold the same role for the Rookie-level Arizona League Diamondbacks after completing a 14-year professional playing career, including parts of six seasons in the Majors with the D-backs. The announcement was made by D-backs Director, Player Development Mike Bell. 

The members of the minor league coaching staff have combined for more than 175 seasons of big league playing experience.

Jeff Pico, who held the position of Pitching Coordinator for the previous two seasons and has served in several capacities since joining the organization in 2003, will serve as the Minor League Field Coordinator while Mel Stottlemyre Jr. returns to the role of Pitching Coordinator, a position he held from 2007 through 2009, when he was named the Major League pitching coach. Alan Cockrell returns for his second season as Hitting Coordinator after previously serving as a big league hitting coach for the Mariners and Rockies. Infield Coordinator Tony Perezchica returns for his 10^th season with the D-backs and seventh in his current role, while former big league All-Star Joel Youngblood returns for his sixth season in the organization and fourth as Outfield and Baserunning Coordinator. Former big league manager Bill Plummer returns for his fifth season as Catching Coordinator.

The staff at Triple-A Reno returns for the fourth consecutive seasons, with former big league All-Stars Brett Butler (Manager) and Rick Burleson (Hitting Coach) joined by former big league pitcher Mike Parrott (Pitching Coach). The Aces finished 77-67 last season before dropping Game 5 of the Pacific Coast League Semifinals.

Former D-backs outfielder Turner Ward returns to the helm of Double-A Mobile for the second consecutive season, where he earned Manager of the Year honors last season after guiding his team to an 84-54 record and Southern League Championship, their first since 2004. The Mobile native will be joined by former Major League pitcher Dan Carlson, who will serve as the pitching coach for the BayBears for the second consecutive season, his 11^th with the organization. Bell, who played for 17 seasons in the big leagues and scored the game-winning run in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, returns to coaching full-time, having previously served as the D-backs bench coach in 2005-06 before serving as a guest instructor over the past several seasons.

Jason Hardtke (Manager) and former Cy Young Award winner Doug Drabek return for the second consecutive season at Single-A Visalia, where they will be joined by Jacob Cruz, who was promoted from Short-Season Yakima.

Single-A South Bend skipper Mark Haley returns for the eighth consecutive year after being named the organization’s 2010 recipient of the Joe Garagiola, Jr. Award for Person of the Year. He will be joined by Pitching Coach Wellington Cepeda for the third straight season and Hitting Coach Bobby Smith for the second consecutive campaign.

Short-Season Yakima returns Audo Vicente as the manager and former big league pitcher Doug Bochtler as the pitching coach for the second consecutive season. They will be joined by Hitting Coach Jason Camilli, a Phoenix native who most recently spent four seasons as part of the Washington Nationals Player Development Staff.

At Rookie-Advanced Missoula, Andy Green takes over as the manager of the Osprey after guiding the AZL Diamondbacks last season. The former D-backs infielder will be joined by Pitching Coach Gil Heredia, who returns for a third season with Missoula and Hitting Coach JR House, who just finished a 12-year professional catching career that included big league stints with the Pirates, Astros and Orioles.

The Arizona League Diamondbacks will be guided by Hector de la Cruz, who earned Pioneer League Manager of the Year honors last season. He is in his eighth season as a manager in the D-backs system and will be joined by former D-backs pitcher Jeff Bajenaru, who returns for his second season and Hammock, who retired following the 2011 season. Hammock appeared in 182 games for the D-backs, posting a .254 career average with 12 homers and 48 RBI.

In the Dominican Summer League, Manager Juan Ballara will return alongside Pitching Coach Jose Tapia and new Hitting Coach Tony Mota.

The complete D-backs’ minor league staff is listed below: