Rangers Announce 2014 Minor League Coaching Staffs
Top three affiliates will feature new managers
Arlington, Texas - The Texas Rangers today announced the managers, coaches, and staff for all minor league affiliates in 2014. In 2013, the farm system produced its fifth top-7 finish in composite winning percentage since 2008 and the Rangers were the only organization to have every affiliate finish with at least a .500 record.
The Texas organization features several new assignments in 2014, including new managers at each of the club's top three affiliates. Former Ranger Steve Buechele will manage Triple-A Round Rock, Jason Wood will lead Double-A Frisco, and Joe Mikulik will return to a managerial role with High-A Myrtle Beach after spending last season as a roving outfield instructor.
As previously announced, Scott Coolbaugh will take over as Hitting Coordinator, while Brook Jacoby joins the organization as Assistant Hitting Coordinator.
Several coaches will have new assignments in 2014, including Justin Mashore, who joins Buechele's staff in Round Rock as hitting coach after spending last season with Hickory. Bobby Rose and Oscar Marin will be move to Hickory from Spokane. Jose Jaimes will take over for Marin in Spokane after mentoring pitchers with the Arizona League (AZL) Rangers in 2013.
Texas has also hired a pair of new coaches in the organization with Joey Seaver added to the AZL Rangers staff as a pitching coach and Kenny Hook as a hitting coach on the same club. Seaver has spent the last 14 years as a pitching coach at his alma mater, Walters State Community College in Tennessee. Seaver, who also pitched at the University of Tennessee, was drafted four times as an amateur and pitched professionally in the Milwaukee Brewers farm system. Hook has spent the last three seasons with the Kansas City T-Bones of the independent American Association, including each of the last two years as manager. While with the T-Bones, Hook was also an assistant head coach at Maple Woods Community College. He played professionally for the Amarillo Dillas from 1997-2001.
In the Dominican, Aaron Levin will take the helm of the defending Dominican Summer League champions. Levin spent his first season in the organization as a coach with the DSL Rangers. Levin will be joined in the Dominican by Humberto Miranda, who previously served as a coach in Hickory the last two seasons.
Ryley Westman, who led the Dominican Rangers to a championship in 2013, will return stateside as the organization's Assistant Catching Coordinator. The former Northwest Missouri State backstop spent five years with the DSL Rangers, including the last two as manager.
A look at the 2014 staff (changes from 2013 underlined in italics):
Round Rock (AAA) Frisco (AA) Myrtle Beach (High-A)
Manager Steve Buechele Manager Jason Wood Manager Joe Mikulik
Pitching Brad Holman Pitching Jeff Andrews Pitching Steve Mintz
Coach Justin Mashore Coach Jason Hart Coach Josue Perez
Coach Spike Owen Trainer Carlos Olivas Trainer Jacob Newburn
Trainer Jason Roberts Strength Eric McMahon Strength Anthony Miller
Strength Ric Mabie
Hickory (Low-A) Spokane (Short-A) Arizona (Rookie)
Manager Corey Ragsdale Manager Tim Hulett Manager Kenny Holmberg
Pitching Oscar Marin Pitching Jose Jaimes Pitching Brian Shouse
Coach Bobby Rose Coach TBA Pitching Joey Seaver
Trainer Sean Fields Trainer Zach Jones Coach Donzell McDonald
Strength Wade LaMont Strength Ed Yong Coach Kenny Hook
Coach Albert Puello
Trainer Dustin Vissering
Strength Josiah Igono
Dominican (Rookie) Roving Instructors
Manager Aaron Levin Field Coordinator Jayce Tingler
Pitching Henderson Lugo Hitting Coordinator Scott Coolbaugh
Pitching Pablo Blanco Asst. Hitting Coordinator Brook Jacoby
Hitting Guillermo Mercedes Pitching Coordinator Danny Clark
Coach Humberto Miranda Catching Coordinator Hector Ortiz
Coach Alexis Infante Asst. Catching Coordinator Ryley Westman
Coach Chu Ovalle Infield/Baserunning Coordinator Casey Candaele
Coach Osvaldo Oliva Special Assistant - Pitching Mark Connor
Trainer Alex Rodriguez Special Assignment Coach Brian Dayett
Strength Eduardo Thomas Special Assistant - Hitting Harry Spilman
Arizona Operations
Strength and Conditiong Coord. Napoleon Pichardo
Medical Coord. Dale Gilbert
Rehab Athletic Trainer Jeff Bodenhamer
Arizona Operations Josh Shelton
Manager-Cultural Diversity Billy McLaughlin
Minor League Clubhouse Manager Chris Ackerman
Clubhouse Asst. Vincent Colangelo
Rehab Pitching Coordinator Keith Comstock
In addition to the affiliate staffs, many of the club's roving instructors return in 2014. Jayce Tingler enters his eighth season in the Texas organization and third in the role of field coordinator. Mark Connor and Harry Spilman each return as special assistants, while Danny Clark begins his ninth season in the Texas system and fifth as the organization's pitching coordinator. Casey Candaele begins his fourth campaign as an infield/baserunning instructor. Hector Ortiz will instruct the organization's catchers for a second straight season, along with Westman, as the assistant catching coordinator. Brian Dayett will serve as a special assignment coach for a third straight season. Hitting coordinator Scott Coolbaugh and assistant hitting coordinator Brook Jacoby are both in the first season of their current roles.
Former Ranger Steve Buechele takes over the managerial reigns in Round Rock after leading the RoughRiders to the postseason in three of his four seasons in Frisco. Justin Mashore joins the Express as hitting coach after a record-setting campaign by the Hickory hitters last season. Pitching coach Brad Holman returns to Round Rock following a campaign in which his staff posted the 5th-lowest ERA in the Pacific Coast League. Former major leaguer Spike Owen will return for a third season on the Round Rock staff as an extra coach. Trainer Jason Roberts and strength and conditioning coach Ric Mabie also return for their eighth and 11th seasons in the organization, respectively.
The Frisco RoughRiders will have a new manager for the first time since 2009, as Jason Wood has been elevated to the post. The 2013 Carolina League Manager of the Year guided the Pelicans to the postseason each of the last three seasons. The remainder of the Frisco staff remains intact for a third straight season. Pitching coach Jeff Andrews returns for his fifth full season at Frisco. This year will mark his 29th season as a minor league instructor. Former Ranger Jason Hart will be in his third season with the 'Riders after a two-year stint as Hickory's hitting coach. Trainer Carlos Olivas, the Texas League Trainer of the Year each of the last two seasons, and strength and conditioning coach Eric McMahon return as well.
Joe Mikulik will return to a managerial role and lead the Myrtle Beach Pelicans following a one-year stint as roving outfield instructor. Prior to joining the Rangers, Mikulik had a 13-year run as a manager in the Colorado farm system. Steve Mintz led the Pelicans to the second lowest ERA in the Carolina League in his first season as the club's pitching and will return this year. Josue Perez will enter his ninth season overall in the Texas organization and second as the hitting instructor in Myrtle Beach. Jacob Newburn enters his ninth season as a trainer in the Texas organization and first with the Pelicans, while Anthony Miller begins his fourth season as strength and conditioning coach.
Corey Ragsdale will return to Hickory after guiding the Crawdads to the third best overall record in the South Atlantic League in his first season with the club. Ragsdale's staff will feature a pair of new coaches in pitching coach Oscar Marin and hitting coach Bobby Rose. Marin enters his fourth campaign with the Texas organization and spent last season with Spokane. Rose made his professional coaching debut with Spokane last season. Sean Fields will join the staff as a trainer, while Wade LaMont returns as strength and conditioning coach.
Former big leaguer Tim Hulett returns for his eighth season at the helm of the Spokane Indians, the longest tenured skipper in Indians history. Pitching coach Jose Jaimes has been elevated to Spokane from the AZL Rangers for his sixth season overall in the Texas organization. Zach Jones will be in his first season as Spokane's trainer, while strength and conditioning coach Ed Yong returns for a sixth season with the Indians.
Kenny Holmberg enters his second season at the helm of the AZL Rangers after guiding the club to a playoff appearance in his first season. Former Ranger southpaw Brian Shouse returns to the staff as a pitching coach in his third season with the organization. Newcomer Joey Seaver has been added to the staff as a pitching coach. Donzell McDonald enters his fourth season with the Texas organization as a hitting coach for the Rangers. Former Texas farmhand Albert Puello joins the AZL Rangers staff following a one year stint with the DSL Rangers. Dustin Vissering joins the organization from the Kansas City Royals and will be the club's trainer. Josiah Igono enters his second season as strength and conditioning coach.
At the club's Arizona complex, Jeff Bodenhamer has joined the staff as rehab athletic trainer. Bodenhamer enters his 10th season with the Texas organization and spent the previous three seasons with Myrtle Beach.