Orioles announce Minor League managers, coaches, and staff
The Orioles today announced the coaching staffs for their eight minor league affiliates for the 2020 season. Each affiliate will be staffed with a five-person coaching staff, after the addition this season of a fifth coach. There will be 19 new coaches in the Orioles system, spread out through the eight affiliates. The Orioles return three 2019 Managers of the Year and one Coach of the Year to their system. Buck Britton won Manager of the Year in the Eastern League with Double-A Bowie, Kyle Moore, who won the South Atlantic Manager of the Year award with Class-A Delmarva, has moved up to manage Class A-Advanced Frederick, and Alan Mills who took home Gulf Coast League Manager of the Year with the GCL Orioles. Also being honored in 2019 was Delmarva Pitching Coach Justin Ramsey, who was named South Atlantic Coach of the Year. In 2020 Ramsey will team up with Britton at Bowie as the Baysox new pitching coach.
GARY KENDALL enters his second season as manager at Triple-A Norfolk and his 21st year in the Orioles organization. He helped manage a Tides franchise record 238 roster moves last season. He spent the 2011-18 seasons as manager at Double-A Bowie. Kendall has also managed at Aberdeen (2008-10), Delmarva (2005-07), and Bluefield (2004). KENNIE STEENSTRA takes over as the Tides Pitching Coach, after serving in the same role for Double-A Bowie last season. This will be Steenstra’s 16th year in the organization. SEAN BERRY returns to the Orioles organization to serve as Norfolk’s Hitting Coach, the same position he held from 2015-17. Last season, Berry served as the Hitting Coach at Double-A Jacksonville in the Miami Marlins system. Berry has been a hitting coach/coordinator in professional baseball since 2003 after completing an 11 year MLB career. RAMON SAMBO enters his second season with Norfolk, and first as the Tides Fundamentals Coach, after serving as the Tides Field Coach last season. It is his 14th overall year in the Orioles system. ELI STEINFIELD joins Norfolk and the Orioles organization as the Tides Development Coach. Steinfield spent the 2019 season with the Houston Astros, as their Player Development Technology Apprentice. CHRIS POOLE returns for his third season as Norfolk’s Athletic Trainer and his eighth year with the organization.
2019 Eastern League Manager of the Year BUCK BRITTON returns for his second season as manager of Double-A Bowie. Britton led the Baysox to the Second Half Western Division title and eventually to the Eastern League Championship Series. For Bowie, it was only their second Eastern League Championship Series appearance in franchise history. Britton made his managerial debut with Class-A Delmarva in 2018, after beginning his coaching career in 2017 as the Hitting Coach for the Shorebirds. He played nine seasons in the minors, including seven in the Orioles organization. Britton will be joined by Baysox Pitching Coach JUSTIN RAMSEY, who is in his second season in the Orioles organization and first with Double-A Bowie. Ramsey spent last season as the Pitching Coach for Class-A Delmarva, where he oversaw one of the premier pitching staffs in Minor League Baseball. The Shorebirds led the South Atlantic League in ERA (3.00), WHIP (1.18), and strikeouts (1,389), and allowed the fewest home runs (67). Under Ramsey’s guidance, Delmarva set the South Atlantic League record for the most strikeouts in a single season. TIM GIBBONS joins Bowie as the Baysox Hitting Coach, his first season in the Orioles organization. Gibbons comes from Be Elite Sports Training, where he served as the Director of Hitting. BUTCH DAVIS returns to Bowie as their Fundamentals Coach, after spending the previous two seasons as Norfolk’s Hitting Coach. This will be his 26th season as a coach/instructor in professional baseball. GRANT ANDERS begins his first year in the Orioles organization as Bowie’s Development Coach. Anders spent the 2019 season with the Cincinnati Reds as a Baseball Operations Trainee. BRIAN GUZMAN enters his third season as the Baysox Athletic Trainer, after spending the previous three seasons with Frederick.
KYLE MOORE takes over as the Keys manager, after managing Delmarva during the 2019 season. Moore led the Shorebirds to a minor league best 90 wins last season, setting a Delmarva franchise record. Under Moore’s leadership, the Shorebirds qualified for the South Atlantic League playoffs for the first time since 2005. Delmarva was also named MiLB.com’s team of the year in 2019. This will be Moore’s 11th overall season in the organization. Serving as Frederick’s Pitching Coach will be JOSH CONWAY. Conway enters his first year as Pitching Coach for the Keys, after spending last season, his first in the organization, as Bowie’s Development Coach. Conway was originally a fourth round pick by Chicago-NL in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft, and spent three seasons in the Cubs minor league system. He’s a graduate of Smithsburg High School in Smithsburg, Md. TOM ELLER, in his second season with the Orioles organization, will be the Keys Hitting Coach. Eller joins the Keys staff after spending last season as Aberdeen’s Hitting Coach. He came to the Orioles from Harford Community College (Md.), where he was the head baseball coach for 12 seasons. COLLIN WOODY makes the transition from O’s farmhand to the coaching ranks, as he takes over as the Keys Fundamentals Coach. Woody, who was originally a 38th round draft pick by the Orioles in the 2016 First-Year Player Draft, spent the previous four seasons in the Orioles minor league system. DAVID BARRY joins the Keys as their Development Coach, his first professional coaching role. Barry spent the 2019 season as Delmarva’s Video Technician. Before joining the Orioles organization, he spent time as a Baseball Operations Intern with the Houston Astros, and a Baseball Operations Manager for the Indiana University baseball team. MARTY BRINKER enters his third season as Athletic Trainer with Frederick, after serving in the same role for Delmarva in 2017 and Aberdeen in 2015-16.
DAVE ANDERSON takes over as the manager at Delmarva, his sixth year in the organization, after spending last season as the Orioles Minor League Infield Coordinator. Anderson has nine years of minor league managerial experience. He has spent the past 26 seasons as a coach, coordinator, or manager in professional baseball. ROBBIE AVILES will join Anderson as Delmarva’s Pitching Coach. Aviles spent last season in the same role at Aberdeen, helping lead the IronBirds pitching staff to a New York-Penn League best ERA (2.38), WHIP (1.11), batting average against (.210), and shutouts (12). RYAN FULLER enters his first professional coaching season as the Shorebirds Hitting Coach. Fuller was a Hitting Instructor at Power in Training (The PIT) in Connecticut before joining Delmarva’s staff. He played collegiately at the University of Connecticut, and also played one season in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization in 2012. JEFF KUNKEL enters his first season as a Fundamentals Coach for Delmarva. He joins the Orioles from the Detroit Tigers organization, where he served as an Area Scout for the last four seasons. He was originally a 37th round draft pick of Detroit in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft and spent six seasons in the Tigers minor league system. MATT PACKER, in his first season with the organization, takes over as Delmarva’s Development Coach. Packer joins the Orioles from Post University (Conn.), where he was the Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for the Eagles. Packer was responsible for coordinating the Post University offense, which surpassed multiple school offensive records during the 2019 season. Prior to his time at Post University, Packer spent time as a coach at Desales University (Pa.) and IMG Academy (Fla.). ADAM SPARKS enters his first year as the Shorebirds Athletic Trainer, after spending the previous two years in the same position for the GCL Orioles.
KEVIN BRADSHAW enters his fifth season as manager of the Aberdeen IronBirds. 2020 will mark his 31st season in professional baseball as a coach or manager. JOE HAUMACHER will serve as Aberdeen’s Pitching Coach. Haumacher joins the Orioles from Dixie State University (Utah), where he spent the 2019 season as the Trailblazers Pitching Coach. In 2018, he was the Pitching Coach for Amherst College (Mass.). Prior to his time as a pitching coach, Haumacher spent four years working with pitching guru Tom House at the National Pitching Association. ANTHONY VILLA joins the IronBirds staff as their Hitting Coach. Villa comes from the Texas Rangers organization, where he spent the 2019 season as a player/coach in the Rangers system. Villa was originally a 19th round draft pick by the Chicago White Sox in the 2016 First-Year Player draft and played three professional seasons in Chicago’s farm system, including being named the Pioneer League MVP in 2017. Former Orioles farmhand, BRANDEN BECKER begins his first season as a Fundamentals Coach for Aberdeen, after retiring from his playing days following the 2019 season. Originally a 17th round draft pick by the Orioles in the 2015 First-Year Player Draft, Becker spent five seasons in the Orioles minor leagues. JOE BOTELHO enters his first season as Aberdeen’s Development Coach. Botelho enters the coaching ranks after spending the 2019 season as an Orioles Player Development Assistant. He enters his fifth season with the Orioles organization. GARY SMITH enters his third season as Athletic Trainer for Aberdeen, after holding the same position with the GCL Orioles during the 2017 season.
2019 Gulf Coast League Manager of the Year ALAN MILLS enters his second season as manager for the GCL Orioles. Mills helped lead the GCL Orioles to a GCL South Division Championship and a league-best 38-15 record, after posting a league-worst 13-42 record the season prior. It is Mills’ ninth season in the Orioles organization as a coach. Taking over as the GCL Orioles Pitching Coach is ADAM BLEDAY. Bleday spent the 2019 season, his first as a professional coach, as Frederick’s Development Coach. He was originally a 27th round draft pick in the 2017 First-Year Player Draft by the Houston Astros, and spent two seasons in the Astros minor leagues. PATRICK JONES joins the professional coaching ranks as the GCL Orioles Hitting Coach. Jones spent the past two seasons as a coach for Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. He also has worked as a private hitting instructor for the last three years. Jones attended Xavier University (Ohio), where he was an outfielder on the Musketeers baseball team. CHRISTIAN FRIAS begins his first professional coaching position as the GCL Orioles Fundamentals Coach. Frias joins the Orioles organization from Wabash Valley College (Ill.), where he was an assistant coach since 2016. While at Wabash Valley, Frias served as the Hitting/Infield Coach and helped the Warriors to a 150-30 record in three seasons. He also played three seasons in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league system, from 2010-12. TIM DeJOHN joins the GCL Orioles as their Development Coach. DeJohn spent the 2019 season as an Assistant Coach with the Milwaukee Milkmen of the Independent American Association. Prior to that, he spent two seasons as an Assistant Coach at the University of Memphis (Tenn.) and two seasons as an Assistant Coach at the University of Hartford (Conn.). DeJohn is the son of recently retired St. Louis Cardinals long-time minor league coordinator, Mark DeJohn. ALIKS LORIE begins his second year in the Orioles organization, serving as the GCL Orioles Athletic Trainer. He spent the 2019 season as the DSL Orioles Athletic Trainer.
ELVIS MOREL will once again manage one Dominican Summer League team, while CHRIS MADERA will serve as the manager of the other DSL squad. Madera spent last season as a player/coach in the Orioles system, and was in the Red Sox farm system the previous four seasons. The DSL Orioles teams will staff three pitching coaches: DIONIS PASCUAL, ROBERT PÉREZ, and ANDREW SADOSKI. Pascual and Pérez return to the DSL Staff, while Sadoski enters his first season as a professional coach. Sadoski is in his fourth year with the Orioles organization, and his sixth in professional baseball, having served last year as a player development assistant for the O’s. The DSL teams will also staff three hitting coaches: RAMÓN CARABALLO, RAMÓN LUBO, and JOSH BUNSELMEYER. Caraballo and Lubo return to the DSL Staff, while Bunselmeyer enters his first year in the organization. Bunselmeyer joins the Orioles from Jefferson College (Mo.), where he served as an Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator for the baseball team since 2017. Prior to coaching baseball, Bunselmeyer played collegiately at Saint Louis University (Mo.). MIGUEL JABALERA will serve as the DSL Orioles Fundamentals Coach and RUBÉN FRANCISCA will be the Development Coach. BRANDON RODRIGUEZ and JULIO IBARRA will serve as the DSL teams Athletic Trainers.
KENT QUALLS enters his eighth season with the Orioles as Director of Minor League Operations. EVE ROSENBAUM joins the Orioles organization as the club’s Director of Baseball Development. In this role, she will oversee the alignment of methods across baseball operations, while also enhancing coordination between the scouting, player development, and analytics departments. Rosenbaum is a native of Bethesda, Md., and a Walt Whitman High School graduate, who played four years of softball at Harvard University (Mass.). She joins the Orioles from the Houston Astros organization, where she spent the previous five seasons. During her time with the Astros, she was a Coordinator, International Baseball Operations, a Specialist, International Baseball Operations, and most recently a Manager, International Scouting. Prior to her time with the Astros, Rosenbaum worked for the NFL for two and a half years. MATT BLOOD enters his first season with the Orioles as Director of Player Development. Blood, who was hired in September, spent the 2019 season with the Texas Rangers as their Director of Baseball Innovation, after originally being hired by the Rangers as their Director of Player Development. Prior to his time with the Rangers, Blood was the Director of the 18 and Under National Team Program for USA Baseball. CHRIS HOLT enters his second year with the Orioles organization, and first as the Orioles Director of Pitching, after being promoted in October. Holt served last year as the Orioles Minor League Pitching Coordinator. MARIA ARELLANO enters her 15th season with the Orioles, and first as Senior Manager, Minor League & International Administration, after being promoted to the position in November. MIKE GRIFFIN enters his first season as the Orioles Pitching Rehabilitation Coach, after spending the previous 11 seasons as Norfolk’s pitching coach. Griffin has been a pitching coach/coordinator in professional baseball since 1990. MANNY LOPEZ returns as the Orioles Latin American Medical Coordinator. JAKE PARKER returns as Minor League Equipment Manager for the 11th season. FELIPE ROJAS ALOU, JR. will return to serve as Director of the Dominican Academy. RANCEL ROSADO takes over as the Orioles Dominican Academy Administrator. Rosado spent last season with the Orioles as the clubs International Scouting Intern and Trackman Operator. KATHRYN ROWE joins the Orioles organization as the O’s Sports Psychologist. Rowe joins the Orioles from the University of Rochester (NY) men’s soccer team, where she served as the team’s Mental Skills Coach. DAVE SCHMIDT, in his 23rd season in the organization, will serve as the Rehab Coordinator for the Orioles. DAVE WALKER will begin his 18th year as Minor League Medical Coordinator and 27th season in the organization.