Orioles Announce Minor League Coaching Staffs and Player Development Assignments for 2024
The Orioles today announced the club’s minor league coaching staffs and player development assignments for the 2024 season. The coaching staffs of Triple-A Norfolk, Double-A Bowie, High-A Aberdeen, and Single-A Delmarva are listed below, along with the Florida Complex League and Dominican Summer League Orioles.
Managers BUCK BRITTON (Norfolk), CHRISTIAN FRIAS (FCL Orioles), and CHRIS MADERA and ELBIS MOREL (DSL Orioles) return to their same posts, ROBERTO MERCADO (Bowie), and FELIPE ROJAS ALOU, JR. (Aberdeen) have been promoted to new affiliates, and COLLIN WOODY (Delmarva) becomes a manager for the first time in his career.
Britton returns for his third season as Manager of the Tides. He guided Norfolk to the Triple-A National Championship and International League Championship in 2023, leading the team to a league-best 90-59 record, while also earning the organization’s Cal Ripken, Sr. Player Development Award. Britton managed No. 1 prospect JACKSON HOLLIDAY, as well as other top prospects COLTON COWSER, HESTON KJERSTAD, COBY MAYO, CHAYCE McDERMOTT, CONNOR NORBY, CADE POVICH, GRAYSON RODRIGUEZ, KYLE STOWERS, and JORDAN WESTBURG. In total, 34 players appeared on both the Tides’ and Orioles’ active rosters during the 2023 season. Britton will be joined once again by Pitching Coach JUSTIN RAMSEY, who enters his sixth season in the organization and third with Norfolk. Ramsey will also serve as Minor League Upper-Level Pitching Coordinator for a third straight year in addition to his position with the Tides. Newcomer and former University of Maryland product MIKE MONTVILLE joins Norfolk as Hitting Coach after serving as Assistant Hitting Coach with Triple-A Worcester (BOS) in 2023. Fundamentals Coach RAMÓN SAMBO and Development Coach JOSHUA RODRIGUES each return in their roles, with Sambo entering his fifth season in Norfolk and 18th in the Orioles’ system, and Rodrigues entering his third season in the organization. Athletic Trainer ALAN RAIL, ATC and Strength and Conditioning Coach JON MEDICI also return to Norfolk. SETH ELLANSON, ATC has been named Assistant Athletic Trainer after serving as Head Athletic Trainer for the NBA G League Motor City Cruise. ADAM SEHLMEYER returns as Norfolk’s Clubhouse Manager.
Mercado will make his Double-A debut after leading High-A Aberdeen the last two seasons. In 2022, he was honored with the organization’s Cal Ripken, Sr. Player Development Award and led the IronBirds to the South Atlantic League championship series. AUSTIN MEINE joins the Baysox as Pitching Coach after serving in the same role with the IronBirds last year. Hitting Coach JOSH BUNSELMEYER makes the jump from Single-A Delmarva. Fundamentals Coach CHASE SEBBY and Development Coach BILLY FACTEAU join Bowie from Aberdeen, Athletic Trainer JULIO IBARRA, ATC jumps from the Shorebirds, and SAM SAUER is back as Strength and Conditioning Coach. JON WEINBERG returns as Clubhouse Manager.
Alou will manage the IronBirds, his third managerial season after spending the last two years with Delmarva and his 17th overall in the organization. Pitching Coach JORDIE HENRY joins the staff from the FCL Orioles and Hitting Coach ZACH COLE returns to Aberdeen in the same position for a third season. Fundamentals Coach CHARLES BOLDEN joins the organization after serving as head baseball coach at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire for the last three years. Development Coach RYAN GOLL is back at Aberdeen after spending last season with Bowie. He will also serve as Offseason Camp Coordinator. Athletic Trainer TORI ATENCIO, ATC and Strength and Conditioning Coach CHRIS FROSCH are both back with the IronBirds. ROSS STOVALL returns as Aberdeen’s Clubhouse Manager.
Woody becomes a manager for the first time after two years as Fundamental Coach with the FCL Orioles. Pitching Coach ANDY SADOSKI and Hitting Coach CHRISTIAN POULSEN were both also promoted from the FCL. DANIEL FAJARDO, who spent eight years as a player in Baltimore’s farm system, returns as Delmarva’s Fundamentals Coach, while CALVIN CHRISTIANSEN will be a Development Coach after spending two seasons as a Minor League Technology Coordinator. GRIFFIN PYOTT, ATC will be the Shorebirds Athletic Trainer after serving as an assistant at Norfolk and Delmarva the last two years, respectively. JUAN SANCHEZ returns for a second season as Strength and Conditioning Coach. MASON GOMEZ will be the new Delmarva Clubhouse Manager.
Frias returns to manage the FCL Orioles for a third season. Pitching Coach ADAM BLEDAY returns to the FCL after one year with the Shorebirds while newcomer BRANDON BAILEY will also be a Pitching Coach. Bailey is a former Rule 5 selection by the Orioles in 2019. TEEGAN LEADER and JULIAN GONZÁLEZ will be the Hitting Coaches. Leader was a Development Coach in the FCL last year, while González makes the jump from the Dominican Summer League Orioles. TIM DeJOHN returns for his third season in the organization as Fundamentals Coach after serving in the same position the last two years with Bowie. He will also serve as Minor League Infield Coordinator. LANDON LASSITER will also be a Fundamentals Coach. RICHARD COSGROVE and CASEY DAY will be Development Coaches. Lassiter is a first-time coach after serving as a staff assistant with Aberdeen last season, Cosgrove is in a coaching role for the first time after working as Minor League Technology Coordinator the past two years, while Day joins the organization from Kirkwood Community College (IA). SARA PADILLA, ATC will serve as Athletic Trainer for a second straight year. JULIO DIAZ will serve as Strength and Conditioning Coach/Complex Strength and Conditioning Coordinator for a second season in a row, overseeing both Sarasota and the Dominican Academy, while GABE SANCHEZ will be the other FCL Strength and Conditioning Coach. NATE SNYDER and MATT HENDERSON will also be the FCL Clubhouse Managers.
Madera and Morel return to manage in the DSL. Morel is entering his 14th year as a DSL manager while Madera will be in his fifth season. DIONI PASCUAL and BAILEY VUYLSTEKE both return as Pitching Coaches. JAKE RATZ and new hire GEORGE BELL, son of the 1987 American League MVP, will serve as Hitting Coaches. MIGUEL JABALERA and RAMÓN LUBO return as Fundamentals Coaches for a third season, while NICK KROPIDLOWSKI joins the staff as Development Coach. MAGGIE HUNT, ATC and McKENNA PETERSON, ATC will be the Athletic Trainers while DANIEL VARGAS and WILL REICHEL will be the Strength & Conditioning Coaches. JOSE FRIAS returns as DSL Equipment Manager.
Overseeing one of the top farm systems in all of baseball are MATT BLOOD, who enters his fifth season with the Orioles after being promoted to Vice President, Player Development and Domestic Scouting, in October and KENT QUALLS, returning for his 12th season as Director of Minor League Operations. ANTHONY VILLA has been promoted to Director of Player Development. CHRIS HOLT will be the Director of Pitching. Coordinator of Minor League Operations RAMÓN ALARCÓN, Education Coordinator ANAÍMA GARCÍA, Complex Coordinator of Instruction MATT PACKER, Dominican Academy Administrator RANCEL ROSADO, and Latin American Field Coordinator SAMUEL VEGA all return in their roles. Minor League Field Coordinator JEFF KUNKEL, Manager of Player Development Technology and Initiatives JOE BOTELHO, and Manager of Player Development, Complexes JACKSON McDONNELL were all promoted. BRINK AMBLER and SHERMAN JOHNSON shift from Hitting Coach roles at Norfolk and Bowie to be Lower-Level and Upper-Level Hitting Coordinators, respectively. FORREST HERRMANN transitions to Minor League Lower-Level Pitching Coordinator after being Bowie’s Pitching Coach last season. ADAM SCHUCK will serve as Assistant Pitching Coordinator, DAVE SCHMIDT will be the Rehab Pitching Coordinator, and ANDERSON TAVAREZ will be the Latin America Pitching Coordinator. DAVID BERRY returns as a Player Development Hitting Analyst. SCOTT STANSBURY, ATC continues as Minor League Medical Coordinator, with AJ CANO, ATC returning as International Medical Coordinator, MATT HUNTER as Minor League Assistant Medical Coordinator, and BYRON CAMPBELL as Minor League Physical Therapist. ROLANDO RODRIGUEZ joins the organization as a Minor League Physical Therapist. NICK WHITE returns as Head of Strength and Performance, leading a team of Minor League Strength and Conditioning Coordinator WILL ALLI, Rehab Strength Coordinator and Conditioning Coordinator BRANDON FARISH, Biomechanist JOEY MYLOTT, Human Performance Coach ALEJANDRO MACARIO, and new hire Mental Skills Coach DIAMYN HALL, who joins the organization from IMG Academy (FL). ELENA GOMEZ and VICTORIA PEREZ will serve as DSL Teachers. JAKE PARKER returns as Minor League Equipment Manager for the 15th season.