Arlington, Texas — The Texas Rangers today announced the organization’s 2022 minor league coordinators and coaching staffs for the top four minor league affiliates.

The coordinator staff will consist of Kenny Holmberg (Field/Infield Coordinator), Danny Clark (Pitching Coordinator), Jordan Tiegs (Pitching Coordinator), Cody Atkinson (Director, Hitting), and Garrett Kennedy (Catching Coordinator). The club’s top four minor league affiliates will be managed by Matt Hagen (Triple-A Round Rock), Jared Goedert (Double-A Frisco), Carlos Cardoza (High-A Hickory), and Steve Mintz (Low-A Down East).

Texas farm clubs combined for a 350-306 (.534) record in 2021, the 7th-highest organizational win percentage in MLB and 4th-highest in the American League. The Rangers had the league’s most improved farm system from 2020 to 2021 according to MLB Pipeline, improving 13 spots to 11th in 2021 after being ranked 24th in 2020.

Coordinators

Kenny Holmberg takes over Field Coordinator responsibilities in 2022 while also maintaining Infield Coordinator duties for a seventh straight year. Holmberg, who has been a manager at four levels of the Texas farm system, most recently skippered Triple-A Round Rock in 2021. Danny Clark will be back for his 17th season in the organization and 14th as pitching coordinator, as he will serve in a joint role with fellow pitching coordinator Jordan Tiegs, who received a promotion after one year as the pitching coach for High-A Hickory. Cody Atkinson returns as Director of Hitting and has overseen the minor league hitting program since joining the organization in October 2019. Garrett Kennedy is a new addition as catching coordinator after spending the last three seasons (2019-21) as a bullpen catcher for the Minnesota Twins. The 29-year-old Miami native had a four-year playing career in the Los Angeles Dodgers and Seattle organizations from 2015-18. Turtle Thomas (Roving Coach) returns for his seventh season in the Texas system.

Triple-A Round Rock Express

Matt Hagen will transition back to the dugout as Round Rock’s manager after spending two years (2020-21) as Field Coordinator. Hagen, who will be in his seventh year with Texas, has previous managerial experience at Low-A Hickory (2018-19) and Short-A Spokane (2017), combining to amass a 192-157 (.550) record. Bill Simas continues in his role as pitching coach for a second consecutive season, which will mark his 12th year as an instructor. Matt Lawson joins the organization as Triple-A hitting coach following a successful run as an assistant coach, hitting instructor, and recruiting coordinator at his alma mater, Missouri State University from 2014-21. Lawson was the Rangers’ 14th-round selection in the 2007 MLB Draft and was involved in the 2010 trade that brought Cliff Lee to Texas. Chase Lambin moves from Round Rock hitting coach to bench coach for 2022, his eighth season with Texas. Josh Johnson assumes the role of development coach this season following one year as manager of High-A Hickory. The team’s support staff of Carlos Olivas (Athletic Trainer) and Wade Lamont (Strength and Conditioning) remains unchanged from last year.

Double-A Frisco RoughRiders

Jared Goedert will be back for his second season as Frisco’s manager and seventh season overall in the organization after leading the RoughRiders to a division title and 64-55 record in 2021. Jeff Andrews will also return to the staff as pitching coach, marking his 19th season in the Texas organization and 37th year as a minor league instructor. Eric Dorton (Hitting Coach) moves up to the Double-A level after overseeing the offense for Low-A East runner-up Down East in 2021, when the Wood Ducks led minor league baseball with 290 stolen bases. Chad Comer and Avery Sullivan join the staff as development coaches. Comer was the hitting coach for High-A Hickory last season, while Sullivan has spent the last two years as a pitching research and development coach. Yuichi Takizawa (Athletic Trainer) and Jon Nazarko (Strength and Conditioning) move to the Double-A level after serving in those roles at High-A in 2021.

High-A Hickory Crawdads

Carlos Cardoza will manage Hickory in 2022 after skippering Low-A Down East to a 72-48 record and postseason appearance in 2021. The upcoming season will be Cardoza’s sixth as a manager in the Texas farm system, as he previously captained the Rookie-level Arizona League Rangers (2019) and Dominican Summer League Rangers (2016-18) prior to making his full-season managerial debut last year. Jon Goebel joins the organization as Hickory’s pitching coach following a lengthy tenure at Division II Parkland College in Champaign, Ill., where he served as a head coach (2019-21) and pitching coach (2014-18) over the last eight years. Hitting coach Ryan Tuntland returns to the organization for a second season after holding the same role with the Arizona Complex League Rangers in 2021. Joining the Crawdads’ staff as development coaches will be Jay Sullenger and former University of Texas catcher Kawika Emsley-Pai. Sullenger enters his third season as a coach in the Texas farm system after managing the ACL Rangers in 2021, while Emsley-Pai returns to the organization after he was hired as a coach at Triple-A Round Rock last May. Derrick Decker will be Hickory’s athletic trainer and Andy Earp will serve as strength and conditioning coach.

Low-A Down East Wood Ducks

Steve Mintz, who is entering his 10th season with Texas, has been appointed Down East’s manager for the 2022 campaign. The North Carolina native has spent nine seasons in the Texas organization as a pitching coach at the Single-A level and last filled a managerial role in 2016 with Low-A Hickory, guiding the Crawdads to a 74-66 record. Mintz also has recent managerial experience with the Auckland Tuatara of the Australian Baseball League. Newcomers Demetre Kokoris (Pitching Coach) and Collin McBride (Hitting Coach) join the Wood Ducks’ staff after being hired by the organization this offseason. Kokoris spent the last three years as a pitching coach in the Blue Jays farm system, while McBride served as a strength and conditioning/hitting coach at College of Central Florida in Ocala, Fla. from 2019-21. Former Rangers infielder Guilder Rodriguez and former Texas farmhand Justin Jacobs will serve as development coaches. Rodriguez brings five years of experience as a coach on the ACL Rangers staff and Jacobs will be making his full-season coaching debut after spending 2021 as an assistant coach at George Washington University and with the Rangers in the Arizona Complex League and Fall Instructional League. Down East’s support staff will consist of Rachel Purcell (Athletic Trainer) and Kevin Varitek (Strength and Conditioning).