2014 Affiliate Managing / Coaching / Training Thread

[Mass Haas]

The first news regarding 2014's staffs:

 

Darnell Coles Named Sounds Manager

Remainder Of Nashville Coaching Staff Returns For 2014

 

Review more on Coles from our 2013 thread here and here.

[brewmann04]

Good for Coles wonder who moves up to Huntsville.

[Mass Haas]

Matt Erickson to return as Wisconsin Manager (press release will be down the road)

[Mass Haas]

Here's the Press Release from Chris

 

Elvin Nina and Chuckie Caufield move up from Helena.

 

Ken Dominguez, listed simply as a "coach", is down from Huntsville's Hitting Coach position.

 

We'll have to see if Dusty Rhodes and Dave Chavarria have been reassigned.

 

A bit unusual, in that normally the Brewers announce staffs at all levels on the same day.

[Mass Haas]

Erickson to return to manage Timber Rattlers

by Mike Woods, Post-Crescent Media

 

GRAND CHUTE — At some point Matt Erickson’s career path will force him to part ways with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

 

But at this stage in his life, the 38-year-old Appleton native is right where he wants to be.

 

“I signed a two-year contract (in 2013), and I didn’t have to be here in Appleton the second year but I expressed my interest to (Brewers special assistant to the GM/Director of Player Development Reid Nichols) that this is a place that I want to be at this point in my life, with my young family,” Erickson said Tuesday.

 

The Brewers announced that Erickson would return for a fourth season as manager of the Timber Rattlers.

 

“Obviously, they have some input, but it’s more than just the family,” Erickson said. “I really enjoy coming out here. I still believe this is the best affiliate in the Brewers organization. Unless there’s a better opportunity or a better place to go to take me away from my family, I don’t see a reason for moving.”

 

But one day that better opportunity will come knocking.

 

“If a big-league opportunity came my way, I’m sure I’d have a hard time saying no, or at least discussing that opportunity,” said Erickson. “At this point, I think the Brewers like their situation with me here and I, obviously, like being here.”

 

The relationship among Erickson, the Timber Rattlers and the Brewers has been a perfect fit on and off the field.

 

Timber Rattlers president Rob Zerjav said when the Brewers’ Double-A managerial job became open this offseason he thought this might be the time for the Appleton West graduate to advance.

 

“It was a pleasant surprise to hear he’s coming back again,” Zerjav said.

 

Erickson’s situation is unique, but it’s one where all parties are prospering and happy.

 

“I hope it never gets to a point where it deters him from being thought of as an option at different levels, and we’ve let the Brewers know that,” said Zerjav. “Obviously, they think very highly of him and rightfully so.

 

“Obviously, we want to see Matt succeed and I know he has a dream to eventually make it up to the big leagues.”

 

Erickson said he has not been contacted by any other organizations, which would first have to contact the Brewers and seek permission to talk with him.

 

On the field, Erickson will welcome three new coaches next season.

 

Hitting coach duties will be split this year. Chuckie Caufield, who played six years in the Brewers organization as a player and was the hitting coach at rookie ball Helena last season — where the team hit .279, third-best in the Pioneer League — will make up half the team. The other hitting coach will be Ken Dominguez, who has an array of experience at the pro and collegiate levels.

 

“(Dominguez) is bilingual and the Brewers have put a little more investment into their Latin development over the last few years,” said Erickson, “and I fully expect to see more of our Latin players show up here in Appleton in the next couple of years.”

 

The new pitching coach will be Elvin Nina, who pitched 10 years in the minors and will be entering his sixth season with the Brewers. Nina served as pitching coach at Helena last season and the pitching staff posted the third-best ERA in the league.

 

“(Nina) is another bilingual coach,” said Erickson. “He was the pitching coach at Helena last year so he’ll be familiar with many of the pitchers who will be here this summer.”

 

And at this stage, not even Erickson knows how many more summers he’ll spend managing the Timber Rattlers.

 

“To me, it’s not like getting a player from low A, to high A, to Double-A to Triple-A,” he said. “And we’ve seen in the last few years, there are guys with big-league managerial jobs in the last couple of years that have no coaching experience whatsoever. They’ve had tremendous playing careers and a nice resume in that aspect, but I don’t think there’s much difference preparing and organizing a low A ball team or a Triple-A team.

 

“Obviously, there are some differences. But I think the teaching of the game decreases as you get higher and it’s more about, I guess, controlling egos and just other things you have to deal with. Maybe, at some point, I’ll get a chance to figure out firsthand.”

 

Matt Erickson has managed the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers for the past three seasons. / Dan Powers/Post-Crescent Media

 

http://cmsimg.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=U0&Date=20131029&Category=APC020602&ArtNo=310290350&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&Erickson-return-manage-Timber-Rattlers

[jerichoholicninja]

I don't know all that much about Matt, although I did hear him speak at the WBCA conference last year and thought he was very forward thinking, but is he a candidate to coach or manage in the majors in a few years? More importantly though, will he actually deserve it or will it just be because of his Wisconsin roots?

[Mass Haas]

[Mass Haas]

Adam McCalvy provides more 2014 coaching news here, including a new skipper at Huntsville.

[Mass Haas]

Via Adam McCalvy's Twitter:

 

Rewrite! Dave Clark has accepted an offer to be Tigers' third base coach. So the Double-A Huntsville job is open again. #Brewers

[Mass Haas]

Congratulations, Mike Guerrero.

 

Official Release: New Brewers Coach Guerrero Named Mike Coolbaugh Award Winner

[Mass Haas]

Sure the Brewers are sorry to see him go, and now there are openings at both AAA and AA manager in the system.

 

Nashville Sounds' tweet following the Tigers announcement --

 

Darnell Coles, previously announced as 2014 Sounds manager, named @tigers asst hitting coach. Replacement to be named in future.

[Mass Haas]

Sounds site --

 

Rick Sweet Named Sounds Manager

Longtime Minor League Skipper Joins Brewers Organization

 

The 61-year-old Sweet becomes the 25th manager in the Sounds' 37-year franchise history and will be joined by a returning coaching staff.

 

Was Darnell Coles the 24th?

 

Answer -- technically, no, didn't count on the official list.

[logan82]

Just got a call from a coworker about this. Sweet lived down the street from him. Well his GF did anyway. They moved to Arizona.

[Mass Haas]

The Brewer Nation blog detailed all the minor league staffs.

 

Adam McCalvy notes it's great to see Al LeBoeuf listed as Maryvale's hitting coach (tweet with backstory).

 

***

 

Love this from the Huntsville Times' Mark McCarter regarding the new Huntsville manager:

 

Wrote The Birmingham News in 2008 after Subero was not retained by the White Sox: "Carlos Subero turned a few heads last season as manager of the Birmingham Barons.

 

One reason was his demeanor. Subero could transition from laid-back to livid in a nanosecond, setting the unofficial minor league record for most ejections without uttering a single cuss word.

 

" 'He would lose his temper and state his case, but I never, ever heard him use profanity,' said Curt Bloom, the Barons' longtime play-by-play man.

 

"Reason two was more obvious. He took a club deep in pitching but short on everyday prospects and led the Barons to the Southern League's second-best record, 74-63."

 

***

 

The Brevard front office provides more details on their field management team as well.

 

***

 

Scroll back within this thread for earlier reports on the Nashville and Wisconsin staffs.

[Mass Haas]

Also...

 

Field Coordinator & Catching Instructor -Charlie Greene

 

Roving Pitching Coordinator -Rick Tomlin

 

Infield Coordinator- Bob Miscik

 

Athletic Training Coordinator- Frank Neville

 

***

 

Best I can tell, the only non-returning member of 2013's Brewers organizational coaching staff is former Wisconsin hitting coach Dusty Rhodes.

[Mass Haas]

Diggs to return as Helena manager

Helena Independent Record

 

Tony Diggs will be returning for a second season as the Helena Brewers manager.

 

The Brewers announced their coaching staff for the upcoming season on Monday. Joining Diggs in Helena are pitching coach Rolando Valles and hitting coach Jason Dubois. This will be Valles’ and Dubois’ first season in the Capital City.

 

Diggs, who played for the Helena Brewers in 1989, guided the team to a 43-33 regular season last summer and into the Pioneer League playoffs. Diggs was recognized as the league’s Manager of the Year.

 

“I’m looking forward to coming back to Helena this year,” Diggs said from his home in Arizona. “I had a great time and experience last year with a great bunch of guys.”

 

Valles replaces pitching coach Elvin Nina, who was with Helena in the same capacity for five seasons. Nina was promoted to the Low-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, as was hitting coach Chuckie Caufield (one season in Helena). Valles, originally drafted by the Houston Astros, spent 10 years in the minor and independent leagues as a pitcher. He most recently served as the Latin liaison for the Brewers, assisting non-English speaking players with development and off-field needs.

 

Dubois was a 14th-round selection of the Chicago Cubs in the 2000 draft. The Virginia Beach, Va., native saw major league time for both the Cubs and the Cleveland Indians organizations. He most recently served as a hitting coach with the Arizona League Brewers.

 

“Both coaches have been in our system and are very familiar with the Brewer way of sound baseball coaching, teaching and community involvement,” said Reid Nichols, director of player development for the Milwaukee Brewers. “We are fortunate to have quality people introducing our rookie players to professional baseball in Helena, Mont.”

[Mass Haas]

Infielder Liu Rodriguez, 37, a longtime minor league infielder and Venezuelan native who appeared in 39 big league games for the White Sox as a 22-year-old in 1999, tweeted (in Spanish) that he had "signed on as a coach with the Milwaukee Brewers".

 

Perhaps he will be assisting the position players in Maryvale, hopeful that he'll be getting back to us with any specific assignment he's aware of.

 

Love that he's "@LiuRod".

[Mass Haas]

Infielder Liu Rodriguez, 37, a longtime minor league infielder and Venezuelan native who appeared in 39 big league games for the White Sox as a 22-year-old in 1999, tweeted (in Spanish) that he had "signed on as a coach with the Milwaukee Brewers".

 

Perhaps he will be assisting the position players in Maryvale, hopeful that he'll be getting back to us with any specific assignment he's aware of.

 

Love that he's "@LiuRod".

 

Liu followed up for us to confirm he'll be working with the Maryvale kids all summer. Welcome, Liu!

[Mass Haas]

This detailed December 2012 feature story on Liu Rodriguez's coaching aspirations gives quite a few insights into the Brewers' newest member of the Maryvale Rookie Level coaching staff.

[Mass Haas]

Via, the Post-Crescent, Gord Ash on Timber Rattlers' Manager Matt Erickson (and Ryan Braun)

[Mass Haas]

Chris Hook memory lane

Fun little website...

[Mass Haas]

Voice of the Sounds Jeff Hem interviews new Manager Rick Sweet

[Mass Haas]

Lance Roenicke Video Report -- Brewers manager’s son going from player to coach

[Mass Haas]

Sounds manager Rick Sweet on hit-and-run

Nick Cole, the Tennessean

 

A look at baseball strategy and current events from the viewpoint of Sounds manager Rick Sweet…

 

Topic: When to effectively call a hit and run

 

Sweet says: “There’s the team view, there’s the individual view — you’ve got to have the right personnel, and then there’s the count.

 

I think a lot of times when your team is struggling a little bit, you are trying to get some action and get some things going. So overall, the broad view of it is that you’re usually trying to hit and run when your club is struggling a little bit. You’re trying to get things moving and good things to happen. You don’t hit-and-run when your team is really hot and swinging it good — you don’t need to do that. You let your guys go up and have quality at-bats.

 

And then there’s the personnel that you use the hit-and-run with. You’ve got to have a guy that can handle the bat — a guy that can put the ball in play. You don’t want a swing-and-miss type of guy, because a lot of times with a hit-and-run you don’t have your best base-stealers going.

 

And then there’s the count. Usually you do a hit-and-run when you’re pretty sure you’re going to get a fastball. You want to get a pitch that the hitter can handle, not a swing-and-miss pitch.”

[Mass Haas]

Brewers player a “forgotten man,” but he’s still helping the team

by Tim Van Vooren, fox6now.com

 

MILWAUKEE (WITI) – If you are a hardcore Milwaukee Brewers fan, you may remember an outfielder named Jeremy Reed — but if he has his way, you will see his impact on the diamond at Miller Park in a different way in the future.

 

2011 was a big year for the Milwaukee Brewers. Ron Roenicke took over as manager, Zack Greinke solidified the starting rotation, Tony Plush captured the fans’ imagination, Ryan Braun was the National League’s Most Valuable Player, the team made it to the National League Championship Series, and Jeremy Reed went 0-for-7.

 

The brief stint with the Brew Crew helped put Reed in position to become Milwaukee’s Minor League hitting coordinator this year.

 

“Being with this staff, the majority of the staff was here when I was here, and having Ron as the manager — just grinding out at-bats, that’s the kind of player I was, and being able to do that for this staff and then come and be a part of them is pretty neat,” Reed said.

 

The fact that he was once a very high draft choice and only recently a bottom of the roster player gives Reed a credibility with Brewers prospects.

 

“I felt so recently what it feels like to fail, what it feels like to succeed and what it feels like to be in the wrong position, at times, at the plate and whatnot. Being able to help them based on what I’ve gone through, I think there is some quality to that, and hopefully I can just pass that on,” Reed said.

 

The Brewers field seven minor league teams, including the Class A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. The vast majority of the guys who are currently playing for those teams will never become Major League stars or even Major Leaguers, but getting to the show shouldn’t be a pipe dream for them, or any of the college, high school and youth players who pull on a uniform.

 

“You just never know when somebody is going to develop. Development for some kids is later. Sometimes it’s early, so you never know. You just gotta keep playing hard and keep grinding it out,” Reed said.

 

Just as a grounds crew has to tend the field so it is at its best for a Major League baseball game, instructors in an organization need to tend to a player’s development so that they can be their best if they ever get here.

 

“It’s consistency. A lot of those kids have the talent to be able to play here, but not consistently play here. The more times that we can get these guys to understand what it’s like to be on time and be consistent in what they’re doing — the better chance they have to get up here,” Reed said.

 

Ryan Braun, Yovani Gallardo and Jonathan Lucroy all came up through Milwaukee’s minor league system.

 

Now, Jeremy Reed is trying to help produce the next Brewers Big Leaguer.