2015 Season Coaching Thread

[Mass Haas]

First news for the 2015 season via Mike Berardino's column --

 

Former Class A Fort Myers pitching coach Gary Lucas has signed on in the same role with the Class A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in the Midwest League. The Milwaukee Brewers’ affiliate is based in Appleton.

 

Lucas makes his offseason home in Rice Lake, Wis.

 

“Good opportunity with the Brewers organization and close to home and family,” Lucas said in a text message.

 

Lucas, a former big-league reliever, spent the past 15 seasons as a pitching coach in the Twins organization, including a six-year run in the Midwest League. His contract was not renewed in September as the Twins shuffled their roster of instructors.

 

***

 

Not sure if 2014 coach Elvin Nina will be re-assigned, Brewers normally wait until all staff is in place before formal announcement.

 

Lucas, now 60, was a 6'5 LHP for three org.'s from '80-'87. Was coaching at High-A in FSL for Twins (Baseball Reference)

[Mass Haas]

Via friend of Brewerfan Josh Flickinger --

 

Lucas played with some of the best

[Mass Haas]

Erickson to return as Timber Rattlers manager

Tim Froberg, Post-Crescent Media

 

Matt Erickson considers himself to be a teacher of the game, and his classroom isn’t about to change.

 

The Appleton native said Tuesday that he will return to manage a fifth season with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers after reaching an agreement with the Milwaukee Brewers’ organization in the fall instructional league.

 

“I’m very appreciative of the situation I have in Appleton,” said Erickson, a 1994 Appleton West graduate. “Being close to my family and having them be a part of what goes on means a lot to me.

 

“I have tremendous balance in my life and I’m appreciative of that. This is still a very good fit for me.”

 

Erickson took over as Timber Rattlers manager in 2011 after serving as the team’s hitting coach the previous two years. Erickson played 11 seasons of professional baseball as an infielder (1997-2011). He spent his first eight years in the Marlins’ organization after being selected by the team with a seventh round pick out of the University of Arkansas in the 1997 first-year player draft. Erickson also spent parts of two seasons in the Milwaukee organization, reaching the majors with the Brewers for a stretch of the 2004 season, before finishing his playing career with the Arizona Diamondbacks’ organization.

 

The Brewers haven’t made an official announcement on their 2015 minor league coaches and instructors, but Erickson said the majority of last year’s Timber Rattlers coaching staff will return. The exception will be at pitching coach where Gary Lucas will take over. Lucas, a former major league pitcher, worked for years in the Minnesota Twins’ organization and was the pitching coach of the Class A Beloit Snappers last season.

 

“Gary is familiar with the Midwest League and had a lot of experience with the Twins organization, so I’m excited to have him join us,” said Erickson.

[Mass Haas]

McCalvy -- Little change in 2015 Field Staffs

[Mass Haas]

AUDIO: Timber Rattlers' Manager Matt Erickson via WSCO

[Mass Haas]

Fangraphs article on minor league coaching salaries

[Mass Haas]

AUDIO 2/17: Biloxi Manager Carlos Subero

 

This is via Chris Harris' Shuck Dynasty blog, suggested reading for the background behind this audio

[Mass Haas]

Via Adam McCalvy's Monday notes --

 

Ron Roenicke's son Lance, who played in the club's Minor League system in 2012 and '13, and coached at Class A Wisconsin last year, retired from pro ball after getting married in November. Lance Roenicke is now coaching baseball at a high school near San Diego.

 

"I'm perfectly fine with it," Ron Roenicke said. "It's a hard life for your family."

[Mass Haas]

VIDEO 3/12: Look on the right sidebar for "SKY SOX REPORT: Rick Sweet" as well as "SKY SOX REPORT: Managing in Triple-A" - Behold Rick Sweet's glorious mustache as he and Ron Roenicke discuss it

[Mass Haas]

Via Miller Park Prospects, Colorado Springs Manager Rick Sweet is featured in this article and interviewed by new MPP contributor Ryan Kaufman, who also wrote the feature (AUDIO).

[Mass Haas]

Sitting down with Colorado Springs Sky Sox manager Rick Sweet

Kevin Henry, Colorado Springs Sky Sox Examiner

 

Prior to Thursday’s Opening Day matchup against Nashville, I had the chance to sit down with Colorado Springs manager Rick Sweet, who brings some impressive credentials with him to the Sky Sox. This year marks his 25th year as a minor league manager, and his 1,665 wins rank sixth among active managers heading into the 2015 campaign.

 

During our talk, I had the chance to ask him about a myriad of topics, ranging from his approach to spring training and the regular season to why it’s not enough to just “develop” baseball players in the minor leagues.

 

Kevin Henry: Talk about your approach to spring training. It’s been said that you take it a lot more seriously than other managers when it comes to wins and losses.

 

Sweet: Wins in spring training are part of the process. It’s one thing to just go out and play the game. It’s another to go out there and work hard so you can fill the needs of not only this team, but the major league team as well.

 

Henry: What about your approach to wins and development during the regular season?

 

Sweet: I play to the game situation, but I also want to win. I think it’s a cop out to say all you’re doing is developing these players to get to the major leagues. I don’t want to develop losers. I don’t want to send a guy who everyone says is “developed” but is OK with losing to Milwaukee. I want to send an animal to Milwaukee who knows what it takes to win and will do just that.

 

Winning is a part of the game. We have guys who are here to help us win and they each have jobs. They simply need to do them.

 

Henry: This is your second season managing this team (last year the team was in Nashville before the Milwaukee affiliation moved to Colorado Springs). How does that help you from a manager’s standpoint?

 

Sweet: We’ve been together and know each other. For the new guys, I think it’s important that the guys know me rather than me knowing them. The guys who have been on the team before with me can communicate to the new guys who I am and how I work.

 

Henry: What’s the thing you watch out for the most on your team?

 

Sweet: Consistency. There’s not a lot of down time at Triple-A and it can be a grind mentally. Everyone talks about the toll it takes on you physically, but you have to be prepared for the mental grind as well.

 

Henry: Describe what kind of team we’re going to see from the Sky Sox this season.

 

Sweet: I want fans to come out here to see an exciting team. I want them to think, “Gosh, they play good baseball.” I want our fans to see a team that plays with enthusiasm. I know fans are used to seeing this team affiliated with the (Colorado) Rockies (the previous affiliate of the Sky Sox), but I think they’re going to follow our team based on how we play.

 

Overall, I think this club that the Brewers have put together is the best all-around group of players I have ever had to start a season. We have speed, power, a great bullpen, and a good mix of starters. I’m excited about the season and I think our fans will be as well.

 

Henry: Speaking of the season, talk about your approach to Opening Day.

 

Sweet: Opening Day is always fun. It’s a letdown after that because you realize you have a bunch of games to play after that. I think Opening Day will be very special for the fans and organization with the change to Milwaukee this season.

 

Henry: You have Taylor Jungmann taking the mound on Opening Day for you. He’s a highly rated prospect. What do you expect to see from him in his first Sky Sox start?

 

Sweet: He’ll be on a pitch count but I will be very happy if he gives us four to five solid innings. He’s a guy with a good fastball and curveball who likes to work inside. He’s a horse on the mound.

 

Henry: You mentioned the strength of the bullpen earlier and everyone knowing their roles. How are you going to manage the late-inning flow going for your bullpen?

 

Sweet: I have a lot of closers and they’re all different. We have several guys who can close, and we have several guys who will need to get in innings. This bullpen is the best I have ever had to open a season. Baseball is a very trendy game. Each of these late-inning guys will have roles and they will all pitch. That’s really the development side of things. They have to be ready if Milwaukee needs someone to come up and throw a couple of innings.

[Mass Haas]

VIDEO: Biloxi Shuckers manager Carlos Subero is getting the job done

[Mass Haas]

Colorado Springs press release:

 

Fred Dabney Named Pitching Coach For PCL All-Stars

The First National Bank 2015 Triple-A All-Star Game will be held at Omaha's Werner Park on July 15

By Nick Dobreff / Colorado Springs Sky Sox

[Mass Haas]

Former Brewer great Don Money still helping prospects

Steve Clark, Gannett Wisconsin Media

 

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Former Brewer great Don Money, shown here managing the Nashville Sounds in 2009, is now a special instructor of player development for the Brewers and recently wrapped up a visit to Appleton to work with the Timber Rattlers players. Money has spent nearly 30 years in the Brewers’ organization as a player and coach. (Photo: Gannett Media File Photo)

 

GRAND CHUTE - It's been more than 30 years since Don Money's days as a Major League Baseball player came to an end.

 

Yet, the former Brewer has never seemed to stray more than a long relay throw from the game.

 

Money serves as special instructor of player development for the Milwaukee Brewers – an organization he's been associated with for more than half of his professional life – and just finished a 12-day stint with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. It's a position he's held with the Brewers since the 2012 season and a role he takes a lot of pride in filling.

 

"I enjoy doing what I'm doing. It's a lot of fun," Money said before a recent road trip to Beloit. "(Baseball) is in your blood so you just try to stay in it as much as you can."

 

In his role with the Brewers, Money spends 10-12 days with each of the organization's minor league affiliates over the course of the summer, working with infield prospects, assisting the coaching staff and getting a general feel for the players in the system.

 

With the Class A Timber Rattlers, that often means spending a lot of time on the diamond putting the young players through some extra work.

 

"Most of the time I will go to the manager and ask which of the infielders need extra work or talk to the infield roving instructor and he will say work with (a certain player)," Money said. "We just talk about footwork, getting their arms in the right position, that kind of thing. The biggest thing for young players today is to try to carry into the game what you learn in practice.

 

"Sometimes it's just talking to the players, find out where their heads are a little bit, what their feelings are."

 

As much as Money enjoys his work, the biggest benefit is the schedule his role requires.

 

Rather than being entrenched with a team for an entire season, the 68-year-old Money has his short stints on the road broken up by trips back to his home in New Jersey.

 

"I'm out on the road for 12-13 days at a time and then I get to go home for a couple of weeks, so I get to see (wife Sharon), make sure she's OK," Money said. "When I managed, when I left for spring training it was middle of February or late February and I wouldn't get home until the first week of September. And when I managed in Triple A, it was the first week of October."

 

Money managed at nearly every level of the Brewers organization starting in 1998 with the Beloit Snappers, then the Brewers' Midwest League affiliate. He managed the Huntsville Stars from 2005-2008, where he set the franchise record for victories and was named Southern League manager of the Year in 2007, before leading the Brewers' Triple A franchise, the Nashville Sounds, from 2009-2011.

 

Despite his years of service and success in the organization, Money never got the chance to manage at the major league level.

 

"It was disappointing, but that's water (under) the bridge now," Money said. "I just do my job now the best I can and help the organization get better, help the players get better because that's going to make the organization better."

 

Right now the Brewers' organization is in need of some help.

 

Both Class A affiliates – Wisconsin and Brevard County in the Florida State League – posted the worst first-half records in their respective leagues, while the Brewers' Triple A franchise in Colorado Springs currently has the worst record among the 16 Pacific Coast League teams.

 

Only Biloxi, the Brewers' Double A affiliate in the Southern League has enjoyed success, finishing first in their division in the first half of the season.

 

"Everything runs in cycles. When I first came here, we were one of the top minor league systems in all of baseball. We had the talent coming through the system," Money said. "There were a couple trades here and there, one for (CC) Sabathia and one for (Zack) Greinke, where we had to give up some prospects. We had them and we gave them up. We made the playoffs but that cost the organization some young talent that is very hard to replace in such a short time."

 

Money has managed or coached just about every Brewer prospect that has come through the system in the last 15 years, starting with Bill Hall, Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks during his time in Beloit to the current crop of players making the jump to the Brewers.

 

He admits there is a level of satisfaction playing a role in the success of a young player and seeing them take the next step in their careers. Whether it's making the jump to the major leagues in Milwaukee or simply progressing from the low Single A level in Wisconsin to Brevard County.

 

"It does feel good, but that's our job. And I didn't get that kid there by myself, it's a whole system. Everybody being on the same page and trying to make that player a better player to go to the next level and eventually get to the big leagues to help the big league team," Money said. "You look back and you had your little hand in their development through the system. It's nice to see guys get to the next level, even if it's Low A to High A, you like to see them perform like they can because you had your hand in it."

 

Money, who is a member of the Milwaukee Brewers Walk of Fame and was a four-time all-star in his 10 years with the Brewers, doesn't have an end date in mind for his role with the organization and still believes he can help the players in the system develop.

 

As long as he does, though, he knows he will always have to answer the same question from those he's trying to help. Since his playing career ended well before any of the current members of the Timber Rattlers were born, he often gets asked if he had ever played the game.

 

"It came up the other day in the clubhouse, some of them asked me if I played and if I made it to the big leagues and then wanted to know how long. I said 15 years (in the majors) and their eyes got real wide," Money said. "The Brewers are my team. I follow them. I see the players I had throughout the system when I was managing at Double A and Triple A and hopefully I'll get to see more of these guys up there down the road."

[Mass Haas]

Always rolling snake eyes

Former Cougar Erickson in blissful situation as Rattlers manager

By Kevin Druley, Kane County Chronicle

 

http://www.kcchronicle.com/_internal/cimg!0/ofxtzfyy980007o2jvxmuvu3tt61lny

 

Fifth-year Wisconsin manager Matt Erickson played for the Cougars in 1998, when the club was affiliated with the Florida Marlins. Sandy Bressner photo

 

GENEVA – Wisconsin Timber Rattlers manager Matt Erickson allows his 10-year-old son, Maddox, to take batting practice alongside Midwest Leaguers.

 

Erickson reasons that “I feel comfortable with him out on the field without him killing himself,” a patience that permeates his entire managerial approach.

 

Now in his fifth season guiding the Milwaukee Brewers Class-A affiliate in his native Appleton, Wisconsin, Erickson, a former Cougars infielder, finds an even keel to be his most prized asset.

 

“When you first start coaching, you’re so eager to help, you know. And you want to help everybody and you want it to happen now,” Erickson said. “Kind of like when you’re playing, you know. Everybody wants results now. And I think as you get into it, as you become more mature as a player and more mature as a coach, you’ll understand the importance of the progress. The progress and the process.”

 

Erickson’s on-field process spanned from 1997 to 2006, as he explored the systems of three of the National League’s most recent entrants.

 

The Florida (now Miami) Marlins drafted him out of Arkansas in the seventh round in 1997, three years after Erickson declined to sign with the Brewers when the club made him a 57th-round pick after he graduated from high school.

 

Erickson played in 311 Triple-A games for the Marlins from 2001 to 2003 but did not reach the big leagues until a brief 2004 stint with the Brewers. He closed his career in the Diamondbacks system.

 

He was a career .296 hitter in Triple-A and batted .300 in 3,458 minor league at-bats overall. In 1998, his lone season with the Class-A Cougars, he hit .324 with four home runs and 64 RBIs in 124 games while stealing 17 bases in 24 attempts.

 

“I know playing here was fun,” Erickson said. “I mean, the atmosphere that’s created here is always nice. They have some passionate fans. They cater well to the multiple communities around Chicago, and it’s always been a family-friendly environment.”

 

In many respects, Kane County, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this season, reminds Erickson of Wisconsin, which commemorated its 20th season in Appleton in 2014.

 

Although the Timber Rattlers draw from a smaller immediate area, the pull of the parent Brewers extends to fans statewide.

 

“And I think they understand the part of it that the priority is player development, you know, and it’s not always wins and losses,” Erickson said. “However, they appreciate good baseball whether you’re winning or losing.”

 

Wisconsin entered Thursday’s game against the Cougars playing .333 ball, winning just 28 of its 84 games.

 

Such circumstances might produce crustiness in a manager and tension in a clubhouse, but Erickson has worked diligently to avoid tension. He still organizes themed travel days – “Usually something comfortable,” he says – and converses casually with players while pedaling on the stationary bike outside his office.

 

“The way he goes about his business, he makes you feel laid back,” Wisconsin first baseman Alan Sharkey said. “He has trust in every one of his players. You can see it.”

 

Erickson, 39, was almost his son’s age when the Brewers, then an American League club, advanced to the 1982 World Series. He still talks vividly about the neighborhood cookouts that summer and the Brewers banter that constantly seemed to be on everyone’s lips.

 

To that end, he isn’t shy about reiterating how fortunate he feels to live, work and raise a family in his hometown. He and his wife also have two young daughters, and Erickson beams whenever he sees them “Rattlered up.”

 

Erickson has presided over the early development of such current Brewers as infielder Scooter Gennett and outfielder Khris Davis, both of whom have played through rehab stints with Wisconsin this season. Erickson coached with the Timber Rattlers for two seasons before becoming manager, and the best baseball tutelage he’s learned along the way sounds like something he might impart to his children, too.

 

“Be honest with them,” Erickson said. “When they’re doing something wrong, tell them and show them. When they’re doing something right, tell them. And be consistent with the message. And if you can stay true to that, I think as a coach, you’ll earn some respect, you know. And that doesn’t mean everything’s going to go right, but everybody knows that you’re trying to be honest with everybody and give everybody a chance to fulfill their potential.”

 

In other words, be patient. It all will add up.

[Mass Haas]

By Herb Jacobs - Associated Press

 

LAWTON, Okla. (AP) - When Fred Dabney signed on as a pitching coach with the Texas Rangers' organization in 1999, his long-range goal was to work his way to the major league level. One talk with Farm Director Reid Nichols changed his mind. Dabney pitched in the minor leagues for nine seasons and in Taiwan for one more.

 

When Dabney moved into the coaching field, Nichols had one question.

 

"He asked me: 'what's your goal'?" Dabney told The Lawton Constitution.

 

"And I said the typical: well, I'd like to be a big league pitching coach.

 

"And he said: 'that shouldn't be your goal. Your goal should be to be the best pitching coach out there because you can't control whether you go to the big leagues as a coach or not, but you can control how you work every day, go about your business every day and having the goal of being the best pitching coach out there, where players look at you and go: 'you know what? He's the best pitching coach that I've had'.

 

"Ever since then, I've made that my goal. I'm not worried about being in the big leagues. If the situation arises, it arises. If it doesn't, every day I do my job to the best of my ability and that's my main thing."

 

Dabney has reached the Triple-A level with the Milwaukee Brewers and currently works with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox of the Pacific Coast League.

 

The Sox were in Oklahoma City recently for a series with the host Dodgers. Dabney took a break from his pregame routine to fill in some blanks.

 

His coaching career started with the Gulf Coast League Rangers in 1999. He stayed with the Rangers through 2003, with stops in Savannah, Charlotte and Stockton.

 

Dabney joined the Brewers in 2004, working in Huntsville and Brevard County through 2011.

 

In 2010, he spent one month with the parent club while Stan Lyles underwent surgery.

 

Dabney reached Triple-A in 2012 when he was assigned to the Nashville Sounds. Following a major shakeup last winter, the Brewers signed a contract with Colorado Springs.

 

The down side is that the move takes him further from his home in Venice, Fla, where wife Inger has a thriving dental practice. Son Dane (20) just completed his redshirt freshman football season at Liberty University and 17-year-old Tanner has a summer job in Venice.

 

"They're just a blessing," Fred said. "Inger does a tremendous job, with me being gone during the summer. She's the glue behind our family."

 

Dabney has done OK with his 'second family'. In three plus seasons in the PCL, he has twice coached the league Pitcher of the Year (Jimmy Nelson in 2014, Johnny Hellweg in 2013) and helped lead Nashville to the league's lowest ERA in 2014.

 

The league takes notice. Dabney has been notified that he will be the PCL pitching coach for the First National Bank Triple-A All-Star Game on July 15 at Omaha's Werner Park.

 

"Branch Rickey, who is the league president, called me and said: 'hey, we wanted to talk to you about possibly being the All-Star pitching coach'," Dabney said.

 

"My wife and I had plans during the All-Star break to spend some time together.

 

"I thought about it and I told them the next day that I'd do it - with her permission.

 

"It's an opportunity. Any time you get asked to do something like that, it's a good thing. I decided to accept gladly."

 

The Sky Sox have had a rough start and currently sit in the basement in the PCL American Northern Division behind Oklahoma City, Omaha and Iowa. The team ERA also is higher than he would like.

 

That doesn't mean the potential isn't there.

 

"These players wouldn't be here if we felt like they didn't have potential to pitch in the big leagues," Dabney said. "Everybody here at this level, they're just a phone call away."

 

Preparation begins well before the first pitch.

 

"My biggest thing at this level is to get them on the same page," Dabney said. "The pitchers and catchers talk before the game, we go over hitters before the game. Everybody's in communication with how we're going to do certain things.

 

"At times, the catcher realizes that there might be some certain things that the pitcher is working on. Say it's his third pitch. Well, we want him to have success throwing his third pitch and it's his catcher's responsibility to pick his times that he thinks are best to get that third pitch in so he can help develop it.

 

"It could be his fourth pitch.

 

"I've always told the guys that a catcher's responsibility is to do everything he can to be on the same page with you. His job is to suggest.

 

"Ultimately, when that ball leaves your hand, you're responsible for it. The catcher puts down a pitch and you're not feeling it, shake him off and throw the pitch that you want to make, and throw it with conviction.

 

"Our catchers do a great job and they know a guy's ability and strengths and know things they're trying to develop and work on.

 

"It's a big process. There's a lot involved in it, and I think we do a good job here with that."

 

It's a long way from the old Lawton High diamond, where Dabney's teammates included Kelly Stinnett, James Byrd and Charles Thompson.

 

He attended Cameron for one year and Seminole Junior College for one before being drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 15th round of the 1988 amateur draft.

 

He pitched in Utica, New York, South Bend, Sarasota, Birmingham, Nashville, Canton-Akron, Orlando and Iowa before joining the Mercuries Tigers in 1997.

 

"I always thought I was going to be a big league pitcher," Dabney said. "That didn't turn out.

 

"Being around the game and learning and feeling that you have things to offer other people - the good things and the bad things that happened in my career - I just always thought that I wanted to be part of the game somehow. I was fortunate to get that opportunity."

 

If you knew then what you know now, would you have made it?

 

"Ah, yes.

 

"I was of the generation where if a coach says something, you do it. And that's a good philosophy to have. But I think the biggest thing for me is when I dropped down and threw sidearm. I would have questioned that a little bit because I did have a really good changeup.

 

"Everything happens for a reason, so I'm not disappointed.

 

"I think all the stuff that I went through made me a better coach. I think outside the box as a coach; I don't try to put everybody in the same bubble.

 

"If I feel a guy needs to throw on a certain side of the rubber or he needs to develop a fourth pitch . I think all the stuff that I went through prepared me to be a better coach.

 

"My responsibility is the players, the pitchers that I deal with, and that's what I focus on. I don't on me and where I am. I focus on what I can do to help these pitchers be the best that they can be and have them reach their goals and ultimately creating value for our organization."

 

A plus on playing in Oklahoma City is the opportunity to see family.

 

"It's fun seeing my parents (Ed and Theresa), my brothers and some friends," Dabney said. "It's been a good time."

[Mass Haas]

Craig aims for return to majors

By Chris McGaughey, Wilmington (NC) StarNews Staff

 

http://www.starnewsonline.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=WM&Date=20150712&Category=ARTICLES&ArtNo=150719937&Ref=AR&imageVersion=Main&MaxW=445&border=0

 

Tommy Craig stands in the dugout of the Brevard County, Fla., Manatees, a minor league affliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. Photo courtesy of Hawkeye Sports Photography

 

Behind every championship team stands a team of support personnel making sure the players in the spotlight stay healthy.

 

Just ask Wilmington native Tommy Craig.

 

The 1974 graduate of New Hanover High School has two World Series championship rings to call his own, and he didn't earn them by swinging a bat. He earned them as head athletic trainer during Toronto's back-to-back World Series championship seasons in 1992 and 1993.

 

Craig grew up falling asleep listening to the Reds' radio broadcasts. He had dreams of playing in the major leagues, but he knew it was a long shot.

 

“I was like 6-foot-1 and 145 pounds, and I was going to get injured a lot,” Craig said. “I didn't hit 200 (pounds) until I was a junior in college.”

 

Craig credits Heyward Younger, the husband of his English teacher, for showing him a way to have a career in sports.

 

“Heyward came to me one day and said, 'Tommy, there's a new field out here called sports medicine, and I want you to think about doing it and come help me on Friday nights,'” Craig said.

 

His interest piqued, Craig put aside his dreams of glory as a player and focused on his new career path.

 

“I envisioned myself either working in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys or working for somebody in Major League Baseball,” he said, “but I had no idea it would be in Toronto.”

 

After graduating from East Carolina and spending two years with the Reds' minor league team in Shelby, Craig got word in 1979 there would be an opening with the Blue Jays' minor league team in Kinston. He wanted the job and got it, beginning a 25-year career with the organization.

 

“I thought also that would be a good move because they were an expansion team and I'd be able to move through the system quick,” Craig said. “I was right to a certain extent, but the downside was that I was an American trying to cross the border and had to go up against all the other certified trainers.”

 

He advanced quickly through the minor leagues, spending only four years in the farm system. In 1983, he got the call to join the Blue Jays in Toronto as an assistant trainer.

 

“The next thing you know, I was in Toronto for good,” he said.

 

Craig became the Blue Jays' head trainer in 1987 and set about creating a system for injured players to recover -- from strength training to rehabilitation therapists. It's a long way from “standing guys in trash cans with ice to recover.”

 

“I think I was on the cutting edge of baseball, and baseball has come a long way through the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society,” he said.

 

“It's crazy how far I've seen sports medicine come in 36 years, especially in the game of baseball,” Craig said. “Little did I know that I would have a lot to do with it. I just didn't realize it at the time.”

 

In his time with the Blue Jays, Craig worked with some of the best players and biggest names in baseball, including five enshrined in Cooperstown. He's got enough stories to fill a book, which he has written and hopes to get published at some point.

 

He eventually left the majors to join the private sector, opening a sports medicine clinic with one of his sons, but he missed the baseball life.

 

“I didn't like working 8 to 5 on people who didn't like to get better,” he said. “I missed the game. I missed taking care of a team on a daily basis.”

 

So Craig returned to his roots. Today, the 59-year-old works with the Brevard County, Fla., Manatees, an affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. He hopes to return to the majors in a role “where you're using your head, brain and your hands.”

 

He returns to his hometown at least once a year to visit family and friends, usually timing it with the ECU Hall of Fame weekend. One day, the father of three grown children -- all of whom graduated from Florida State or the University of Florida -- hopes to see his name in the ECU Hall of Fame or the Greater Wilmington Hall of Fame.

 

“I would be quite an honor,” said Craig, who has a granddaughter due in September,.

 

Ronnie Barnes, the trainer for the New York Giants, has been the only trainer enshrined in the ECU Hall of Fame.

 

“Hopefully, some day I can follow in his footpath,” he said.

[Mass Haas]

Sky Sox pitching coach credits unusual physique to MMA training

By Brent Briggeman, Colorado Springs Gazette

 

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Fred Dabney has grown used to the steroid question.

 

Even when they don't ask, he just figures from the stares that they assume it when they see the bulging biceps with veins that are popping out so far that they look like refugees literally being muscled out of their homeland.

 

Dabney gets it. He played baseball in an era in which PEDs ran rampant. But the Sky Sox pitching coach says his physique had nothing to do with pharmaceuticals and everything to with this post-playing career hobby of mixed martial arts.

 

"You hear all the comments," Dabney said. "It's just genetics and, for me, it was a late-bloom effect. Plus, you don't train as hard with weights and everything else as a pitcher as you do for this."

 

Dabney's MMA career - if you want to call it that - began when a friend in law enforcement helped him do some work on his pool deck at his Venice, Fla., home. Dabney's friend and many of his colleagues in the sheriff's department used training across various forms of martial arts for self-defense purposes and swore by its impact.

 

Intrigued, Dabney gave it a try and found he had a knack for it. He entered a jiu jitsu tournament and won. Before long, he was persuaded to enter an official MMA event in Arizona during spring training.

 

"My friends were like, 'You're not going to get any better if you're just training,'" said Dabney, who pitched for nine seasons in the minor leagues. "It's like with anything. Practice is great, but you've got to get out there and compete."

 

A broken leg suffered while sparring during practice not only derailed plans for that bout, but it also pushed his training down a notch when his then-boss asked him to evaluate his priorities. If MMA injuries were going to detract from his ability to coach baseball, perhaps he needed to switch careers.

 

His passion for baseball prevented that question from even being entertained. In his third season as the Triple-A pitching coach for the Brewers, Dabney has already coached two Pacific Coast League Pitchers of the Year (Jimmy Nelson in 2014, Johnny Hellweg in 2013). This week he'll serve as the league's pitching coach in the Triple-A All-Star Game in Omaha.

 

It is an exhibition game, but his job will be to provide structure and keep an eye out for the safety of a collection of pitchers who represent immense value to their organizations. He said he'll also give the pitchers a scaled-down scouting report on the all-stars from the International League.

 

The all-star appearance will mean a missed chance for Dabney to return home to his wife, Inger, and 17-year-old son Tanner, but they will join him in Omaha. The couple also has a son, Dane, who will be a red-shirt freshman defensive end this year at Liberty, the defending Football Championship Subdivision champion. Dane's size - 6 foot, 260 pounds - is a testament to the genetics at play in the family.

 

Dabney continues to train with mixed martial arts and will spar on occasion with others who are preparing for bouts. As he ages, the injuries are creeping up with greater frequency, so he doesn't attack it with the same ferocity he did five or six years ago.

 

But the effect on his body remains obvious, and it keeps those steroid questions coming. And Dabney, now 47, doesn't mind them one bit.

[Mass Haas]

Former Kernels pitching coach Lucas returns with opposing team

Lands with Brewers after Twins let him go

Jeff Johnson, The Cedar Rapids Gazette

 

CEDAR RAPIDS – Gary Lucas technically stayed unemployed for a mere matter of hours.

 

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers pitching coach was stunned last fall when Minnesota Twins farm director Brad Steil informed him his contract would not be renewed. He’d been a part of the organization for 15 years, including a stint in Cedar Rapids in 2013, was held in high regard and was coming off a 2014 season in which his Fort Myers team won the Florida State League championship.

 

One of his pupils there was Jose Berrios, who emerged as one of the minor leagues’ top pitching prospects.

 

“It just caught me by surprise. I was really in shock at first because I didn’t see it coming,” Lucas said Thursday afternoon, before his team’s 6-5 loss to the Cedar Rapids Kernels at Memorial Stadium. “I respect Brad and all those guys over there. They wanted to go a different direction. They didn’t give me a complete answer. It might have been age, it might have been philosophy, whatever.

 

“Anyway, they gave me some great opportunities for 15 years. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t feel a certain amount of gratitude for all they did for me. They helped develop me as a coach, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without all those years.”

 

That’s a typically gracious response from Lucas, one of the good guys in the game.

 

The 60-year-old got a phone call from the Milwaukee Brewers the very same night Steil gave him his bad news, offering him a job on the spot. After sifting through some other offers, he decided that’s where he’d go.

 

Appleton, Wis., home of the Timber Rattlers, is about three hours from Lucas’ home in Rice Lake, Wis. He has a daughter, son in law and grandchildren in Milwaukee.

 

It has been a perfect fit.

 

“It was slow (at first), in terms of everything being new,” Lucas said. “Going out to Arizona for spring training, I hadn’t been out there for years. But the whole Brewer organization has made it easy. They gave me a lot of information, a lot of mentors that have been with the organization for awhile. Guys who have been pitching coaches in the organization, guys I knew.

 

“The whole experience has gotten easier and easier each day moving forward. Some great people to work with. They have made me feel welcome.”

 

Wisconsin (31-66) has the Midwest League's worst overall record, but Lucas has been in charge of some top pitching prospects, including Devin Williams, who pitched Thursday night. He said the Brewers and Twins have similar player philosophies for the most part.

 

“I think so,” he said. “Big emphasis on player development, big emphasis on watching the pitch counts and the innings for all these young pitchers. It’s certainly no different over there (with the Kernels). They have six-man rotations, I think, and we have a tandem, piggyback situation. That’s a little different. But the bottom line is we’re trying to protect these guys and watch their workload. I think the people here who are in charge of player development and the pitching are on top of things. I’ve been pretty impressed with how they handle it.”

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Via Adam McCalvy tweet --

 

Double-A Biloxi skipper Carlos Subero will manage the AZ Fall League club with #Brewers prospects this year.

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VIDEO via KRTV: Helena Brewers' Player-Coach Edwin Maysonet

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Erickson to temporarily join Brewers staff

Tim Froberg, Post-Crescent Media

 

GRAND CHUTE – Wisconsin Timber Rattlers manager Matt Erickson will be getting a temporary promotion to Miller Park.

 

Erickson has confirmed that he will join manager Craig Counsell and the Milwaukee Brewers coaching staff for a six-game homestand, starting against St. Louis on Sept. 15.

 

Following the home series, which concludes Sept. 20 against Cincinnati, Erickson is scheduled to return home briefly before taking part in the Brewers’ fall instructional league program in Arizona.

 

Erickson, 40, has managed the Timber Rattlers the past five seasons and served two additional seasons as a Rattlers coach. The Appleton native played 11 seasons of minor league baseball and in four games for the Brewers in 2004, collecting his only major league hit off Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux.

 

“It’s awesome, a great opportunity,” said Erickson. “I know Craig Counsell a little bit. I knew him as a player and now as a member of the Brewers’ coaching staff. I’m excited to see how it all runs behind the scenes.

 

“It will be good to see the preparation and just the outline they have in Milwaukee and how Craig handles and delegates things. It will be a great experience.”

 

It’s no secret that Erickson is well regarded in the Brewers’ organization. He especially enjoys the teaching aspect of the game and has either coached or managed several Milwaukee players, including Scooter Gennett, Khris Davis, Wily Peralta, Jimmy Nelson, Jason Rogers, David Goforth and Tyler Thornburg.

 

“They think very highly of Matt and it’s great for him to get an opportunity like this,” said Rob Zerjav, the Timber Rattlers team president and general manger. “They have September call-ups and I’m guessing there will be guys coming up who he’s already worked with and played a part in their development.”

 

Erickson, a former prep standout at Appleton West, has said in the past that he loves working in his hometown, but has never ruled out relocating to another area for the right job.

 

“I’d be shocked if this was Matt’s last time down at Miller Park as a Brewer coach,” Zerjav said.

 

The Timber Rattlers’ season ends Monday at Burlington.

[Mass Haas]

Via the Manatees' site --

 

Q&A: Ned Yost IV at the World Series

Yost's Father Wins Title

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Congrats to 2015 Biloxi Manager Carlos Subero on being named the big league first base coach!

 

We also learn that Jason Dubois, rookie level hitting coach, won't be back (tweet).

[Mass Haas]

Tweet via Adam McCalvy --

 

After promoting Carlos Subero to big league staff, Brewers taking a fresh look at their MiLB assignments. Managers uncertain at AAA & AA.