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Minor League Coaching Staffs - 2017

balsamlaker

By balsamlaker,
in Brewers Minor League Talk

balsamlaker Draft Eligible

balsamlaker

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Any chance the Brewers do what Dodgers did the year after Friedman (Arnold's old boss) showed up in LA - making major changes to the minor league staffs? It seems obvious that minor league records leaning into the loss column makes it more difficult to get quality affiliates to work with every two years. Sweet and Guerrero are the only managers in the system that have career records close to the break even mark. Would Stearns make significant changes to change the culture in the system and send a message that we have talent now and expect to win?
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jerichoholicninja Carolina Mudcats

jerichoholicninja

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The team or manager records are totally irrelevant to any decisions that will be made. It's the general lack of developing players that's going to get guys fired. The only coach you really ever hear about is Erickson as both Melvin and Stearns praised his work so it'll be interesting to see if he stays in Appleton or if they move him up somewhere else.
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MadThinker88 Draft Eligible

MadThinker88

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I suspect there are changes coming, especially with the former Brevard County staff..

 

With DS coming in late last season, he probably used this year as an evaluation period of the existing structure and will now start to drive/ force changes where he sees/ believes there are problems or people in wrong spots..

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balsamlaker Draft Eligible

balsamlaker

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With Erickson and Hook up in Milwaukee right now, I would think that they are fairly well thought of. I agree with turborickey that I think Erickson likes his current position. I wouldn't be shocked if the pitching coach is the only one that survives from the former Brevard County staff. I understand that team and manager records are not the top criteria for evaluation, but to go 40-97 in a system that some believe is the best farm system out there is not a great resume builder.
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JohnBriggs12 Biloxi Shuckers

JohnBriggs12

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With Erickson and Hook up in Milwaukee right now, I would think that they are fairly well thought of. I agree with turborickey that I think Erickson likes his current position. I wouldn't be shocked if the pitching coach is the only one that survives from the former Brevard County staff. I understand that team and manager records are not the top criteria for evaluation, but to go 40-97 in a system that some believe is the best farm system out there is not a great resume builder.

 

How can the pitching coach from Brevard survive after a season when the 12th overall pick in the 2014 draft posts a 5.93 ERA and one of the pieces back in the Khris Davis deal posts an ERA of 5.59?

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MilwaukeesBest College Ball

MilwaukeesBest

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With Erickson and Hook up in Milwaukee right now, I would think that they are fairly well thought of. I agree with turborickey that I think Erickson likes his current position. I wouldn't be shocked if the pitching coach is the only one that survives from the former Brevard County staff. I understand that team and manager records are not the top criteria for evaluation, but to go 40-97 in a system that some believe is the best farm system out there is not a great resume builder.

 

How can the pitching coach from Brevard survive after a season when the 12th overall pick in the 2014 draft posts a 5.93 ERA and one of the pieces back in the Khris Davis deal posts an ERA of 5.59?

 

The same way numerous pitchers at Brevard County had their best seasons yet. Also the same way Derek Johnson will likely retain his position even though Jungmann, Peralta, Sam Freeman, Blazek, Knebel, etc couldn't seem to find it in Milwaukee this year (other than recently, I know).

 

Point being, you could pull random stats from any individual situation to make your argument. I don't have an idea either way whether he'll be kept but to use two players to justify why he should be fired for a team that overall was very good pitching wise seems a little bit silly to me.

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Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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For those wondering, no word yet on 2017 Brewers affiliate coaching staffs and/or changes. The 2016 staffs were announced last Jan. 13th.

 

***

 

I tweeted that a week or so ago, but we have learned of one change.

 

We can't say that Jeremy Reed, the minor league hitting coordinator in 2016 and with the Brewers in a coaching capacity since 2013, is no longer with the Brewers, because we don't know that. He may be a part of one of the yet-to-be announced affiliate coaching staffs.

 

But the Brewers have removed his name from their front office roster, and replaced it with "Minor League Roving Hitting Coordinator, Kenneth Graham".

 

Well, he's Kenny Graham, and he's pretty unique in that Graham never played affiliated pro ball, or even independent league ball.

 

Here's a helpful 2009 press release when Graham first joined the coaching ranks of an affiliated club (Blue Jays), after a successful independent league coaching stint.

 

Then there's a career overview via Graham's own LinkedIn summary page.

 

But the most interesting article is this piece by Arden Zwelling at sportsnet.ca --

 

Meet the Blue Jays minor-league coordinators who turn the potential of prospects like Dalton Pompey into big-league stars

 

Graham is featured in the first few paragraphs, but stick with the story as it returns to Graham later on.

 

Graham is 41, and seems like a nice hire.

 

Of course, the coordinators' jobs are pretty unique, review this excellent Kyle Lobner piece from last May he put together for the Timber Rattlers site.

 

Reminder for those coming to this post via my Twitter link, this thread kicked off the discussion we'll use all season to post any fan comments as well as published features on any of the minor league coaches, new or returning. Scroll up to read the fan comments posted thus far if you wish.

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JDBrewCrew ACL Brewers

JDBrewCrew

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Tom ‏@Haudricourt 26s27 seconds ago

Al LeBouef, who has overcome huge physical issues, will move up three levels in #Brewers system to coach at @skysox. A determined man.

 

Sky Sox Baseball ‏@skysox 3m3 minutes ago

More

BREAKING: Rick Sweet to return as #SkySox manager in 2017. Joined by pitching coach Fred Dabney & new coaches Al LeBoeuf and Ned Yost IV

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Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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Looks like five coaches (in addition to roving hitting coordinator Jeremy Reed, mentioned earlier in this thread) won't be back with the organization, which still represents a very small amount of turnover.

 

Sky Sox Hitting Coach Bob Skube

 

Timber Rattlers Pitching Coach Gary Lucas

 

Helena Coach Reggie Williams, who had served as a roving outfield / baserunning coordinator in prior years

 

DSL Pitching Coach Geraldo Obispo

 

DSL Coach Joan Abreu

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Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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Joe Ayrault will head to the Brewers new Class-A affiliate, the Carolina Mudcats. He returns for his sixth season as manager of the team’s Class-A affiliate (which switches this year from Brevard County) and is joined by returnees Pitching Coach David Chavarria, Coach Edwin Maysonet and Strength and Conditioning Specialist Jonah Mergen. Dave Joppie joins the organization as a coach after spending 10 years in the Boston Red Sox organization.

 

It's a 2013 article, but still a very good "get-to-know" read on the new coach at the High-A level:

 

As teacher, Joppie hits it out of the park

Kevin Thomas, Portland (ME) Press Herald

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Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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Rafael Neda will make his managerial debut with the Arizona League Brewers this summer. He will be joined by Coach Tony Diggs, who managed the team last season and from 2008–12, as well as Brenton Del Chiaro, who joins the organization this year. Del Chiaro spent the last nine years in a similar role in the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim organization. Nat Ballenberg will serve as the team’s Pitching Coach. Matt Deal returns as the athletic trainer, while Juan Rodriguez will serve in his first year as the team’s strength and conditioning specialist.

 

Well, that's not much of an introduction to Nat Ballenberg, is it?

 

Turns out it's a pretty fascinating hire, and considering the background of big league pitching coach Derek Johnson, and the strong analytical bent of this front office, not too surprising.

 

PHOTO LINK: Nat Ballenberg, left, with Professor Richard Ball, who was his academic adviser. Ballenberg, who wrote his thesis on the statistical analysis of clutch pitching, is a former Haverford player who is now the team’s pitching coach.

 

What is Haverford, you ask? Here's an excellent 2015 read via the New York Times:

 

Tiny Haverford College an Unlikely Pipeline to Major League Baseball’s Front Offices

 

Just hope that someone told Ballenberg he currently has several hundred pitching arms in the organization at the rookie ball level, and that's beforethe 2017 draft. OK, just a tiny exaggeration, but still...

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ZBTMP Draft Eligible

ZBTMP

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Timber Rattlers Pitching Coach Gary Lucas

While I have no idea if it is causation or correlation, this would seem to be the one spot where the organization did not underperform expectations. I'm underwhelmed but I know nothing of the personalities, or the caliber of coaches, but how can anyone in the front office really be satisfied with last season's results of last season?

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