RANGERS ANNOUNCE 2016 MINOR LEAGUE COACHING STAFFS
Corey Ragsdale promoted to Field Coordinator; Jim Presley and Greg Hibbard added to Round Rock staff; Guilder Rodriguez joins organization as a coach in the Dominican
Arlington, Texas – The Texas Rangers today announced the managers, coaches, and staff for all minor league affiliates in 2016. Last season, the farm system produced a top 10 finish in composite record among all major league organizations for the sixth straight season and advanced three of four full season affiliates to the postseason.
The Texas organization features several new assignments in 2016, including Corey Ragsdale as Field Coordinator. Ragsdale, who guided Low-A Hickory to a South Atlantic League championship in 2015, spent five seasons as a coach or manager in the farm system following a playing career that ended with the Texas organization. Jeff Andrews has been promoted to Assistant Pitching Coordinator after seven seasons as the pitching coach at Double-A Frisco. Former AZL Rangers manager Kenny Holmberg has been promoted to a roving instructor role as the club’s infield coordinator.
Texas has also added several new coaches at the club’s minor league affiliates. At Triple-A Round Rock, Jim Presley will be the club’s hitting coach and Greg Hibbard has been hired as pitching coach. Presley has been a hitting coach at the major league level with the Diamondbacks (1998-2000), Marlins (2006-10), and Orioles (2011-14). The former big league infielder batted .247 with 135 home runs and 495 RBI in parts of 8 major league seasons with Seattle, Atlanta, and San Diego and was an All-Star with the Mariners in 1986. Greg Hibbard will serve as the Express pitching coach after working as a pitching instructor at various levels of the Cleveland farm system for the last 15 seasons, including each of the last two years with Short-Season Mahoning Valley. Hibbard pitched professionally for 12 seasons, including six at the major league level with Chicago-AL, Chicago-NL, and Seattle.
Two new hires will be among the managerial changes in the farm system for 2016. After guiding High Desert to the postseason in his first season as a manager, Spike Owen will take the managerial reigns of defending South Atlantic League champion Hickory. Matt Siegel joins the Rangers from the University of Arizona and will manage the AZL Rangers. Siegel, a freshman All-American at the University of Florida in 1998, also spent three seasons as an assistant on the TCU coaching staff.
Several coaches will have new assignments in 2016, including some of the organization’s pitching coaches. Steve Mintz (Frisco), Oscar Marin (High Desert), Jose Jaimes (Hickory), Brian Shouse (Spokane), and Henderson Lugo (AZL Rangers) will all move up a level in 2016. Hitting coach Kenny Hook has been promoted to the Spokane staff after two seasons with the AZL Rangers. Aaron Levin joins the High Desert staff after leading the DSL Rangers to the DSL championship in 2014 and the DSL championship series in 2015.
In the Dominican, Carlos Cardoza will manage the DSL Rangers after joining the organization in July. Former Texas farmhand Guilder Rodriguez will make his professional coaching debut as a coach on the DSL Rangers staff.
Jason Roberts’ promotion to Medical Coordinator headlines the changes in the organization’s minor league medical staff. Roberts originally joined the organization 2007 and has been the trainer at Triple-A Round Rock for the last seven seasons. Sean Fields moves from Hickory to Rehab Coordinator. Chris Olson rejoins the organization from the Miami Marlins and will be the Assistant Medical and Rehab Coordinator. Olson previously worked in the organization as a trainer for the DSL Rangers in 2010.
A look at the 2016 staff (changes from 2015 underlined in italics; new hires denoted by*):
Round Rock (AAA) Frisco (AA) High Desert (High-A)
Manager Jason Wood Manager Joe Mikulik Manager TBA
Pitching Greg Hibbard* Pitching Steve Mintz Pitching Oscar Marin
Coach Jim Presley* Coach Jason Hart Coach Bobby Rose
Coach Geno Petralli Trainer Jacob Newburn Coach Aaron Levin
Trainer Carlos Olivas Strength Eric McMahon Trainer Alex Rodriguez
Strength Ric Mabie Strength Anthony Miller
Hickory (Low-A) Spokane (Short-A) Arizona (Rookie)
Manager Spike Owen Manager Tim Hulett Manager Matt Siegel*
Pitching Jose Jaimes Pitching Brian Shouse Pitching Joey Seaver
Coach Francisco Matos Coach Kenny Hook Pitching Henderson Lugo
Coach Matt Hagen* Coach Jared Goedert* Coach Chase Lambin
Trainer Dustin Vissering Trainer TBA Coach Salomon Manriquez
Strength Wade Lamont Strength Ed Yong Coach Alberto Puello
Trainer Luke Teeters
Strength Adam Noel*
Dominican (Rookie) Roving Instructors
Manager Carlos Cardoza Field Coordinator Corey Ragsdale
Pitching Jesus Delgado Pitching Coordinator Danny Clark
Pitching Pablo Blanco Hitting Coordinator Josue Perez
Hitting Guillermo Mercedes Catching Coordinator Chris Briones
Coach Chad Comer Asst. Hitting/Outfield Coordinator Dwayne Murphy
Coach Alexis Infante Asst. Pitching Coordinator Jeff Andrews
Coach Chu Ovalle Infield Coordinator Kenny Holmberg
Coach Guilder Rodriguez* Special Assignment Coach Brian Dayett
Trainer Aliks Lorie Special Asst., Player Development Roy Silver
Strength Eduardo Thomas Hitting Consultant Ronnie Ortegon
Coach/Pro Scout Donzell McDonald
Peak Performance Coordinator Josiah Igono
Arizona Operations
Strength and Conditiong Coord. Napoleon Pichardo
Medical Coord. Jason Roberts
Rehab Coord. Sean Fields
Asst. Medical and Rehab Coord. Chris Olson*
Rehab Pitching Coordinator Keith Comstock
Coord., AZ and INTL Operations Stosh Hoover
Minor League Equipment Manager Chris Ackerman
In addition to the affiliate staffs, many of the club’s roving instructors return in 2016. Corey Ragsdale will lead the group in his first season as Field Coordinator. Danny Clark begins his 11th season in the Texas system and eighth as the organization’s pitching coordinator. Josue Perez (Hitting Coordinator), Chris Briones (catching coordinator), Dwayne Murphy (Assistant Hitting/Outfield Coordinator), Roy Silver (Special Assistant, Player Development), and Ronnie Ortegon (Hitting Consultant) each return in their previous roles. After six seasons as a hitting coach with the AZL Rangers, Donzell McDonald will have a dual role as a professional scout and coach. Jeff Andrews (Assistant Pitching Coordinator) and Kenny Holmberg join the roving staff after working for teams in 2015. Josiah Igono enters his first full season as the Peak Performance Coordinator.
Former major league infielder Jason Wood has guided a Texas affiliate to the postseason in each of his five seasons as a manager and will return for a second season with the Express. In addition to newcomers Presley and Hibbard, Wood’s staff will include former Rangers backstop Geno Petralli in his second year on staff. Carlos Olivas will be the trainer for the Express after six seasons with Frisco, while strength coach Ric Mabie enters his 13th season with the Texas organization.
Joe Mikulik returns to Frisco for his 18th season as a minor league manager and second season with Frisco. Steve Mintz will serve as Mikulik’s pitching coach after holding the same position with High Desert in 2014. Former Ranger Jason Hart returns for his fifth season as Frisco hitting coach and eighth season overall in the organization. Jacob Newburn will be the trainer for the RoughRiders in his 11th season as a trainer with Texas. Eric McMahon enters his sixth season as the Frisco strength coach.
The High Desert manager will be announced at later date, but the remainder of the staff includes hitting coach Bobby Rose and pitching coach Oscar Marin. Rose returns for a second season with High Desert, while Marin earned a promotion after he was named South Atlantic League Coach of the Year with Hickory last season. Aaron Levin joins the staff as a coach following a successful three-year stint with the DSL Rangers that included two championships. Alex Rodriguez joins the club as trainer after working in the same capacity with the AZL Rangers last season. Anthony Miller enters his fourth season as the strength coach for the organization’s High-A affiliate.
After guiding High Desert to a postseason berth last season, Spike Owen will manage Hickory. Francisco Matos returns as the club’s hitting coach, while former Texas farmhand Jose Jaimes will be elevated from Spokane to the pitching coach role. Matt Hagen joins the organization as a coach with the Crawdads following 11 minor leagues seasons with Seattle, San Diego, Rockford (Frontier League), and Somerset (Atlantic League). Dustin Vissering joins the club as a trainer after spending last season with Spokane and Wade Lamont returns for his fourth season as the team’s strength coach.
Former big leaguer Tim Hulett returns for his 10th season at the helm of the Spokane Indians, the longest tenured skipper in Indians history. Hulett’s staff will include former Ranger southpaw Brian Shouse as pitching coach and Kenny Hook as hitting coach. Jared Goedert has been added to the staff as a coach following nine seasons as a minor league infielder in the Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Toronto organizations. Ed Yong returns for his eighth season as the strength coach in Spokane.
Matt Siegel joins the Texas organization as the manager of the AZL Rangers following several coaching stints at the collegiate level. Siegel’s staff will include pitching coach Joey Seaver and coach Salomon Manriquez as returners from the 2015 staff. Pitching coach Henderson Lugo makes the move stateside after three seasons in the same role with the DSL Rangers. Chase Lambin and Alberto Puello have also been added to the staff following stints as coaches with full season affiliates in 2015. Luke Teeters will serve as the club’s trainer after a season with the DSL Rangers, while Adam Noel joins the organization as the strength coach in Surprise.
At the club’s Arizona complex, Napoleon Pichardo enters his 12th season as the club’s Strength and Conditioning Coordinator.
