Tuesday, January 10, 2017

2017 Astros Minor League Coaching Staff

Today, the Houston Astros released their minor league staff assignments for the 2017 season.

COORDINATORS

Pitching: Doug White
Hitting: Jeff Albert
Catching: Mark Bailey
Fundamentals: Dan Radison
Infield: Adam Everett
Complex pitching: Josh Miller
Hitting instructor: Ralph Dickenson
Medical Coordinator: Bryan Baca
Medical Coordinator, Latin America: Christian Bermudez
Strength & Conditioning: Brendan Verner
Strength & Conditioning, Latin America: Rachel Balkovec
Rehab: J.T. Podell
Mental skills: Dr. Jesse Michel

Dr. Michel will be the first Mental Skills Coordinator for the Houston Astros. Prior to being named to the position, he spent the last three years with Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness as a Lead Master Resilience Trainer, helping U.S. Army personnel and their families develop their mental conditioning and toughness in order to cope with and adapt to the rigors that come with military life.

Dr. Michel also has a blog, "The Mental Athlete," but he is in the process of moving it to a new site. You can follow him on Twitter at JesseDMichel.

FRESNO GRIZZLIES

Darryl Robinson will enter his first season as Fresno's hitting coach after spending the last eight seasons with Lancaster. Taylor Rhodes moves up from Corpus Christi.

Manager: Tony DeFrancesco
Pitching Coach: Dyar Miller
Hitting Coach: Darryl Robinson
Development Coach: Aaron DelGiudice
Athletic Trainer: Lee Meyer
Strength & Conditioning: Taylor Rhoades

CORPUS CHRISTI HOOKS

Dwayne Peterson spent 2016 with Lancaster.

Manager: Rodney Linares
Pitching Coach: Dave Borkowski
Hitting Coach: Joel Chimelis
Development Coach: Tommy Kawamura
Athletic Trainer: Grant Hufford
Strength & Conditioning: Dwayne Peterson

BUIES CREEK ASTROS

A brand-new (albeit temporary) team has a brand-new coaching staff. Omar Lopez and Chris Holt are moving up from Quad Cities. Troy Snitker, the son of Braves manager Brian Snitker, gets his first coaching position in the Astros system after helping out at the Kissimmee complex last season.

Former Astro Mickey Storey will serve as the development coach. John Gregorich and Mark Spadavecchia are moving up from Tri-City.

Manager: Omar Lopez
Pitching Coach: Chris Holt
Hitting Coach: Troy Snitker
Development Coach: Mickey Storey
Athletic Trainer: John Gregorich
Strength & Conditioning: Mark Spadavecchia

QUAD CITIES RIVER BANDITS

This is also an all-new staff; everyone will be in their first year with the Banditos. Russ Steinhorn is back in America after his successful stint at the helm of the DSL Blue team. Pitching coach Drew French moves up from Tri-City.

Hitting coach Ben Rosenthal is in his first year with the Astros; according to the Astros' press release, he was the hitting coach at Point Loma Nazarene, a Division II school in San Diego, prior to joining the organization. After finishing his college career at San Diego State, the former catcher played for four seasons as a professional, mainly with independent league teams. In 2004, Rosenthal played at both of the Cardinals' Class A affiliates and played in eight more games at Class A Advanced Palm Beach in 2005.

Elliot Diehl was Greeneville's athletic trainer in 2016.

Manager: Russ Steinhorn
Pitching Coach: Drew French
Hitting Coach: Ben Rosenthal
Development Coach: Jason Bell
Athletic Trainer: Elliot Diehl
Strength & Conditioning: Hazael Wessin

TRI-CITY VALLEYCATS

The always-exuberant Morgan Ensberg will manage a team for the first time in his coaching career. He will be joined by Bill Murphy, who was at Greeneville last season, and Jeremy Barnes, who is new to the Astros organization.

Barnes, a native of Garland, spent four seasons in the Phillies system after they drafted him in the 11th round in 2009 out of Notre Dame. The bulk of his time as a Phillies farmhand was spent in Class A, and he appeared in two games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2012, his final season in the system. He then moved on to independent ball and also had two stints in the Australian Baseball League with the Canberra Cavalry.

Manager: Morgan Ensberg
Pitching Coach: Bill Murphy
Hitting Coach: Jeremy Barnes
Athletic Trainer: Daniel Cerquera

GREENEVILLE ASTROS

In his first coaching job in the United States after starting his career in the Dominican Summer League, Danny Ortega will replace Josh Bonifay as the skipper of the Appy Astros. Ortega shared hitting coach duties with Omar Rosario on the DSL Blue team in 2016.

Erick Abreu and Ben Myers are moving up from the GCL. César Cedeño needs no introduction.

Manager: Danny Ortega
Pitching Coach: Erick Abreu
Hitting Coach: César Cedeño
Athletic Trainer: Ben Myers
Strength & Conditioning: Jacob Behara

GCL ASTROS

Wladimir Sutil will manage a team for the first time in his career.

Jose Rada is another former Cardinal minor leaguer who will be coaching in the Astros' minor league system. Rada pitched in the Cardinals' system from 2006-11, reaching Double-A in his final season.

Manager: Wladimir Sutil
Pitching Coach: Jose Rada
Hitting Coach: Luis Mateo
Athletic Trainer: Christian Bermudez
Strength & Conditioning: Rachel Balkovec

DSL ASTROS BLUE

The Blue team has the only vacancy at manager; we will update the post once it is filled. Evaristo Lantigua was previously a manager for the Padres' Dominican Summer League club.

Manager: Charlie Romero
Pitching Coach: Rick Aponte
Hitting Coaches: Omar Rosario and Evaristo Lantigua
Coach: Erik Acevedo Rojas
Athletic Trainer: Ambiorix Reyes
Strength & Conditioning: Miguel Angel Cabrera

DSL ASTROS ORANGE

Carlos Lugo will enter his second season at the helm of the Orange team. Gerardo Olivares will share pitching coach duties with Darwin Peguero, who pitched in the Astros system from 1997-2002, reaching Round Rock in his final season. After departing the organization, Peguero pitched three more seasons in independent ball.

Manager: Carlos Lugo
Pitching Coaches: Gerardo Olivares and Darwin Peguero
Hitting Coach: René Rojas
Coaches: Alejandro Martinez and Selin Aquino
Athletic Trainer: Roman Rendon
Strength & Conditioning: Mike Myers and Geremias Guzman

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.