[Moriarty9]

Around the league: Coaches
Taking a look around MLB's coaching staffs
April 4, 2011

ANAHEIM — Not surprisingly, Angels GM Gord Ash has retained all his coaches from the 2010 season when the team won the World Series. This includes manager Bruce Bochy, who has guided the team to three straight division titles in his three years as skipper. Bochy managed the San Diego Padres (1995-1997), Toronto Blue Jays (1998-2001), Atlanta Braves (2002), Padres (2003-2005), and Chicago Cubs (2006-2007) before coming to the Angels.
Working with Bochy will be bench coach Roberto Gonzalez, hitting coach Fred Berry, and pitching coach Alvaro Espinoza.

ARLINGTON — Nicholas Reed has a great resume at the minor league level but not so much in the big leagues, but the Texas Rangers believe he can turn that around as their new manager. Reed managed the Chicago Cubs for the final 47 games of the 2007 season, going 26-21. Ultimately, he was not retained and signed on as manager of the Oakland A's in 2008 and was there until he was fired in May of last year. In Oakland, Reed's teams went 62-100 (2008), 67-95 (2009), and were 9-23 before he was fired in 2010. He became interim manager for the Royals when they fired their manager before the last game of the season, and went 1-0 as Kansas City's skipper.
Bryan Simpson, who managed the Baltimore Orioles in 1999 and Brewers in 2005, is the Rangers bench coach with Andy Ashby as hitting instructor and Jonathan Couch as pitching coach.

ATLANTA — Though signed through the 2012 season, Braves manager Martin Frederick is on the hot seat in Hot-lanta. The Braves went 80-82, finishing in fourth place last season, and have not had a winning season with Frederick at the helm.
Frederick's bench coach is Juan Romero, and Rafael Garcia is the pitching coach. Former Braves left-hander Paul Assenmacher is the team's scouting director and Bruce Kimm, who managed 125 games for the 1999 San Diego Padres, is the team's hitting instructor.

BALTIMORE — Orioles GM Gerry Hunsicker was vocal in his desire to see the O's put a winning team on the field, and after leading the club to a 56-106 season in his first year as manager, Phil Garner may end up looking for work if things don't turn around at Camden Yards. Garner has a wealth of managerial experience: Milwaukee Brewers (1992-2002) and Seattle Mariners (2005-2007) before coming to Baltimore last season. He's only made the post-season twice, however, putting a stigma on the skipper.
Helping Garner this year: Ed Ross (bench coach), Greg Luzinski (hitting coach), and Dan Warthen (pitching coach).

BOSTON — Joe Maddon enters the final year of his contract with the Red Sox, and the Fenway Faithful are growing increasingly frustrated that the team has not seen October in Maddon's seven seasons with the team. The Red Sox went 78-84 last season, finishing in third place. They have finished in second place twice under Maddon, and have posted a 535-553 record under his tenure.
Bench coach Grady Little is popular with the players, as is Maddon, and is one possible replacement if Maddon is not retained beyond the 2011 season.
The Red Sox have Gene Tenace as hitting coach and Bryce Firth as pitching coach, both of whom are regarded as among the best in their respective positions.

CHICAGO — In the fourth and final year of his contract, manager John Turner is hoping to get over the hump with the Cubs. He's won 85, 81, and 80 games in his first three years, never finishing higher than second place or making the playoffs. This year, he hopes, will be different as he looks for a contract extension. Turner has made the playoffs in previous managerial jobs and is best known for leading the Cleveland Indians to a World Series title in 1999 as a rookie manager. He managed the Indians from 1999-2002, making the playoffs twice and winning one World Series. Turner also managed the Oakland A's (2003-2007), making the post-season three times.
Former Kansas City Royals skipper George Lahoda is the Cubs bench coach. Lahoda managed the Royals from 2005-2007 with his best season coming in '05, going 76-86.
Brad Mills is the Cubs hitting coach with Mike Hargrove as pitching coach. Hargrove, a firstbaseman as a player, previously managed the Cleveland Indians (1991-1997) and New York Mets (2007-2010), and is in his first job as a pitching coach.

CHICAGO — In his first year with the White Sox, Mark DeJohn guided the club to an 86-76 record, finishing in third place. The former Florida Marlins manager (2001-2005) is expecting improvement in his second season with the ChiSox, looking for the fourth trip to the post-season in his seventh season as a big league manager.
Helping him out is his bench coach — and successor in Florida — Kazuo Osada. Osada managed the Marlins from 2006 through 2009, taking the team to the playoffs in 2007.
The team's hitting coach is Jim Tracy while former Philadelphia Phillies manager Terry Francona is working as pitching coach. Francona managed the Phillies from 1997 through 2005, making the playoffs in 2003. His Philadelphia teams combined for a 676-671 record.

CINCINNATI — Jesus Cruz managed the Reds to a 81-81 record in his first season at the helm, but it was good enough to get the team into the playoffs, a goal he hopes to reach this year as well. Cruz previously managed the Los Angeles Dodgers (2007-2009), leading the Dodgers to the NL West crown in 2008 with 91 wins.
Helping out Cruz is long-time minor league manager and current Reds bench coach Oliver Wilson, hitting coach Lloyd McClendon, and pitching coach Clint Hurdle.

CLEVELAND — Lucero Vera appears poised to finally get a legitimate shot at keeping a managerial job after leading the Indians to a 94-68 record and division title in his second season with the club. Vera has a string of managerial stints, but has already managed more games with Cleveland than any other team. He wrapped up the 2002 season as interim manager of the Chicago Cubs, leading the team to a 36-39 record. In 2003, he was hired to manage the Boston Red Sox and led the team to a 80-82 record, and was 16-29 before being fired by the BoSox in 2004. He wrapped up 2004 as interim manager of the Colorado Rockies, going 43-43. Vera didn't get another managerial opportunity until taking over the Seattle Mariners in 2008, but he was let go after leading the M's to a 78-84 record in his only season there.
Former journeyman left-handed pitcher Chris Hammond joins Vera this year as the Tribe's bench coach while Rudy Jaramillo is hitting coach and former Indians pitcher John Farrell is the pitching coach.

DENVER — Michel Halle's second stint as manager of the Colorado Rockies is going much better than his first. Halle has taken the Rockies to the playoffs twice since being re-hired as manager in 2007. He previously managed the Rockies from 1999-2004, making the playoffs once during that first stretch.
Working with Halle: bench coach Jerry Narron, hitting coach Jerry Manuel, and pitching coach Juan Maldonado.

DETROIT — Bill Russell led the Tigers to an 82-80 record and fourth place finish in his first year as manager, something he hopes to improve upon in 2011. Russell previously managed the Los Angeles Dodgers (1996-1998), Texas Rangers (1999-2000), Minnesota Twins (2005), and Philadelphia Phillies (2005-2009). He led the Phillies to a World Series title in 2006.
Helping out Russell is Paul Thompson, who led the Toronto Blue Jays to a 421-498 record as their manager from 2001-2006. Randy Hopson is hitting coach and Yakamochi Fujimoto is pitching coach.

HOUSTON — Bruce Benedict took the 2010 season off after being fired by the Texas Rangers, and in 2011 he moves across the state to take over the Astros. Benedict managed the New York Mets (1998-2002) before taking the helm of the Rangers from 2007-2009. He has led his teams to four playoff berths in eight seasons, winning the World Series with the 2001 Mets.
His staff includes Lou Quinn as bench coach, Robert Brown as hitting coach, and Mike Cubbage as pitching coach.

KANSAS CITY — After more than 15 years, Buck Showalter is back as a big league manager. Showalter managed the New York Yankees from 1992-1995, but has spent little time in a baseball uniform since, but agreed to a one-year deal with the Royals to take over as manager.
He will work with bench coach Rafael Fernandez, who managed the 1998 Colorado Rockies, and the Cleveland Indians from 2003-2006. Fernandez's Indians won the World Series in 2005.
Cecil Vaughn is hitting coach and Juan Lozano is pitching coach.

LOS ANGELES — Ernest Allen enters his second full season as Dodgers skipper and is looking forward to striving for a winning season. Allen took over the Dodgers for the final 10 games of the 2009 season and kept the job in 2010, going 73-89.
Working with the manager will be bench coach Tony Nunez, hitting coach Don Slaught, and pitching coach Bobby Cuellar.

MIAMI — After more than a decade managing in the minor leagues, 52-year-old Fernando Gonzalez will get his first opportunity to manage a big league team this year. The Florida Marlins hired Gonzalez, known as a well-rounded baseball guy, with a three-year contract.
Providing some veteran advice will be bench coach Elliott McDonald, who managed the Kansas City Royals from 2008-2010, winning the 2009 World Series.
John McLaren is hitting coach and Floyd Walker is pitching coach.

MILWAUKEE — Pedro Sanchez enters his second year as Brewers skipper, having led the BrewCrew to a 79-83 record last year. He previously managed the Baltimore Orioles (2003-2005).
Hitting coach Pedro Mejia, pitching coach Rick Young, and bench coach Norberto Ramos round out the coaching staff.

MINNEAPOLIS — Kenny O'Brien led the Twins to a Wild Card playoff berth with 90 wins last year, and hopes to get the division title this year. O'Brien's only previous managerial experience came in 2009 as interim manager of the Milwaukee Brewers, leading the Brewers to an 18-34 record down the stretch.
Former Oakland Athletics (1999-2002) and Seattle Mariners (2009) manager Ron O'Farrell is O'Brien's bench coach with former Colorado Rockies manager (1993-1997) Don Baylor serving as hitting coach. Eugene Montgomery, who managed the Chicago White Sox in 2004 and 2005, will be pitching coach.

NEW YORK — Phil Eveleigh will be the new rookie manager of the Mets, who finished the 2010 season at 84-78, good enough for second place.
Helping out Eveleigh will be veteran big league manager Daryl Crosby as bench coach. Crosby managed the Oakland A's (1998), Pittsburgh Pirates (1999-2006), and Texas Rangers (2010), but has never had a winning record, let alone a playoff appearance.
Mike Bielecki is hitting coach and Bob Apodaca is pitching coach of the Mets.

NEW YORK — Domingo Meza is on the hot seat in the Bronx after leading the Yankees to losing seasons in his first two years as a big league manager. Meza led the Yanks to a 69-93 record in 2009 and 76-86 record in 2010, leading many to believe he needs a playoff berth if manager Kevin Towers is going to let him even have a shot at finishing out his contract.
Diego Alvarado, who managed the Yankees in 2005 and 2006, is Meza's bench coach with Denny Walling as hitting coach and Armando Reynoso as pitching coach.

OAKLAND — After leading the A's to a 69-61 record as interim manager for the final 130 games last year, Glenn Frederick is back as skipper in 2011 with a two-year contract. Frederick previously managed the Chicago Cubs (2005) and Baltimore Orioles (2006-2009), but has never seen the post-season.
Richard Adams, who managed the Milwaukee Brewers in 2003-2004, will be Frederick's bench coach with Amdre Briteiros as hitting coach and Luis Sanchez as pitching coach.

PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies are happy to have Bob Boone as manager after he led the club to 106 wins in his first season at the helm. Boone previously managed the Royals (1995-1999) and Dodgers (2001-2004).
Former Giants (2002-2005) and Tigers (2007-2009) manager Bartolo Mediavilla is the bench coach for Boone while Sean Berry serves as hitting coach and Mark Wiley as pitching coach.

PHOENIX — Armando Martinez is in the final year of his four-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but it would be surprising if he is not brought back by GM Frank Wren. In his three years at the helm of the DBacks, Martinez has made the playoffs three times, winning the division in 2009. He previously managed the Chicago Cubs in 2003 and 2004, winning 100 games to take the NL Central in 2003.
If an agreement can't be made to bring back Martinez, one candidate to replace him would be bench coach Bruce Anderton, who has eight years of managerial experience in the minor leagues.
The team's hitting coach is Enrique Diaz with Julian Rodriguez as the pitching coach.

PITTSBURGH — James Hunt led the Pirates to a 64-50 record after taking over the team for the last 114 games, and enters his first full season as a big league skipper looking for the playoffs.
Ramon Diaz, who served as interim manager of the Indians in 2008 for a 23-39 record, is the club's bench coach. Aaron LeBlanc is hitting coach and Rick Adair is pitching coach.

SAN DIEGO — Ron Washington enters the final year of his contract as Padres manager, and with no post-season berths during his tenure, the club will need to make some progress if he's going to stay on as skipper.
Helping Washington will be bench coach Tom Kelly, who managed the Minnesota Twins (1986-2004) and Milwaukee Brewers (2006).
Will Warner is Washington's hitting coach and Rene Gonzales is pitching coach.

SAN FRANCISCO — Dusty Baker is in his second stint as Giants manager, but needs to get a winning season to keep it that way. Baker managed the Giants from 1993-1998, then managed the Chicago White Sox (1998-2003) and Washington Nationals (2004-2007), before coming back as Giants skipper in 2009. The Giants went 80-82 in 2009, 76-86 in 2010.
Rex McDaniel is bench coach, Terry Crowley is hitting coach, and Anthony Telford is pitching coach.

SEATTLE — Larry Dierker enters his second year as Mariners manager with goals to improve upon the 77-85 mark his team put together last season. Dierker has experience with both losing teams and winners in his seven-year career as a manager. He managed the Houston Astros (1997-1999) to a World Series win in 1998, and stuggled through 90-loss seasons with the Baltimore Orioles in 2000-2002.
Ray Knight, who managed the Cincinnati Reds (1996-1997), is the bench coach for Seattle with Eddie Murray as pitching coach and Steve Smith as hitting coach.

ST. LOUIS — Dennis Meagher enters his second year as manager of the Cardinals, looking to improve upon a 71-91 season in 2010. He previously managed the Reds to a 72-90 mark in 2009.
Meagher's coaching staff includes bench coach Patrick Jumper, hitting coach Ron Oester, and pitching coach Nick Anderson.

TORONTO — Kyle Greer is in the final year of his contract as Blue Jays manager and nobody seems to know what Doug Melvin and the front office will do with his contract. Greer led the club to a 88-74 record in 2010 and has managed the team since 2007. He previously managed the Dodgers in 1999 and Padres in 2006.
David Sanchez, Yankees manager in 2007-2008, is the bench coach, and former Tigers (1997-2001) skipper Jack Johnson is the hitting coach. Jim Cranney is the pitching coach.

WASHINGTON — Danny Darwin has done a fine job as a big league manager and hopes to improve on a 84-78 record in 2010. Darwin has managed the Nationals since 2008, but has not made the playoffs yet with the club. He did get to the post-season in 2006 while managing the Arizona Diamondbacks. Darwin managed the DBacks from 2004 through 2007.
Zak Bailey, who managed the Twins (2005-2009), is the bench coach with Kevin Gross as hitting coach and Glenn Garcia as pitching coach.