Phillies Announce Minor League Coaches for 2018 Season

After finishing up their major league coaching staff last week, the Phillies announced their 2018 minor league coaches and player development staff. The other bit of news is that the Phillies are adding a second GCL team. This move will weaken the talent level of the single GCL team, but will allow the Phillies to bring more players stateside as they continue to invest heavily in Latin America, as well as provide more developmental at bats to players in the complex. The Phillies lost Lakewood pitching coach Brian Sweeney to the Indians and IronPigs manager Dusty Wathan to the major league coaching staff, so there were a lot of returning names. Here is how it all shakes out.

Bold – Coach returning to same team
Italics – Coach moving between roles in the org

Lehigh Valley IronPigs

  • Gary Jones – Manager
  • Sal Rende – Hitting Coach
  • Dave Lundquist – Pitching Coach
  • Wes Helms – Coach

Jones just spent 4 years as the Cubs third base coach and has extensive minor league managing experience. Helms has served as a guest instructor for the Phillies in spring training.

Reading Fightin Phils

  • Greg Legg – Manager
  • Kevin Riggs – Hitting Coach
  • Steve Shrenk – Pitching Coach
  • Rico Brogna – Coach

Riggs was a hitting coach with the Pirates AA affiliate for the past 3 seasons. Former Phillie, Brogna, has been serving as a scout with the Angels. 2017 Reading hitting coach John Mizerock changed levels within the system.

Clearwater Threshers

  • Shawn Williams – Manager
  • John Mizerock – Hitting Coach
  • Aaron Fultz – Pitching Coach
  • Ruben Gotay – Coach

Not much movement in Clearwater as Mizerock moves down from Reading and Gotay joins as the 4th coach on the staff. Gotay spent the last many years bouncing around the minors and independent ball.

Lakewood BlueClaws

  • Marty Malloy – Manager
  • Tyler Henson – Hitting Coach
  • Brad Bergesen – Pitching Coach
  • Milver Reyes – Coach

Lakewood got hit the hardest, losing it’s hitting coach to the new GCL team and it’s pitching coach to another organization. Henson continues his climb through the Phillies system having served as hitting coach in Williamsport last year. Bergesen has pitched in the majors, the minors, Japan, and independent ball. This will be his first year coaching. Milver Reyes has been coaching and managing in the low minors of the Pirates system.

Williamsport Crosscutters

  • Pat Borders – Manager
  • Christian Marrero – Hitting Coach
  • Hector Berrios – Pitching Coach
  • Greg Brodzinski – Coach

Pat Borders likes coaching Williamsport and will add to his various records as he enters his 4th season. He will have Berrios as his hitting coach for the 3rd straight year. Marrero was with Reading in 2016 and then again after signing late in the year in 2017 as the veteran hitter on two young teams. Brodzinski served as coach and emergency catcher for Reading last year and was the Phillies 18th round pick in 2015.

GCL Phillies East

  • Roly de Armas – Manager
  • Rafael DeLima – Hitting Coach
  • Hector Mercado – Pitching Coach
  • Charlie Hayes – Coach

Roly de Armas is one of the best in the game at managing in the GCL and keeps his full staff this year as the Phillies split into two GCL teams. Charlie Hayes moves from being the coach in Lehigh Valley to joining Roly’s staff.

GCL Phillies West

  • Nelson Prada – Manager
  • Chris Heintz – Hitting Coach
  • Matt Hockenberry – Pitching Coach

Prada managed in the Phillies system in 2013 and 2014 before coaching in Lakewood for 3 years. Heintz has managed and coached at the GCL level and was most recently coaching in college. Hockenberry was the Phillies 9th round pick in 2014 who was released last year, and has the distinction of the being the last major league draftee out of Temple University’s baseball program.

DSL Phillies Red

  • Wanar Santana – Manager
  • Cristino Henriquez – Coach
  • Samuel Hiciano – Hitting Coach
  • Alex Concepion – Pitching Coach
  • Feliberto Sanchez – Pitching Coach

Former Phillies prospects Hiciano and Sanchez will continue their work as coaches.

DSL Phillies White

  • Orlando Munoz – Manager
  • Silverio Navas – Coach
  • Homy Ovalles – Hitting Coach
  • Les Straker – Pitching Coach
  • Jesus Tiamo – Coach
  • Felix Castillo – Coach

Tiamo joins from the big league staff where he was a bullpen catcher. I was unable to find last year’s coaching staff to compare to.

Player Development Staff

  • Rob Ducey – Baserunning and Bunting Coordinator
  • Andy Abad – Outfield Coordinator
  • Manny Amador – Field Coordinator, Dominican Academey
  • Carlos Arroyo – Roving Pitching Coach
  • Ray Burris – Rehab Pitching Coach
  • Frank Cacciatore – Assistant Hitting Coordinator
  • Rafael Chaves – Pitching Coordinator
  • Furey Leva – Strength and Conditioning Coordinator
  • Doug Mansolino – Field Coordinator
  • Justin Newman –  Assistant Rehabilitation Coordinator
  • Joe Rauch – Athletic Training and Rehabilitation Coordinator
  • Andy Tracy – Hitting/Assistant Field Coordinator
  • Christ Truby – Infield Coordinator
  • Ernie Whitt – Catching Coordinator

Rob Ducey moves from coaching to coordinating, otherwise all the coaches remain the same. The Phillies pitching dev took a big step forward when Chaves joined the org, and it is good to see his staff stay intact.

2 thoughts on “Phillies Announce Minor League Coaches for 2018 Season”

  1. Is there an error with Nelson Prada’s name being bolded? Wasn’t he the hitting coach for the BlueClaws last year? HIs name should be in Italics not bolded.

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