Cubs Announce Baseball Ops, Minor League Staff, Coordinators for 2019
The Cubs made several announcements in a series of rapid-fire media releases Wednesday afternoon, setting their minor league staffs and laying out their coordinators and baseball ops hires. I had initially attempted to include images of the pdf files from the releases, but opted for good old-fashioned cutting and pasting.
First up, baseball operations (access full pdf here), which features Brad Mills as Assistant Director, Advance Scouting, Run Prevention. It’s a little interesting that he’s in the front office and not the coaching staff, though such distinctions are really irrelevant.
CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today announced a series of hirings and promotions within the baseball operations department.
Kyle Evans has been promoted to Senior Director, Player Personnel. Evans enters his eighth season with the Cubs organization and has held a variety of roles with the club, having spent the last two seasons as Special Assistant to the President and General Manager/Director of Pro Scouting. In his new role, Evans will continue to be a key decision maker on all major league transactions. He will evaluate players both inside and outside the organization for trades and free agent signings. Evans will also work closely with our major league coaching staff with a focus on transition and development plans for players at that level.
Jeff Greenberg has been promoted to Director of Pro Scouting and Baseball Operations. Greenberg joined the Cubs in 2012 as a baseball operations intern and was later promoted to Assistant to the General Manager prior to the 2015 campaign. He was promoted to Director of Baseball Operations last year.
The following additional promotions and hirings have occurred within the club’s baseball operations department:
Amateur Scouting
– Adam Unes, promoted to Assistant, Amateur Scouting
– Steve Riha, hired as Area Scout
– Gabe Sandy, hired as Area Supervisor/Canadian & Special Assignment Crosschecker
International Scouting
– Kenny Socorro, promoted to Coordinator, International Scouting
– Miguel Diaz, promoted to Coordinator, Dominican Republic Scouting
– Gian Guzman, promoted to International Crosschecker
– Jamie McFarland, promoted to International Scout
Pro Scouting
– Willie Fraser, hired as Pro Scout
– David Howard, hired as Special Assignment Scout
Front Office/Advance
– Greg Davey, promoted to Assistant Director, Baseball Operations
– Nate Halm, promoted to Assistant Director, Advance Scouting, Run Production
– Brad Mills, hired as Assistant Director, Advance Scouting, Run Prevention
– Meghan Jones, promoted to Manager, Baseball Operations Administration/Executive Assistant to President/GM
– Alex Smith, promoted to Coordinator, Baseball Operations
– Sam Abrams, hired as Trainee, Baseball Operations
Player Development
– Derrick Fong, promoted to Manager, Minor League Administration
– Ella Cahill, promoted to Assistant, Player Development
Research and Development
– Chris Jones, promoted to Assistant Director, Research and Development/Major League Strategist
– Eli Shayer, promoted to Developer, Baseball Systems
– Troy Mulholland, hired as Analyst, Research and Development
– Ryan Otero, promoted to Assistant Analyst, Research and Development
Next are the minor league coaching staffs, with a notable swap at the A-ball level. Jimmy Gonzalez moves to Myrtle Beach after four years in South Bend while Buddy Bailey moves in the opposite direction after three years in his former post.
CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today announced their minor league managers and coaching staffs for the 2019 season. Four managers return to their same teams as last season while all nine managers were in Chicago’s organization last year. A detailed list of each club’s managers and coaching staffs are included on the following page, and more information on returning members of the organization may be found on pages 198-222 of the Chicago Cubs 2018 Media Guide.
Marty Pevey returns for his 11th season in the organization and his seventh as manager for Triple-A Iowa and brings with over 30 years of professional experience, beginning with 13 years as a player. He was named the 2009 Midwest League co-Manager of the Year with Single-A Peoria.
Mark Johnson begins his fourth season as Double-A Tennessee’s manager, and his ninth in the organization. Johnson’s clubs have reached the postseason in four of his first eight minor league managerial campaigns, including a Midwest League title with Single-A Kane County in 2014 and a Mills Cup Championship with Single-A Myrtle Beach in 2015.
Jimmy Gonzalez takes the helm of Single-A Myrtle Beach following four seasons managing Single-A South Bend. The 2016 Midwest League Manager of the Year with South Bend, Gonzalez was Rookie League Mesa’s manager in 2014 following a season as the club’s hitting coach.
Buddy Bailey begins his first season as manager at Single-A South Bend following three campaigns as manager for Myrtle Beach. He enters his 31st season as a minor league manager with 2,064 regular season victories, and in 2017 became just the 11th minor league manager to reach the 2,000-win plateau.
Steven Lerud starts his second season as manager for Single-A Eugene after guiding the Emeralds to the 2018 Northwest League Championship in his first career managerial or coaching stint. He played 13 minor league seasons from 2004-16 and appeared in nine major league games with the Phillies in 2012-13.
Carmelo Martinez is in his 22nd season in the Cubs organization, and returns to manage Rookie League Mesa for the fifth-straight year. The team has reached the Arizona League playoffs each of the last four seasons. Martinez is a former outfielder/first baseman who played in the majors from 1983-91, seeing action with the Cubs in 1983.
Lance Rymel is the manager of the club’s second Rookie League Mesa team after two seasons managing the organization’s Dominican Summer League club. He began his coaching career in 2016 as Mesa’s rehab coach following a three-year minor league playing career as a catcher in the Cubs chain from 2012-14.
Leo Perez takes over as manager for the first of Chicago’s two Dominican Summer League teams, and is in his 11th season in the organization. He served as a coach in Mesa each of the previous two seasons and was a coach with Iowa in 2016. He played in the Cubs farm system from 2003-08.
Carlos Ramirez will manage the second Dominican Summer League team and is in his fourth season with the organization. He was a coach for the Dominican League club the previous three years following three seasons as a catcher in the system from 2012-14.
The pdf includes full staff listing for each affiliate.
Finally, we move to the minor league coordinators, highlighted by former Cubs Chris Valaika, Doug Dascenzo, and John Baker. There’s also Jeremy Farrell, who moves into the role of minor league field coordinator.
CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today announced their minor league coordinators for the 2019 season.
Jeremy Farrell begins his first year as the organization’s minor league field coordinator and his fourth as a coach with the organization. He last season was the minor league infield coordinator following two seasons as a hitting coach, first with Rookie League Mesa in 2016 and then with Single-A South Bend in 2017. Farrell enjoyed a seven-year minor league playing career as an infielder in the Pirates (2008-12) and White Sox (2013-15) farm systems. His brother, Shane, is a regional supervisor in the amateur scouting department.
Brendan Sagara returns for his second season as minor league pitching coordinator. He was a coach or coordinator in the Marlins system for six seasons from 2012-17, and has served as a pitching coach or coordinator for 18 seasons with various teams, beginning with the Dubois County Dragons of the Frontier League in 2001. A native of Hawaii, he attended the University of Hawaii at Hilo.
Chris Valaika begins his first season as minor league hitting coordinator after serving as Triple-A Iowa’s assistant hitting coach in 2018. Now in his third year as a coach or coordinator in the Cubs system, Valaika had a 10-year playing career, including parts of four seasons in the majors with the Reds (2010-11), Marlins (2013) and the Cubs (2014). Valaika was selected by Cincinnati in the third round of the 2006 Draft out of the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Jonathan Mota starts his first year as minor league infield coordinator, and his fourth season as a coach or coordinator with the organization. He last year managed the Rookie League Mesa 2 squad following coaching duties with Single-A South Bend in 2017. Mota played in the Cubs system from 2004-15 after he was originally signed by the club in August of 2003.
Doug Dascenzo is in his fifth year as the organization’s minor league outfield and baserunning coordinator, bringing with 20 years of coaching experience. He played parts of seven seasons in the majors, including five with the Cubs (1988-92). He coached in the Padres system from 1999-2011, including six seasons as a minor league manager, before coaching in the Braves system from 2012-14, including third base coach for the big league team in 2014.
Dave Keller begins his 16th year in the organization and his fifth as minor league Latin America field coordinator. He brings with 34 years of minor league coaching and managerial experience, and managed three clubs to championship series appearances, including a Florida State League title with Single-A Daytona in 2013. The former first baseman played in the Reds chain for three seasons (1982-84) after Cincinnati selected him in the 28th round of the 1982 Draft.
Mike Mason is in his 12th year in the system and his sixth as minor league assistant pitching coordinator, bringing with over 25 years of coaching experience. He served as Triple-A Iowa’s pitching coach from 2008-13 after serving four seasons as the Royals minor league pitching coordinator from 2004-07. Mason played seven major league seasons with Texas (1982-87), the Cubs (1987) and Minnesota (1988), posting a 29-39 record with a 4.53 ERA.
Carlos Chantres begins his first year with the organization as minor league assistant pitching coordinator and his 14th as a coach, coordinator or special assistant. He spent the past two years with Atlanta, including as a special assistant to player development in 2018, after stints coaching in the Tigers (2015) and Mariners (2016) chains. Chantres spent nine seasons coaching in the Yankees system (2006-14) after 12 minor league seasons (1994-2005) pitching with the White Sox (1994-2000), Brewers (2001), Devil Rays (2002) and Phillies (2004-05) organizations.
Tom Beyers starts his 20th season in the Cubs organization and his fifth as assistant hitting coordinator. He joined Chicago in 2000 following 21 seasons in the Dodgers minor league system as a player, coach and manager. Beyers managed nine seasons in both the Dodgers and Cubs chains, and he led Single-A Boise to a Northwest League title in 2004. Beyers, a former outfielder, was selected by the Dodgers in the 15th round of the 1979 Draft.
Chuck Baughman enters his 19th year with the Cubs and his second as the head minor league athletic training coordinator. He was assistant athletic training coordinator from 2014-17 following eight years as a rehabilitation coordinator. His career in professional baseball began in 1999 when he an athletic training in Cincinnati’s organization.
Doug Jarrow is in his 12th season as Chicago’s minor league strength and conditioning coordinator. He worked in the Dodgers system from 2003-07, including 2006-07 as the major league strength coach. Jarrow began his career as a minor league strength and conditioning coach with Tampa Bay in 1998 and Pittsburgh in 1999.
Jon Fierro is in his eighth year with the organization and his second as the club’s rehab coordinator. From 2012-17 he was an athletic trainer in the system, including 2017 with Triple-A Iowa.
Ron Villone starts his eighth season as a coach in the Cubs organization, returning as the team’s minor league rehab pitching coordinator for the fourth season. He served as a pitching coach at various levels from 2012-15. A left-handed pitcher, he played in 15 major league seasons from 1995-2009, going 61-65 with eight saves and a 4.73 ERA.
Josh Lifrak is in his fifth season as the organization’s director, mental skills program following 10 years as the Senior Mental Conditioning Consultant for IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Rhode Island in 1994 and earned his Masters of Science, Exercise Science in 2005 from Ithaca College.
David Da Silva starts his second year as coordinator, mental skills after nine years as a mental conditioning consultant for IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from New Hampshire College/Southern New Hampshire University in 2000 and earned a Master of Science in Movement Science from Barry University in 2003.
Ray Fuentes begins his seventh season in the organization, and his fifth as Latin coordinator, mental skills program. He graduated from Barry University in 2002 with a degree in Exceptional Student Education.
John Baker is in his fourth season as a mental skills coordinator after joining the Cubs front office in November of 2015 as a baseball operations assistant. He played seven major league seasons with Florida (2008-11), San Diego (2012-13) and the Cubs (2014).
So wow, probably should have just used the images because that was a long-ass post.