Melhuse Tabbed as New Bees Skipper
The Burlington Bees, Class-A Affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, have announced their coaching staff for the 2016 season, featuring five new faces, led by first-year Manager, Adam Melhuse.
Adam Melhuse becomes the Bees' 38th manager since joining the Midwest League in 1962. Melhuse, 43, will begin his managerial career with the Burlington Bees after working as an advanced scout with Major League Baseball. The Santa Clara, California native finished his playing career in 2009, after 17 seasons of professional baseball. Melhuse played eight seasons of Major League Baseball, spending time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies, Oakland A's, and Texas Rangers. The former catcher was drafted in the 13th round of the 1993 MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. The former UCLA Bruin hit .234 in his big league career with 24 home runs and 98 runs batted in.
Jairo Cuevas joins the Burlington Bees after spending the past season as the pitching coach for the Arizona League Angels. Cuevas, 31, played seven seasons in the minor leagues, five for the Atlanta Braves and one with the Kansas City Royals before finishing his career in the independent Frontier League in 2011. The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native reached Double-AA with the Mississippi Braves in 2008. Cuevas posted a career record of 27-43 with a 4.44 ERA and struck out 420 in 471.1 innings. Prior to joining the Angels' system, Cuevas spent one season as a pitching coach with the Dominican Summer League Pirates.
Hitting coach Buck Coats joins the Bees after spending the past two seasons in the same capacity with the Angels' rookie affiliate, the Orem Owlz. During his playing career, Coats appeared in 46 career MLB games, in three seasons, with the Cubs, Reds and Blue Jays. The Fort Benning, Georgia native was drafted in the 18th round of the 2000 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Valdosta High School. The former outfielder spent two seasons in the Midwest League, playing for the Lansing Lugnuts in 2002 and 2003. Coats made his MLB debut on August 22, 2006 with the Chicago Cubs. Coats finished his playing career with the Washington Nationals Class-AA affiliate the Harrisburg Senators in 2011. In his second season on the Orem Owlz coaching staff, Coats coached the Owlz to a .288 team batting average, good for third in the Pioneer League.
Also joining the Bees' staff is athletic trainer Yusuke Takahaski and Strength and Conditioning Coach Adam Smith. Takahaski joins the Bees after spending the 2015 season with the Arizona League Angels and is a native of Tendo, Yamagata, Japan. Smith joins the Angels after finishing his playing career at State University of New York Cortland.
2015 Bees' Manager, Chad Tracy was promoted to the Angels' Class-A Advanced affiliate, the Inland Empire 66ers. Former Bees' Pitching Coach, Ethan Katz, joined the Seattle Mariners organization, serving in the same role with the Bakersfield Blaze.
The Burlington Bees open the 2016 season on Thursday, April 7th at 6:30 at Community Field against the Peoria Chiefs. For tickets, visit gobees.com or stop by the Bees' office. For more information, call 319-754-5705.