MOOSIC, PA - The New York Yankees have announced the 2010 Triple-A field staff for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees and it has a familiar look. Every member of the 2009 staff returns to PNC Field in 2010 trying to lead the Yankees to their third straight appearance in the Governors’ Cup championship series.  Dave Miley, who led the Yankees to the 2008 Governors’ Cup championship, returns as manager along with hitting coach Butch Wynegar, pitching coach Scott Aldred, infield coach Aaron Ledesma, athletic trainer Darren London and strength and conditioning coach Lee Tressell.

 

“Dave is everything that you want in a manager at this level,” said New York Yankees Senior VP of Baseball Operations Mark Newman.  “He understands the game and the balancing act at the Triple-A level that you have to have between winning games for the team and the fans. He also understands the most important reason you have a minor league system, developing players for the Major Leagues.” 

 

Miley, enters his fifth season guiding the Yankees’ Triple-A club, the first with the Columbus Clippers (2006) and the previous three with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.  Prior to joining the Yankees, Miley spent 26 seasons in the Cincinnati Reds’ organization, including three seasons (2003-2005) as the big league manager in Cincinnati.

 

Under Miley’s guidance, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre has posted the best record (253-175) in the International League over the past three seasons, including winning the Governors’ Cup as league champions in 2008 and an appearance in the Governors’ Cup finals in 2009. 

 

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre posted an 81-60 record in 2009, marking the third straight season under Miley the team placed first in the International League North Division.

 

As a franchise, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre has won the North four straight seasons, an accomplishment unmatched by any team in IL history. 

 

With Miley at the helm, SWB tied Louisville for the IL’s best record in 2008 at 88-56, becoming just the fifth franchise in the International League’s 125 year history to post the league’s top mark in at least three consecutive seasons. In his inaugural season with SWB, Miley led the club to a league best 84-59 record and a berth in the International League Governors’ Cup Playoffs and was named the International League Manager of the Year.

 

“I’m excited about coming back to the Yankees in 2010,” said Miley.  “Reaching the Governors’ Cup in 2009 was tremendous and I’m looking forward to another great season in 2010.  Having a Major League caliber coaching staff that Mark Newman (NY Yankees Director of Player Development) and the Yankees have put together back will help make my job easier.”

 

2010 will be Miley’s 10^th season in the International League, where he has posted a record of 766-629 (.549). In four seasons as skipper of the Yankees top farm club Miley’s record is 322-248 (.565). Miley also spent six seasons in the IL from 1998 through 2003 with Indianapolis and Louisville. In four seasons at Louisville, he went 296-245 (.547) and in 2001 he guided Louisville to its first Governors’ Cup Championship over the former Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons.

 

In his minor league managerial career which spans 18 seasons, Miley has an overall record of 1,437-1089 (.569) with an impressive 16 winning seasons. As a player, he was signed by the Reds in 1980 and spent seven seasons as a minor league catcher batting .238 with 16 HR and 172 RBI.

 

Newman is also excited about the return of the 2009 coaches in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for the upcoming season. “It’s a big plus to have the continuity of all of our field staff returning in 2010,” said Newman.  “As a group they have done a really great job negotiating their way through the ups and downs of a season with roster moves and all of the other things that you run into.  They are great coaches and great teachers who understand our system organization’s philosophies.”

 

HITTING COACH – BUTCH WYNEGAR

2010 marks the fourth season at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for Wynegar. Prior to joining Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he spent four seasons as hitting coach for the Milwaukee Brewers.  With the Milwaukee Brewers, his pupils put up some impressive numbers. In 2003 the Brewers’ offense was 3rd in the National League with 194 home runs and in 2005 they tied a NL record with 571 extra-base hits.  Prior to joining the Brewers, he was a manager in the Texas Rangers system from 1995-1997 and the Minor League Roving Hitting Instructor from 1998-2002.

 

Under his guidance, the 2009 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees were second in RBI’s (616) third in runs scored (654) and sixth in home runs (114).  In 2008 the Yankees placed in the top six in the IL in several team offensive categories including runs, hits, homers, RBI’s and BB.  In 2007 with Wynegar at the helm, the Yankees led the International League in runs scored.

  

As a player, the two-time American League All-Star played 13 seasons in the Majors with the Twins, Yankees and Angels in 1,301 major league games compiling a .255 average with 65 HR and 506 RBI. In 1976 he was named The Sporting News American League Rookie of the Year and became the youngest player at the time to appear in an All-Star Game (20 years, 212 days).  While with the Yankees he caught Dave Righetti’s no-hitter on July 4, 1983 and Phil Niekro’s 300th victory October 1, 1985.

 

PITCHING COACH – SCOTT ALDRED

Aldred returns to Scranton for his second year at the triple-A level and his fifth year as a coach in the Yankees minor league system.  In 2009, the Yankee’s led the International League in ERA (3.32) marking the third straight season that Aldred’s pitchers led the league in ERA.  His Trenton Thunder pitching staff’s led the Double-A Eastern League in ERA in both 2007 and 2008 on route to back-to-back Eastern League titles.  In his debut season as a coach in 2006, he guided the Single-A Charleston pitching staff to the second-best ERA in the South Atlantic League (3.20).

 

Originally drafted and signed by the Detroit Tigers in 1987, he made his Major League debut with the Tigers in 1990.  Aldred appeared in 229 games over an 11-year Major League career, posting a 20-39 record with a 6.02 ERA with six different teams (Detroit, 1990-92, '96; Colorado, 1993; Montreal, 1993; Minnesota, 1996-97; Tampa Bay, 1998-99; Philadelphia, 1999-2000).

 

INFIELD COACH – AARON LEDESMA

Ledesma will be in his second season with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and his third in professional coaching after serving as hitting coach for the Single-A Tampa Yankees in 2008.  Originally a second round selection by the New York Mets in the 1990 Amateur Draft, he made his Major League debut with the Mets in 1995. Ledesma hit .296 with 38 doubles, 4 triples 2 HR and 76 RBI appearing in 284 big league games over five seasons with the Mets, Baltimore, Tampa Bay and Colorado.

 

His lone full season in the Majors came in 1998 with the Devil Rays after he was selected in the third round of the 1997 Major League Expansion Draft from Baltimore.  Ledesma led Tampa Bay with a .324 average (97-299) appearing in 95 games and playing all four infield positions.  During his minor league career, he appeared in the International League with Norfolk (1994-1995); Rochester (1997) And Durham (1999). He earned Junior College All-American honors at Chabot College in 1990.

 

ATHLETIC TRAINER – DARREN LONDON

London will be entering his 18^th season as the Yankees’ Triple-A Athletic Trainer and 22^nd in the Yankees’ organization. He began his career in 1989 working at Single-A Prince William his first two seasons. He was promoted to Single-A Ft. Lauderdale in 1991 and Double-A Albany in 1992.  He joined the Columbus Clippers in 1993 and during his stint in Columbus was named the 2006 “International League Athletic Trainer of the Year,” by the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS). He is a graduate of the University of Maine-Orono where he earned a BS in physical education with a coaching minor.

 

STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH – LEE TRESSEL

Tressel returns to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as strength and conditioning coach for his second season with the Triple-A club and his seventh year in the Yankees organization.  He spent the 2008 season in a similar position with the Yankees Double-A affiliate in Trenton, New Jersey. Prior to working in Trenton, Tressel served as the strength and conditioning coordinator at the Yankees minor league complex in Tampa, Florida.  He also served for three seasons (2004-06) as an assistant in the Yankees’ baseball operations department under General Manager Brian Cashman.  Tressel graduated from Baldwin Wallace College in Berea, Ohio in 2003 with a degree in sports management and business.

 

DAVE MILEY’S CAREER MANAGERIAL RECORD

 

YEAR      CLUB                      W-L       PCT.       PLACE

1988       Greensboro          79-60     .568        2nd/1st

1989       Cedar Rapids      80-57     .584        1st/3rd

1990       Cedar Rapids      88-46     .657        1st/2nd

1991       Charleston            92-50     .648        1st/1st

1992       Chattanooga        51-26     .662        1st/1st

                Nashville               32-36     .471        4th

1995       Chattanooga        83-60     .580        2nd/1st

1996       Indianapolis         78-66     .542        2nd

1997       Indianapolis         85-59     .590        2nd

1998       Indianapolis         76-67     .531        2nd

1999       Indianapolis         75-69     .521        2nd

2000       Louisville               71-73     .493        3rd

2001       Louisville               84-60     .583        1st

2002       Louisville               62-47     .569        1st

CINCINNATI         22-35     .386        5th

2004       CINCINNATI         76-86     .469        4th

2005       CINCINNATI         27-43     .386        6th

2006       Columbus             69-73     .486        4th

2007       Scranton/W-B       84-59     .587        1st

2008       Scranton/W-B       88-56     .611        1st

2009       Scranton/W-B       81-60     .574        1st

 

MINOR LEAGUE TOTALS   1,437-1089 (.569)

MAJOR LEAGUE TOTALS  125-164 (.433)