Rockies Name Rock Cats Coaching Staff
Darin Everson will manage and have former MLB Player on staff
New Britain, CT- The New Britain Rock Cats Baseball Club, the Double-A Eastern League Affiliate of the Colorado Rockies will have a completely new coaching staff in 2015. The Rockies have named Darin Everson (EE-ver-sun) Manager, Ron Gideon Development Supervisor, Steve Merriman Pitching Coach and former Major League Outfielder Jeff Salazar as Hitting Coach at New Britain. Billy Whitehead has been tabbed as Head Athletic Trainer. Everson becomes the 16th manager in club history which dates back to 1983 as the longest continuously operating professional sports franchise in the state of Connecticut. Salazar played outfield with the Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks and Pittsburgh Pirates between 2006 and 2009. This will be Everson's sixth season as manager in professional baseball and his first in the Rockies system. He served as hitting coach for the Double-A Tulsa Drillers in the Texas League last season. Everson managed in the Florida Marlins organization (2007-2009) and was a skipper in the Independent Frontier League in 2010 and 2011.
"We are very happy to welcome Darin, Ron, Steve, Jeff and Billy to the Rock Cats family as we begin our first season with the Rockies organization," Rock Cats General Manager Tim Restall said. "This coaching staff brings a lot of experience to the Rock Cats and we look forward to working with them both on and off the field."
Everson, 43, will be in his third season in the Rockies system after serving as Hitting Coach for the Tulsa Drillers for the past two years. He managed the Washington Wild Things of the Independent Frontier League and spent four years in the Florida Marlins organization including Field Manager of the Greensboro Grasshoppers of the Class-A South Atlantic League in 2009. In 2007 and 2008 he managed the Jamestown Jammers of the Class-A New York-Penn League. He first joined the Marlins system as the Jupiter Hammerheads Hitting Coach in the Class-A Florida State League in 2006. Prior to his professional coaching career, Everson worked as an Associate Scout for the Baltimore Orioles from 2003-2004. Everson, a former first baseman and catcher, played minor league baseball for seven seasons in the Montreal Expos and Boston Red Sox chains and was part of two Eastern League clubs (1995 Harrisburg Senators & 1998 Trenton Thunder).
"We are extremely excited about our on field staff heading into our inaugural season with the New Britain Rock Cats. Led by Ron Gideon and Darin Everson, the staff is passionate, energetic, extremely hard working, and intent on developing winning players and bringing a winning culture to the Rock Cats," Rockies Senior Director of Player Development Zach Wilson said.
The Rock Cats will have an additional coach on the staff this season with the Development Supervisor position. The Development Supervisor is a leadership role that is highly responsible for the oversight and implementation of the Colorado Rockies development philosophies and practices. The Development Supervisor will be a team-builder who will create synergy among staff members so that they may generate and evaluate best practices on a daily, weekly, monthly and season-long basis. The Development Supervisors will serve as leaders in communication, so that consistency and continuity of organizational philosophies, execution, standards and expectations exist from level to level. In addition, the Development Supervisors will creatively seek out solutions to issues and challenges, so that we establish a foundation of winning with a focus on the professional and personal development of our players.
Gideon begins his 18th season in the Rockies farm system and his third as Development Supervisor, after serving in the same capacity with the Tulsa Drillers last season and the same role at Tri-City in 2013. He was the Rockies Roving Field Coordinator for five seasons and managed the Drillers from mid-season 2009 through 2010. He has 15 years of managerial experience and more than 750 wins as a minor league manager. Prior to joining the Rockies, he spent 10 years in the Mets organization, including five as a player. The Texas native was in the Eastern League as the Binghamton Mets hitting coach in 1992. He was selected by the Phillies in 1984 as the first selection in the secondary phase of the draft and played two seasons in the minors before getting traded to the Mets. Gideon played seven seasons in the minors.
Merriman joins the Rockies in his first season with the organization after spending last year as the Pitching Coach for the Lexington Legends, the Class-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals in the South Atlantic League. Merriman served as pitching coach for Idaho Falls of the Pioneer League in 2013, his first year in the Royals organization. He joined the Royals after serving as pitching coach for the University of Michigan in 2012. Merriman coached in the New York Mets organization from 2004-2006 and in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization from 2007-09. With the Mets, he was the instructional league pitching coach from 2004-06 and the rehab pitching coordinator in 2006. He also served as a Major League bullpen coach during Mets spring training games and was a pitching coach for the Brooklyn Cyclones of the New York-Penn League. With Arizona, he served as the pitching coach of the Missoula Osprey of the Pioneer League and worked with the team's extended spring training camp. He worked for the Major League Scouting Bureau from 2009 to 2011, serving as an area scout in the Midwest. Merriman also spent time as an associate scout for the Colorado Rockies (2002-04) and was a bullpen catcher and bullpen practice pitcher for the Detroit Tigers (1996-99).
Salazar begins his first season as a coach in the Rockies organization after an 11 year playing career from 2002-2012. He played outfield for three Major League clubs (Rockies, Diamondbacks, Pirates) from 2006-2009, batting .232 with 15 doubles, 4 triples, 5 stolen bases, 4 home runs and 31 RBI in 168 MLB games. Salazar made his Major League debut with the Rockies on September 7, 2006 at 25 years old. He was also part of the 2007 National League West Champion Arizona Diamonbacks club and played in the NLDS and NLCS. He played in the minors with the Orioles, Tigers and Rays - ending his playing career in 2012 with the Durham Bulls. He hit 122 home runs and stole 184 bases in the minor leagues.