Encore: Esposito to manage Power again

CHARLESTON, WV (December 15, 2015) - The Pittsburgh Pirates, parent club to the West Virginia Power, have announced the field staff for each of their Minor League Baseball affiliates. The 2016 Power staff will be led by manager Brian Esposito, who led the 2015 club to a franchise-record 87 wins and a playoff berth. Esposito will be joined by new pitching and hitting coaches in 2016.

 

Esposito managed the Power for the first time in 2015 after skippering the Pittsburgh's short-season club in Jamestown during the 2014 campaign. West Virginia's 87 wins under Esposito last season were the most in the South Atlantic League and gave the Power the third-best winning percentage in Minor League Baseball. A former fifth round pick of Boston, Esposito played professionally for 13 years before joining the Pirates in 2013.

 

Matt Ford will serve as the pitching coach for the Power in 2016. Ford spent 2015 as a player/ coach for the West Virginia Black Bears in Morgantown. The left-hander was selected in the third round of the 1999 First-Year Player Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays and spent a portion of the 2001 season playing for the Charleston Alley Cats at Watt Powell Park. Ford appeared in 25 games for Milwaukee during his professional career in addition to 156 games in the minors and 22 in independent ball.

 

Ryan Long joins the Power after serving as the hitting coach for the Bradenton Marauders in 2015. He was originally drafted by Kansas City in 1991 and played portions of ten seasons in the minors. Long appeared in six games for the Royals in 1997. 2016 marks his eighth season within the Pirates organization, having served as the hitting coach for the Bradenton Marauders last season.

 

Keoni De Renne was West Virginia's hitting coach in 2014 and 2015. De Renne has been promoted to Bradenton to serve as their hitting coach, rejoining former Power manager Michael Ryan (2013-14) and pitching coach Jeff Johnson (2009-11 and 2013-14). Mark DiFelice was the Power pitching coach in 2015 and will move north to Morgantown to serve in that same role for the Black Bears in the upcoming season.

 

West Virginia opens the 2016 season opens on April 7 at Greensboro and celebrates their home opener one week later against Lexington. Full and partial season ticket packages as well as various mini-plans are currently available. For more information, contact the Power front office at (304) 344-2287.