Darwin, Kelly Join Reds Major League Staff

For Immediate Release
April 19, 2018
Pensacola, Fla. - Former Blue Wahoos manager, Pat Kelly and pitching coach Danny Darwin have joined the Cincinnati Reds Major League coaching staff as part of changes made Thursday by the organization. Kelly will serve as the bench coach for Jim Riggleman who was announced the interim manager and Darwin will serve as the pitching coach.
Riggleman was the Blue Wahoos inaugural manager in 2012 and has been on the Reds Major League coaching staff since first serving as third base coach in 2015. He moved to bench coach in 2016 where he was still serving prior to getting named interim manager. He has managed in the Major Leagues for parts of 12 seasons with the Padres, Cubs, Mariners and Nationals.
Kelly spent three years managing the Blue Wahoos prior to being assigned to the same role with Triple-A Louisville prior to this season. This is his second stint on a Major League coaching staff, last serving as a bench coach for interim Blue Jays manager Pete Mackanin in 2007. In three years at the helm for Pensacola, he amassed a 218-210 record with four straight half-division titles before culminating with a Southern League Championship in 2017.
"This is a great honor, but obviously we have a job to do at the same time," said Kelly. "I look forward to working with Jim. We've developed a strong bond working closely with each other especially in Spring Training over the last few years."
Darwin joined the Wahoos staff in 2016. In his first two seasons, Darwin's pitching staffs posted a 3.20 ERA (2016) and 3.14 ERA (2017). In both seasons, those marks were the second-lowest in the Southern League. During his tenure with Pensacola, 17 pitchers went on to make their Major League debuts after, at some point, working with Darwin in Pensacola. This is his first Major League coaching assignment after spending parts of 21 seasons pitching for eight different teams.
"I'm thrilled for the opportunity," said Darwin. "I look forward to helping these pitchers get the most out of their abilities. We've seen a lot of them come through Pensacola already, so I've been fortunate to establish a pretty good level of familiarity with most of them."
Reds pitching coordinator Tony Fossas will fill Darwin's role until arrangements are made for a more steady replacement. Former Blue Wahoos bench coach Dick Schofield will take over as manager in Louisville for the remainder of the season. The moves come after the Reds dismissed manager Bryan Price and pitching coach Mack Jenkins Thursday morning. 
- Pensacola Blue Wahoos -
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. The 2018 season is underway at beautiful Blue Wahoos Stadium on Pensacola Bay. Group packages, season tickets, mini plans and single-game tickets are available for the 2018 season by calling (850) 934-8444 or online. Follow the Blue Wahoos at bluewahoos.com, facebook.com/PensacolaBlueWahoos, and twitter.com/BlueWahoosBBall