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Rangers Announce Crawdads Coaching Staff

Joshua Johnson Tabbed as Manager
February 10, 2021

Hickory, NC- The Crawdads and Texas Rangers announced Hickory’s coaching staff for the 2021 season. Joshua Johnson will take over the reigns as the new ‘Dads manager. Finishing out the staff are pitching coach Steve Mintz, hitting coach Chad Comer, fourth coach Hiram Bocachica, athletic trainer Yuichi Takizawa, and strength

Hickory, NC- The Crawdads and Texas Rangers announced Hickory’s coaching staff for the 2021 season. Joshua Johnson will take over the reigns as the new ‘Dads manager.

Finishing out the staff are pitching coach Steve Mintz, hitting coach Chad Comer, fourth coach Hiram Bocachica, athletic trainer Yuichi Takizawa, and strength coach Jon Nazarko.

Johnson was with the ‘Dads in 2019, serving as the 4th coach. He was set to lead the Ranger’s High-A squad in Down East before the season was shelved due to Covid-19. Before coming to Hickory, he was a coach for the San Diego Padres in 2018, working primarily with infielders. Johnson spent the 2016 and 2017 campaigns in the Washington Nationals organization as the manager of the GCL Nationals. Prior to his coaching career, Johnson was selected in the third round of the 2004 draft by the Kansas City Royals. He played six seasons with the Royals (2004-2009) before joining the Nationals organization where he played another six seasons (2010-2015).

Mintz, an Eastern North Carolina native, is returning to the Crawdads after serving as the pitching coach for the Wood Ducks from 2017-19. Prior to joining Down East, Mintz was the ‘Dads manager in 2016, leading the club to a 74-66 record. He spent his first three seasons with Texas as a pitching coach for the organization’s High-A affiliate from 2013-15. The former Major League right-hander has 17 years of experience as a minor league pitching instructor. Mintz joined the Texas organization prior to the 2013 campaign after 11 seasons with the Minnesota Twins. He served as a pitching coach for Fort Myers (2009-12), New Britain (2008), Beloit (2006-07), and the GCL Twins (2002-05). He also spent the 2008 offseason in the Arizona Fall League as a pitching coach for the Mesa Solar Sox. Mintz began his coaching career in 2001 with Anaheim, working as pitching coach for the organization’s short season clubs following his retirement midway through the campaign. Mintz pitched professionally for 12 seasons with Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, San Diego, Pittsburgh, and Anaheim after he was originally drafted as a catcher by the Dodgers in the 1990 June draft. He made his Major League debut with the San Francisco Giants in 1995.

*Comer *is returning to the Rangers organization after leaving to serve as an assistant coach with University of Texas at Arlington in August 2019. He served as the ‘Dads infield coach for the 2015 championship season. He spent the next three seasons as a hitting coach in the Dominican Summer League before heading to the Ranger’s complex in Arizona to occupy a similar role. Comer, a catcher, was drafted by the Braves in 2011 and played two seasons in their system.

*Bocachica *is in his first season with the Texas Rangers. He comes to the organization after spending three seasons in the Oakland A’s organization in various roles. Bocachica began as a traveling hitting instructor in 2018 and then took over as the manager of their Arizona League team the next season. He was scheduled to be a coach with the A’s AAA team in Las Vegas last year. He was a first-round draft pick by the Montreal Expos in 1994 and spent parts of eight seasons in the Major Leagues. Bocachica was primarily a center fielder but also saw time in the corner outfield spots, third base and second base.

Takizawa enters his first season with the Crawdads. He originally joined the Texas organization in February 2018 and spent 2018 and 2019 as the rehab athletic trainer in Arizona. Takizawa completed an internship with the Kansas City Royals in 2017, working at the club’s Double-A affiliate in Northwest Arkansas. The Hokkaido native holds degrees from HOSEI University in Japan and Southern Arkansas University.

*Nazarko *comes into his first season in the Texas organization as the strength and conditioning coach for the ‘Dads. He comes to the Rangers from the University of Rhode Island, where he was a strength and conditioning coach for four years. At Rhode Island, he was the primary strength coach for the Rams’ baseball, women’s basketball, and men’s and women’s soccer programs. Nazarko also worked one season in the Boston Red Sox organization as a strength and conditioning coach for the Low-A Greenville Drive. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Kinesiology from Rhode Island, where he played baseball and basketball. In 2014, he was the only Division I athlete to play both sports in the same academic year.