Pevey to Return as I-Cubs Manager

Des Moines, IA - Marty Pevey will return for his second season as the Iowa Cubs manager as the Chicago Cubs announced their 2014 minor league staffs and coordinators today. This marks the first time since Mike Quade managed Iowa from 2003-06 that the I-Cubs will have the same manager in consecutive seasons. Hitting Coach Brian Harper also returns to the Iowa staff while Pitching Coach Bruce Walton and Athletic Trainer Scott Barringer will begin their first seasons with the I-Cubs.

The I-Cubs finished 66-78 under Pevey in 2013 while setting a franchise record with 172 player transactions. The team remained in playoff contention until the final weekend of the season, finishing four games behind the Omaha Storm Chasers who went on to win the Pacific Coast League title. This is Pevey's sixth year in the Cubs' organization and his third as a manager. He managed the single-A Peoria Chiefs in the Midwest League in 2009 and was the organization's catching coordinator from 2010-12. The 2014 season will be Pevey's 31st in professional baseball and his 12th as a manager, posting a 710-695 (.505) career record as a skipper. He has won his league's Manager of the Year Award four times. Pevey has also coached in the big leagues with the Toronto Blue Jays as their bullpen coach (1999), first base coach (2006) and third base coach (2007-08). Following last season, he spent time assisting the Chicago Cubs staff in September. As a player, Pevey was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 19th round of the 1982 draft out of Georgia Southern University. He played 13 seasons, including nine at triple-A. He made his major league debut with the Montreal Expos on May 16, 1989 and played 13 games in his only big league season.

Harper also returns for his second season with Iowa and his fourth in the Cubs' organization. He managed at high-A Daytona in 2012 and double-A Tennessee in 2011. He has also represented the Cubs as the hitting coach with the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League each of the last two years. Prior to joining the Cubs, Harper managed in the Los Angeles Angels' system from 2001-07, including two years in the PCL at Salt Lake from 2006-07. From 2008-09, he was the San Francisco Giants' roving catching instructor and he managed their high-A team in San Jose in 2010. Harper played 16 big league seasons with the Angels (1979, '81), Pittsburgh Pirates ('82-84), St. Louis Cardinals ('85), Detroit Tigers ('86), Oakland A's (1987, '95), Minnesota Twins ('88-93), and Milwaukee Brewers ('94). He played in the World Series with the Cardinals in '85 and the Twins in '91.

This will be Walton's first year in the Cubs' organization, who was most recently the major league pitching coach with the Toronto Blue Jays from 2010-12. He was also the Jay's bullpen coach from 2002-09 and spent a total of 17 years in the Jays' organization, starting as their short-season pitching coach at Medicine Hat in 1996. Pevey managed that team in his first year as a minor league skipper. Walton pitched four seasons in the big leagues with Oakland (1991-92), Montreal ('93), and Colorado ('94) and pitched in the PCL with Tacoma ('89-92), Tucson ('93), and Colorado Springs ('94)

Barringer begins his second year in the Cubs organization after serving as the Athletic Trainer at double-A Tennessee in 2013. Prior to joining the Cubs, he was with the Arizona Diamondbacks' organization at short-season Missoula (2011) and high-A Visalia (2012). Barringer graduated in 2009 from East Stroudsburg (PA) University with a Bachelors Degree in Athletic Training and earned a Master's of Science in Athletic Training from East Carolina (NC) University in 2011. Barringer hails from Doylestown, Penn.

The Cubs promoted Mike Mason to assistant pitching coordinator after spending the last six seasons as Iowa's pitching coach. Nick Frangella was promoted to head minor league athletic training and performance coordinator after spending the last two seasons as Iowa's Athletic Trainer.

Former Iowa Cubs' players Carmelo Martinez (1983) and Mark Johnson (2005, '09-10), David Rosario (1990-91), and Anderson Tavares (2005) remain has coaches in the organization. Martinez will be the organization's Latin American Field Coordinator, Johnson is the manager at single-A Kane County, Rosario joins his this season to be his pitching coach, and Tavares returns as the pitching coach at rookie Mesa. Former Iowa pitcher Angel Guzman (2006-09) will starting his coaching career with the Cubs' entry in the Venezuelan Summer League. Former Iowa Manager Buddy Bailey (2007) will be back as the skipper at double-A Tennessee for the third straight year along with former Iowa hitting coach Desi Wilson (2009). Former Iowa hitting coach Dave Keller (2012) will return for his second season as the manager at high-A Daytona.

The I-Cubs open the 2014 season on Thursday, April 3 at Principal Park, hosting the Memphis Redbirds at 6:35 PM. Season ticket and mini-plans are available. For more details, fans can check out iowacubs.com or call (515) 243-6111.