RockHounds Announce 2024 Field Staff

MIDLAND, Texas (February 13, 2024) - The Oakland A’s have announced their minor league field staff assignments for the 2024 season, with Gregorio Petit named as field manager for the RockHounds.

Joining Petit on the staff are pitching coach Paul Abbott, hitting coach Juan Dilone, assistant hitting coach Darryl Kennedy, athletic trainer Eric Fasth and sport performance coach Jake Kistaitis.

Gregorio Petit joins the RockHounds after managing the Stockton Ports, Oakland’s affiliate in the (Single-A) California League, in 2023. The assignment with the RockHounds is also a “homecoming” of sorts. Petit played for the club in 2007 on his way to the big leagues, hitting .306 in 66 games and flashing his tremendous defensive skills. Following a 16-year playing career (2003-18), his first coaching assignment came in a two-year stint as manager of the Corpus Christi Hooks (the Astros’ Double-A Texas League affiliate) in 2021 and 2022.

The 39-year-old Venezuela native was originally signed by Oakland as an international free agent on July 17, 2001 (at age 16) and made his Major League debut with the A’s on May 18, 2008. He spent parts of six seasons in the big leagues, hitting .249 with four home runs and 35 RBI in 197 games while primarily playing the middle infield. His big league tenure included the A’s (2008-09), Houston Astros (2014), New York Yankees (2015), Los Angeles Angels (2016) and Minnesota Twins (2018).

Paul Abbott joins the RockHounds staff in his first season with the A’s organization. The former Major Leaguer has spent the past 12 seasons as a pitching coach on the Boston Red Sox’ farm, the last five at the Double-A and Triple-A levels. He spent 11 seasons in the big leagues, and pitched for six clubs, between 1990 and 2004, posting a 43-37 record with a 4.92 ERA.

His finest season came in 2001, when he went 17-4, with a 4.25 ERA in 28 games (27 starts) for a Seattle Mariners team that tied the MLB record for the most wins in a season (116). In five seasons with Seattle, Abbott posted a 36-17 record with a 4.48 ERA in 99 appearances (70 starts) and his winning percentage of .679 is the highest in Mariners franchise history.

Juan Dilone enters his fourth season with the RockHounds (his 29th year with the A’s organization) and is the lone returning field staff member after serving as assistant hitting coach in 2023. He was originally signed by Oakland as a non-drafted free agent in 1990 and played in a total of nine minor league seasons (six with the A’s) before returning to the A’s organization as a minor league coach in 2002.

Darryl Kennedy joins the RockHounds staff … and the A’s organization … after serving as the bench coach for the Hanwha Eagles in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) for the past three seasons. Prior to his stint in the KBO, Kennedy spent 21 seasons as a manager in the affiliated minors, beginning on the Texas Rangers’ farm. He was with the Rangers for nine seasons (1998-2006), the last two with the (Texas League) Frisco RoughRiders. He then spent 12 seasons managing in the Kansas City Royals organization, concluding in 2019 with the (Texas League) Northwest Arkansas Naturals.

Eric Fasth comes to the RockHounds as athletic trainer after serving in the same capacity with the Lansing Lugnuts of the (High-A) Midwest League in 2023. Now in his fourth season with the A’s organization, he also served as assistant athletic trainer for the (Triple-A) Las Vegas Aviators in 2021 and as head athletic trainer for the (Single-A) Stockton Ports in 2022.

Jake Kistaitis will serve as sport performance coach for the RockHounds. Now in his third year with the A’s organization, he held the same role with the Arizona Complex League (ACL) A’s last season. He spent 2022 as a strength and conditioning coach in the Dominican Republic where he oversaw the strength and conditioning program for the A’s academy.

The RockHounds open their Texas League season on Friday, April 5, at Corpus Christi. The club’s 2024 home opener is the following Tuesday (April 9) when the ‘Hounds host the Amarillo Sod Poodles at Momentum Bank Ballpark.