Morandini back to manage BlueClaws
Greg Legg again will serve as the BlueClaws' coach and Aaron Fultz will take over as pitching coach after working with short-season Williamsport last year.
Morandini is the third BlueClaws manager to lead the team in multiple seasons, joining P.J. Forbes (2004-05) and Steve Roadcap (2007-2008).
"I'm looking forward to coming back," Morandini said. "We have a great ballpark, great fans and a great atmosphere. It's a fun place to play baseball."
Selected by the Phillies in the fifth round of the 1988 Draft out of Indiana University, Morandini played 11 years in the Major Leagues, including parts of nine seasons with the Phillies. He was on the 1993 National League championship club and a 1995 All-Star. Morandini was the head coach of Valparaiso High School in Indiana for four years and managed Williamsport in 2011 before joining the BlueClaws last year.
Legg has been in the Phillies system as a player, coach or manager since the team drafted him in 1982. He served as the BlueClaws' first manager in 2001 and has been a BlueClaws coach since 2008. Five players tutored by Legg in Lakewood over the last five seasons have reached the Major Leagues (Domonic Brown, Freddy Galvis and Michael Taylor, 2008; Anthony Gose, 2009; Darin Ruf, 2010).
In addition to working together last year, Morandini and Legg played together when both were coming up through the Phillies system.
"I'm looking forward to having him come back and work with the hitters again," Morandini said. "He's a great guy and works very hard."
Fultz will start his first year with the BlueClaws after serving as pitching coach last year with short-season Williamsport. He pitched in the Major Leagues with five teams, including a two-year stint (2005-06) with the Phillies. This will be his second season as a professional coach.
Minor League coaches and players will report to Clearwater for Spring Training in early March and the BlueClaws will open the season on April 4 at FirstEnergy Park against Kannapolis (White Sox).
The 2013 schedule includes the South Atlantic League All-Star Game at FirstEnergy Park, presented by Kimball and Community Medical Centers, OceanFirst Bank and Shore Point Distributing Company. The All-Star Game is June 18, with a "Celebrity Hitting Challenge" on June 17. For more information on these events, please visit BlueClaws.com/AllStar.
The BlueClaws and Atlantic Physical Therapy Center have launched Restore The Shore Fridays, through which businesses and families wear special Restore The Shore T-shirts each Friday through Memorial Day while making a donation to BlueClaws Charities. In 2013, 100 percent of the proceeds from this program will be returned to those impacted by Hurricane Sandy. More information is available at BlueClaws.com/Restore.