2026 On-Field Staff Announced

NASHVILLE - The Nashville Sounds, in conjunction with the Milwaukee Brewers, are thrilled to announce the on-field staff for the 2026 season. Rick Sweet returns as Nashville’s manager for a sixth consecutive season (seventh overall). In six years at the helm in Hit City, Sweet is the club’s all-time leader in wins with a record of 484-379 (.561). He enters the 2026 season with the most wins among active minor league managers and owns the third-most wins in Minor League Baseball history.

Sweet’s staff has an abundance of familiarity with Nashville, having 26 combined years of experience at the Triple-A level for the Brewers. Joining Sweet in Nashville this season will be Tyler Thornburg (Pitching Coach), Bryan Leslie (Pitching Coach), Tim Doherty (Hitting Coach), Zack Jones (Hitting Coach), David Tufo (Bench Coach), Eric Bunnell (Coach), Jeff Paxson (Athletic Trainer), Miquel Ruano-Moreno (Athletic Trainer), Andrew Emmick (Strength and Conditioning), Lane Johnson (Associate Strength and Conditioning), and Grant Rehling (Video Coordinator).

“I’m very excited to bring an experienced group of coaches back to Nashville with me this season,” said Sweet. “From top to bottom, the Brewers have put together a staff ready to maximize player development and compete for championships at every level of the organization. We’re eager to get to spring training in Arizona and prepare to lead a talented young group of players that I am really, really excited about.”

Sweet has been tabbed as the Brewers’ Triple-A manager for each of the last 12 seasons and 2026 will be his 36th season overall as a minor league manager. He owns a career record of 2,438-2,237 (.507) and guided teams to seven first place finishes in the regular season and five postseason births. Nashville’s 85 wins in 2025 were the fourth-most in a season over his career and the second time in the last five seasons that he has guided the Sounds to 85+ wins. After moving into third all-time for wins in Minor League Baseball history last season, Sweet currently sits 59 wins away from moving into second place and 93 wins away from first. Sweet is a three-time International League Manager of the Year award winner ('22, ’09, ’08) and was named Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year in 1994. In addition, he was named Baseball America’s Triple-A Manager of the Year in 2010. He had a nine-year playing career (1975-83), including 272 games in the big leagues between San Diego, New York-NL, and Seattle. Originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 31st round of the 1974 amateur draft, he did not sign and continued his collegiate playing career at Gonzaga University before being selected by the Padres in the 3rd round of the 1975 amateur draft.

Thornburg makes his way to Nashville for the first time as a coach at the Triple-A level, and second year coaching in the Brewers organization after serving as the associate coach for Double-A Biloxi last season. However, 2026 won’t be his first time in the Sounds dugout. Thornburg made 23 combined starts on the mound for Nashville between 2012-2013. He was the Opening Day starter and top ranked pitching prospect in the Brewers system in 2013. Thornburg was selected by the Brewers in the 3rd round of the 2010 MLB Draft out of Charleston Southern University and made a total of 346 professional appearances across 12 seasons. His playing career included 206 Major League appearances between Milwaukee (2012-16), Boston (2018-19), Cincinnati (2020), Minnesota (2022), and Atlanta (2022).

Leslie returns to Nashville for a second consecutive season as a pitching coach and his sixth overall season with the Brewers. During his first season in Nashville, he helped coach the Sounds pitching staff to the third-best overall ERA in Triple-A (3.91) and a bullpen ERA that also ranked third among all Triple-A clubs (3.80). He was hired as the assistant pitching coordinator with the Brewers in 2020 and serves as the Lead Strategist of Pitching Development within the Brewers player development department.

Doherty also returns to Nashville for a second consecutive season as a hitting coach and his third overall as a coach in the Brewers organization. Prior to serving as the hitting coach for High-A Wisconsin in 2024, Doherty spent two seasons as a hitting coach in the Washington Nationals system from 2022-23. He coached in the big leagues for the Colorado Rockies in 2021 and had six combined seasons in their system, including two years with Triple-A Albuquerque.

Jones is another returnee to Nashville for his second consecutive season as a hitting coach and his second year as a coach in Milwaukee’s player development staff. Prior to joining the Brewers, Jones spent four seasons coaching in the Philadelphia Phillies organization at their Dominican Republic complex from 2020-2024 and served as the lead hitting trainer at Driveline Baseball in Seattle, WA.

Tufo returns to Nashville for a third straight season and his sixth overall in the Milwaukee system. After spending his first season in Nashville coaching first base in 2024, Tufo will coach third base for a second consecutive season in 2026. Previous coaching stops in the Brewers farm system include serving as the bench coach for Single-A Wisconsin (2023) and manager for the Arizona Complex League Brewers Gold (2021-22).

Bunnell will coach first base in Nashville for a second consecutive season. It will be his third overall in the Milwaukee system after spending 2024 as a development coach for High-A Wisconsin.

Last season with Tufo and Bunnell coaching the bases, Nashville broke the single-season franchise record with 316 stolen bases and finished the year with the third-most stolen bases in all minor league baseball.

Paxson will serve as Nashville’s athletic trainer for the fifth straight season and 10th overall (2005-09). This will be his 32nd season in the Brewers system. Paxson is a nine-time Athletic Trainer of the Year honoree between his stops in the International League, Midwest League, California League, and Pacific Coast Leage. He has also been named the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS) Minor League Athletic Trainer of the Year twice during his career (’24, ’11)

Emmick is another returnee for Sweet’s staff. It will be his sixth consecutive season with Nashville and his 11th overall (2010-14) with Sounds. Entering his 18th season overall with the Brewers, Emmick has spent each of the last 12 as the club’s Triple-A strength and conditioning specialist.

Ruano-Moreno begins his second season as a minor league athletic trainer in the Brewers system and first at the Triple-A level after spending last season at the club’s Dominican Republic complex.

Johnson joins the Brewers for his first season and second overall in baseball. He will serve as the strength and conditioning associate in Nashville after working with Triple-A Durham in the Tampa Bay Ray organization last year.

Rehling begins his second season with the Brewers and first at the Triple-A level as the video coordinator. He worked as a minor league technology operations intern last season in spring training and during the season with the Brewers Low-A affiliate.

The full Brewers Player Development Staff release is available here. To view all affiliate field staffs, click here.

The Nashville Sounds are the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers and play at First Horizon Park. The 2026 home opener is Tuesday, March 31 against the Charlotte Knights (Triple-A, Chicago White Sox). Season ticket memberships are available now. For more information on Group Outings and Premium Hospitality options, please call the Nashville Sounds (615) 690-4487 or email [email protected]