Rangers Announce 2026 Spartanburgers Coaching Staff

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — The Texas Rangers today announced the organization's 2026 minor league coordinators and coaching staffs for their four affiliates. The Rangers have brought new leadership to Spartanburg, as Carlos Maldonado takes the helm for the 'Burgers' second season, along with a new staff.

Four members of the 2025 SAL South Division Champion brass have been promoted to Double-A Frisco, including Manager Chad Comer. Pitching Coach Thomas St. Clair, Development Coach Jay Sullenger, and Trainer Kiley Brown all will follow Comer to the Roughriders. Development Coach Elevys Gonzalez joins Low-A Hickory in 2026. Bryce Gist will remain in Spartanburg as Hub City's Strength and Conditioning coach.

Carlos Maldonado will be in his first year as the manager of the Hub City Spartanburgers and seventh season as a skipper in the Rangers organization. The Maracaibo, Venezuela native has combined for a 322-244 (.569) managerial mark with Single-A Down East/Hickory (2023-25), ACL Rangers (2022), and DSL Rangers (2019, 2021), fashioning a winning record in six consecutive campaigns (beg. 2019).

Mason Milkey (Pitching Coach) is set for his fourth season with the Rangers organization and first with Hub City after filling the same role with Arizona Complex League Rangers in 2025. A former southpaw at Whitman College (WA), Milkey supported St. Clair and the Spartanburgers' pitchers last season after the conclusion of the ACL campaign.

Brian Pozos (Hitting Coach) ascends to the High-A ranks for the first time in his Texas tenure – his fifth season with the organization overall – after serving as a hitting coach at the Single-A (2023-25) and ACL (2022) levels. Pozos played at the University of Portland for three years before finishing his college career at Chico State. He coached at Los Angeles Valley College before joining the Rangers.

The Spartanburgers staff will consist of two Development Coaches: Jorge Cortes, who reprises his role from 2025 in Hickory, and Landon Lassiter, an organizational newcomer who most recently coached in the Baltimore Orioles minor league system (2023-25). Cortes played 10 years in the Minor Leagues for Pirates, Astros and Cubs affiliates, and made the 2004 Futures Game Roster representing the Altoona Curve (PIT Double-A). Lassiter was drafted by the White Sox after three years at UNC-Chapel Hill and spent two seasons as a player in the Chicago organization, including multiple stints with the Winston-Salem Dash.

Dakota Fowee (Athletic Trainer) is entering his second season with the Rangers following a 2025 campaign in which he was the ACL Rangers Athletic Trainer. Fowee had previously worked with the Braves and Red Sox organizations prior to joining Texas. Strength and Conditioning Coach Bryce Gist returns for his second season in that role with Hub City. Gist has ties to the Palmetto State; he served as a graduate assistant at Clemson prior to joining the Rangers. Clubhouse Manager Pete Stasio also returns to Spartanburg for his fifth season with Rangers' High-A teams. Stasio won 2024 SAL Clubhouse Manager of the Year honors in his final season in Hickory.

About the Hub City Spartanburgers

The Hub City Spartanburgers are the High-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers and the reigning South Atlantic League South Division Champions. For more information on the Spartanburgers, visit milb.com/hub-city. For information about tickets to any of Hub City’s 66 home games, call 864-594-0701 or email: [email protected]. For media inquiries, email: [email protected]. Follow along with the Spartanburgers on social media.