2026 Pelicans Coaching Staff Announced
The Chicago Cubs and Myrtle Beach Pelicans are pleased to announce that Yovanny Cuevas will return to manage the Birds in 2026. This year will mark Cuevas’ second season as the Pelicans’ manager. Cuevas joined the Chicago Cubs organization as a player in 2015. His minor league career ran through
The Chicago Cubs and Myrtle Beach Pelicans are pleased to announce that Yovanny Cuevas will return to manage the Birds in 2026. This year will mark Cuevas’ second season as the Pelicans’ manager.
Cuevas joined the Chicago Cubs organization as a player in 2015. His minor league career ran through 2021 with stops in the Dominican Summer League (DSL), the Arizona Complex League (ACL), and the Northwest League with the Eugene Emeralds. Overall, Cuevas’ minor league slash line was .241/.369/.356 over 272 games. In 2022 Cuevas transitioned into a coach. His first assignment was with the ACL Cubs. The following season Cuevas was the hitting coach for the DSL Cubs Red squad, the Cubs affiliate in the Dominican Summer League. In 2024, he returned to the ACL Cubs as the hitting coach. Cuevas’ first season in Myrtle Beach saw the Pelicans return to the Carolina League Playoffs by boasting a 68-60 record.
Andrew Betcher will serve as the Birds’ pitching coach. He enters his fourth year in the Cubs organization. The 2026 season will be his first in Myrtle Beach after spending each of the last three seasons with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. Last season was his second as assistant pitching coach after serving as a development coach in 2024. Betcher played baseball at Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin.
Roberto Vaz returns as the Myrtle Beach Pelicans hitting coach for his fourth season. In 2014, Vaz began his eight-year assistant coaching stint with LSU-Eunice Baseball. He also served as an Assistant Coach for the USA Baseball U18 team in 2022. Vaz, originally from Brooklyn, NY, was drafted by Oakland Athletics in 1997. He spent his seven-year playing career with the Oakland A’s and Texas Rangers organizations. In 1999, Vaz helped the Vancouver Canadians win the Triple-A World Series.
Bench coach D’Angelo Jimenez returns to the Pelicans for his third season. Jimenez’s professional playing career began in 1994 when he was signed as an amateur free agent by the Yankees. While he made his MLB debut with the Yankees, the infielder went on to play for six other teams (Padres, White Sox, Reds, Rangers, A’s, and Nationals) and throughout his eight-year MLB career recorded 2,159 at-bats with a .263 career batting average. Jimenez joined the Cubs organization as a hitting coach with the DSL Cubs (2018-19, 2021) and served as the bench coach for the South Bend Cubs in the 2022-23 seasons. Prior to joining Chicago’s coaching staff, he spent several years coaching in the Dominican League, namely with the Tigres del Licey.
Kyle Sutherland returns to the Pelicans staff as the development coach for the 2026 season, marking his second straight season in the role. Sutherland spent the 2024 season as the bench coach for the ACL Cubs, working alongside Cuevas. He played baseball at Virginia Commonwealth University and graduated in 2012 with a degree in Psychology. After college, Sutherland started “Catchers Compass”, where he works with players to develop their skills as a catcher.
Luis Hernandez joins the Pelicans staff as the assistant pitching coach for the 2026 season. Hernandez began his Minor League Baseball career in 2014 with the AZL Cubs. Following his retirement from playing in 2017, he transitioned into coaching within the Chicago Cubs organization. From 2019–2024, he served as the pitching coach in the Dominican Summer League for the Cubs, and later worked as the assistant pitching coach in the Arizona Complex League.
The athletic trainer for the 2026 season will be Chad Rodriguez. Rodriguez spent the 2023, 2024, and 2025 seasons as the athletic trainer for the Cubs at the Arizona Complex League. He graduated from the University of North Texas in 2021 with a Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology and Athletic Training/Trainer and obtained his Master’s of Science in Athletic Training/Trainer from The University of Texas at Arlington in 2023.
Luis Gutierrez returns to the Pelicans as the strength and conditioning coach for his second season. Gutierrez started his career within the Cubs organization in 2023 at the Dominican Summer League as the strength and conditioning fellow. He returned to the DSL as the strength and conditioning coach the following season. Gutierrez is a 2020 graduate from the University of Arkansas with a Bachelor of Science -Kinesiology and Exercise Science. He later earned his masters of Health and Physical Education/Fitness in 2024 from the same university.
The Pelicans’ 2026 season will begin on the road in Charleston on April 2. The home opener is set for April 14 against the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers. Tickets for the 2026 season are on sale now including single-game tickets and season memberships. To purchase single-game tickets for 2026, visit MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/tickets. For more information or to purchase a season membership for the 2026 season visit MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/memberships, call 843-918-6000, or stop by the Front Office.