Casey Candaele set to manage Bisons in 2025, leads coaching staff for fifth straight season
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Bisons are thrilled to announce that long-time fan-favorite Casey Candaele will be returning to Buffalo to manage the Herd for a modern era record fifth straight season as the Toronto Blue Jays also announced the Bisons coaching staff in addition to Candaele. He will be joined by
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Bisons are thrilled to announce that long-time fan-favorite Casey Candaele will be returning to Buffalo to manage the Herd for a modern era record fifth straight season as the Toronto Blue Jays also announced the Bisons coaching staff in addition to Candaele.
He will be joined by pitching coach Drew Hayes and hitting coach Ryan Long who each served in those roles last season. Cesar Martin is slated to join the Bisons Triple-A coaching staff this season as bench coach, as well.
Also returning to the coaching staff are head athletic trainer Caleb Daniel, head strength and conditioning coach Taylor Whitley, nutritionist Yuka Sanui, and mental performance coach Rob DiBernardo.
The coaching staff also features several new members for the 2025 season. Trevor Cho has been appointed as the Bisons assistant hitting coach, with Chris Schaeffer serving as position coach, and Henry Leake bullpen coach. They are joined by assistant trainer Jason Schwartzman and assistant strength and conditioning coach Zach Kollar.
Candaele has amassed 266 victories in three and a half seasons as Bisons manager, second only to Buffalo Baseball Hall of Famer Marty Brown (312). Candaele also served as the Blue Jays interim bench coach in July 2022, a season after being named the Triple-A East Co-Manager of the Year. He has won 365 games as a manager within the Blue Jays organization dating back to 2018 with the Dunedin Blue Jays, while also serving as the Minor League Field Coordinator for Toronto during that time. The Bisons 79 victories in 2021 under Candaele are the most for the franchise in a single season since 2005 (82).
He also became the first person in the team’s modern era to win a division championship as both a player and manager, thanks to the Bisons 2021 Triple-A East Northeast Division championship. Candaele also played parts of three seasons with the Herd, including the team that won both the 1997 American Association East Division crown as well as the league championship.
Hayes returns for his second season as pitching coach, and his fifth in the Blue Jays organization. Last season the Bisons recorded the most shutouts, 12, of any pitching staff among all 30 Triple-A ball clubs. The group also featured the first pitcher in the team’s modern era to start a season with 10 straight winning decisions. Luis Quinones finished the 2024 campaign with a perfect 11-0 record for the Herd. Hayes began his tenure in the Blue Jays organization by spending a pair of seasons with Dunedin from 2021 and 2022.
The former Vanderbilt University standout also spent two years with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (AA) before being promoted to Buffalo before last year.
Long also returns following a season in which Bisons’ hitters ranked fourth in the International League in on-base percentage, .354, and walks, 672. The former Kansas City Royals draft pick joined the Blue Jays organization in 2024 after a four-year stint with the Lotte Giants of the KBO. He had previously served as hitting coach for the Indianapolis Indians from 2018 and 2019, in addition to serving as a Minor League hitting coach in the Royals and Chicago White Sox organizations.
Martin spent the last four years managing the Fisher Cats in the Eastern League. He has managed at all levels of the minors for the Blue Jays, spending two seasons leading the Lansing Lugnuts (Full-A), prior to the 2019 season with Dunedin where he would be maned the Florida State League Manager of the Year.
He has also represented the Blue Jays organization at the Arizona Fall League, managing the Scottsdale Scorpions in 2019.
Daniel has served as the Bisons athletic trainer for the four previous seasons, joining Candaele for the fifth straight year. He was selected to the Arizona Fall League in 2021, the same year he was named the Triple-A East Athletic Trainer of the Year.
Whitley returns to the Bisons for the third straight season, serving as a strength and conditioning coach for the team since 2023. Sanui was promoted to the Herd last season after spending the 2023 campaign with the Vancouver Canadians.
Orioles' Honeycutt joins The Show Before the Show
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Red Sox prospect rips double THROUGH Fenway-esque scoreboard
Red Sox No. 4 prospect Franklin Arias, an infielder for High-A Greenville, REALLY didn’t want to let visiting Asheville score any runs in the top of the eighth inning on Friday night. With runners on first and second base in the bottom of the fourth, Arias showed he apparently held
April's hottest hitting prospects -- one for each organization
The Minor League season is a month old and several of the game's best hitting prospects are off to fast starts. Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony is tearing up Triple-A (just like he did at the end of last year), Padres shortstop Leo De Vries is leading the High-A Midwest
Check out the best -- and wackiest -- Minor League promos happening in May
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
MiLB podcast coming LIVE to a Somerset this June
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
New ballparks highlight 2025 MiLB road trip stops
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Minor League Baseball partners with TruGreen
FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- TruGreen, the nation's leading lawn care treatment provider, is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Minor League Baseball that includes activations across all 120 clubs, a makeover of the home dugout in each market, sponsorship of select MiLB team grounds crews, and a new initiative called
Podcast explains why the Syracuse Mets are looking for Jim Morrison
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Dash im-prom-tu promo and Mets' Suero joins the podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Minor League Baseball partners with Circle K
Minor League Baseball announced a new national partnership with Circle K, which will see the convenience store giant become the “Official Convenience Store of Minor League Baseball.” During the 2025 season, the Circle K brand will be integrated into the MiLB in-stadium experience through in-game video board assets at most
These 15 moments led to season No. 15 of Minor League road trips
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
MiLB podcast crew makes Opening Day predictions
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Everything you need to know for Triple-A Opening Day
First, there was big league Opening Day. Now it's Triple-A's turn to take the spotlight. The Minor League season opens Friday when the Triple-A International League and Pacific Coast League seasons get underway for the first of MiLB’s two Opening Days. And right out of the gates, several of baseball's
Top prospects to watch at Triple-A -- one for each organization
It’s Triple-A’s turn up to bat on Friday. The regular season begins for the Minor Leagues’ highest level one day after the action starts on the Major League side. Fun fact: it’ll be the earliest start to a Minor League season since 1951 (March 27). Double-A, High-A and Single-A will
Here's where every Top 100 prospect is expected to start the season
The 2025 Opening Day prospect roster announcements began last week when the Cubs informed Matt Shaw (MLB No. 19) he was making the trip overseas to compete in the Tokyo Series. Roki Sasaki (No. 1) also received the good news, but his assignment was much less of a surprise. Now
Nationals prospect King joins MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Here are the 2025 All-Spring Breakout Teams
Fifteen games, several jersey swaps and countless highlights later, the second edition of Spring Breakout has officially concluded – and it lived up to its billing. Of the 16 contests sprinkled across four days, only one game (Dodgers vs. Cubs) was rained out. Coincidentally, the Cubs were one of two
Rox young sluggers aim to bring pop back to Coors Field
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Coors Field may provide the best run-scoring environment in Major League Baseball, but the Rockies haven’t taken advantage of it in recent years. Even without adjusting for Coors, they have fielded offenses worse than the league average the past three seasons, and they scored the fewest runs
Astros brass sees potential in consistently 'underranked' farm system
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The last time the Astros landed in the top 10 of MLB Pipeline’s farm system rankings was before the 2019 season. Since those rankings expanded to all 30 teams ahead of the 2020 season -- 11 lists in total -- they’ve never ranked higher than
Complete results and highlights from Spring Breakout
The second edition of MLB Spring Breakout is complete, and there was no shortage of highlights from the future stars of Major League Baseball over the four-day showcase. Here's a complete breakdown of the 16-game exhibition:
Southpaw Spring Breakout: White Sox future on display with Schultz, Smith
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- If all goes as planned for the White Sox, left-handers Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz won’t spend much time following each other to the mound in a single game. Schultz, the No. 1 White Sox prospect and No. 16 overall, per MLB Pipeline, and Smith, who is
In first pro game, Rainer offers pop, promise to Tigers fans
NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Bryce Rainer’s pro career consisted of workouts and batting practice until Sunday.
'Me and Brady on the dirt again': House, King reunite at Spring Breakout
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The 2025 Spring Breakout was a flashback for Brady House and Seaver King. Over 10 years ago, the infielders were travel ball teammates in Georgia who shared the dream of making it to the Major Leagues. Now, they are top prospects in the same organization,
Lambert -- 'an adrenaline guy' -- hoping to be next Mets bullpen gem
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Ryan Lambert loves throwing hard. He relishes the idea of getting to two strikes and blowing hitters away. “Get me in a game,” Lambert said, “cool things will happen.”
Stewart embraces Spring Breakout: 'What's not to love?'
PHOENIX -- Sal Stewart was one fired-up Reds prospect. On Sunday in the first inning during the organization's 9-7 Spring Breakout win over Brewers prospects, Stewart lifted a 2-2 pitch that sailed over the center fielder's head to the wall. Already not known as a speedster, he stumbled running between