Clingstones Announce 2026 Coaching Staff Led by Nestor Perez 

COLUMBUS, Ga. — The Columbus Clingstones, in conjunction with the Atlanta Braves, have announced the club's coaching staff for the 2026 season. The Clingstones will be managed by Nestor Perez, who returns to the Braves' Double-A affiliate for the first time since serving as a bench coach for the Mississippi Braves in 2021.

Perez will be joined by pitching coach Mike Steed (2nd season), hitting coach Grant Kay (2nd season), and coach Francisco Diaz (2nd season).

Perez, 49, becomes the second manager in Clingstones history and enters his 10th season as a manager in the Braves organization. He previously served as manager of the rookie-level Florida Complex League Braves from 2023–25, guiding the club to a combined 71–100 (.415) record and a Florida Complex League championship in 2023. Perez was the recipient of the “Bobby Cox Award,” presented annually to the individual who best represents top performance in Atlanta’s minor league system, for his work with Double-A Mississippi in 2021.

Born in Matanzas, Cuba, Perez began his professional playing career as an infielder in the Tampa Bay Rays organization in 1998, playing parts of seven seasons in the system. He appeared in the Southern League as a member of the inaugural Montgomery Biscuits team in 2004.

Perez has also represented Spain internationally as both a player and coach, appearing in 75 games before retiring following the 2013 World Baseball Classic. He later led Spain to a gold medal at EuroBaseball 2013.

Steed, 55, returns for his second season with Columbus and his fifth year coaching in the Braves organization. He oversaw a pitching staff that ranked second in the Southern League in quality starts (36) and helped guide three Clingstones to their Major League debuts with Atlanta during the 2025 season — Didier Fuentes, Hayden Harris, and Rolddy Muñoz. A native of Canada, Steed previously served as pitching coach for High-A Rome (2023-24) and Single-A Augusta (2022). Prior to professional baseball, he coached the Ontario Blue Jays — a prominent Canadian youth development program — and the Thunder Bay Border Cats of the summer collegiate Northwoods League.

Kay, 33, enters his second season with Columbus and third in the Braves organization after making his coaching debut as a utility coach in the Florida Complex League in 2024. Kay was selected by Tampa Bay in the 27th round of the 2014 MLB Draft out of Louisville and played five seasons in the Rays organization, reaching Triple-A Durham in 2017 and spending parts of two seasons with Montgomery. He continued his playing career in independent and international leagues through 2023, highlighted by 21 home runs and 67 RBIs with the Chicago Dogs (American Association) in 2023.

Diaz, 35, returns for his second season with Columbus and his third consecutive season coaching the Braves’ Double-A affiliate after spending 2024 with Mississippi. The Venezuela native began his professional career as a catcher in the Philadelphia Phillies organization in 2007 and also spent time in the Pirates and Yankees systems before concluding his affiliated playing career in 2019.

Columbus’ staff also includes strength and conditioning coach Mike Wall (1st season), athletic trainer Tyler Moos (1st season), and clubhouse manager Brandon Darnell (1st season).

Wall begins his first season in Columbus after working alongside Perez with the Florida Complex League Braves in 2025. Moos enters his second season in the Braves organization after serving as an athletic trainer with Triple-A Gwinnett in 2025. Darnell, a native of Monticello, Florida, enters his second season in the Braves organization after spending the 2025 season with Single-A Augusta.

The Columbus Clingstones open their second season at Synovus Park, which celebrates its 100^th anniversary in 2026, with a 7:06 p.m. Game on Friday, April 3 vs. the Chattanooga Lookouts. Single-game tickets are available at Clingstones.com.