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MLB

Nevin's return highlights Aces 2016 coaching staff

By Cheyne Reiter
January 5, 2016

Phil Nevin will return for a third season as the Reno Aces manager in 2016, accompanied by one returner and four newcomers, the Arizona Diamondbacks announced today.

The Aces' coaching staff is rounded out by hitting coach Greg Gross, pitching coach Gil Heredia and coach Tack Wilson. Athletic Trainer Masa Abe and Strength and Conditioning Coach Matt Tenney - both newcomers - round out the staff.

Nevin, 44, was named the second manager in Reno Aces history in November of 2013. In his first season with Reno, he guided the Aces to a Pacific Coast League-best 81-63 record and an eventual Pacific Coast League Championship Series berth. The 81 wins tied the 2012 franchise record for most wins in a season. In 2015, he led the Aces to a third-place finish in the Pacific Northern Division with a 70-74 record. Nevin starred at Cal-State Fullerton, leading the Titans to the 1992 College World Series where he was named the Most Outstanding Player. He was also named the Golden Spikes Award Winner and College Player of the Year by Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America. He was drafted by the Houston Astros as the first overall selection in the 1992 amateur draft. Nevin spent 12 years in Major League Baseball, amassing over 1,200 games played. He was a National League All-Star in 2001 when he hit .306 with 41 home runs and 126 RBI.

Gross, 63, returns for his fourth season as the Aces hitting coach after spending 2010-12 as the hitting coach of the Philadelphia Phillies. Under Gross, the Aces finished 2014 among offensive league leaders in: hits (1st - 1,480), average (2nd - .293), doubles (2nd - 296), triples (2nd - 51), OBP (2nd - .359), runs (2nd - 790), total bases (3rd - 2,259) and OPS (3rd - .806). Gross brought more of the same in 2015, as the Aces finished among offensive league leaders in: average (1st - .286), doubles (1st - 339), slugging percentage (1st - .453), OPS (1st - .801), total bases (1st - 2,250), hits (2nd - 1,421), RBI (2nd - 722), runs (T-3rd - 758) and OBP (T-3rd - .347). Gross served as the bench coach for the Phillies in 2001 and the hitting coach from 2002-04. He was drafted by the Houston Astros in the fourth round of the 1970 amateur draft. Gross spent 17 seasons in Major League Baseball, playing with the Astros, Cubs and Phillies. He hit .314 in his rookie campaign with the Astros, garnering The Sporting News Rookie of the Year honors and was BBWAA Rookie of the Year runner-up. Gross was a member of the 1980 World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies.

Heredia, 50, enters his first season as Arizona's Triple-A pitching coach, and eighth overall with the organization. Heredia held the same role with Short-Season A Yakima in 2009 before securing three-year stints with Rookie-Advanced Missoula (2010-12) and Single-A Advanced Visalia (2013-15). Heredia was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the ninth round of the 1987 amateur draft after winning a collegiate national championship with the Arizona Wildcats in 1986. He totaled 57 wins over 10 Major League seasons, including a career-high 15 wins in 2000 with the Oakland Athletics.

Wilson, 59, begins his first season at Reno as a coach and second year in the D-backs' organization after spending last season with Missoula as their hitting coach. Wilson signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1975. He had brief Major League appearances with the Minnesota Twins in 1983 and the-then California Angels in 1987.

Abe, 37, enters his first season as Athletic Trainer with Reno. He is in his sixth season with the Diamondbacks medical staff, beginning his professional career in 2011 with the Rookie-level AZL D-backs. He then moved up to Missoula in 2012 before catapulting to Visalia in 2013. Abe's ascension up the D-backs' minor league ladder continued in 2014 when he jumped to Double-A Mobile where he spent the last two seasons, respectively. Abe earned a bachelor's degree in athletic training from the University of Northern Colorado in 2007, and received his master's degree in biomechanics from Louisiana State University.

Tenney, 28, begins his first season with the Aces as the Strength and Conditioning Coach after spending the 2014-15 seasons at Mobile in the same capacity. This year marks Tenney's sixth season in the Diamondbacks organization. His professional path likens to Abe's, as he started with the AZL D-backs in 2011 before moving on to Missoula in 2012 and Visalia in 2013. He earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology from Arizona State University in 2009.

The Aces open the 2016 season Thursday, April 7 at 6:35 p.m. against the El Paso Chihuahuas at Aces Ballpark. Ticket packages are on-sale now at www.renoaces.com or by calling (775) 334-4700. For up-to-date news and notes throughout the offseason, follow the club on Twitter (@aces), like the team on Facebook or visit www.renoaces.com.