2017 RockHounds field staff announced
Fran Riordan has been named the new field manager of the RockHounds and will guide the three-time defending champions in the 2017 Texas League season. The Oakland Athletics made the announcement today, unveiling the organization's minor league field staffs for the upcoming season.
Riordan, a hall of fame manager in the independent ranks, has been with Beloit Snappers, Oakland's (Single-A) Midwest League affiliate, the past two seasons.
Returning to the RockHounds' field staff are pitching coach John Wasdin, hitting coach Brian McArn and athletic trainer Justin Whitehouse. Along with Riordan, the other addition to the club is strength & conditioning coach Matt Rutledge, who served in that capacity on the staff in Beloit last season.
After guiding the RockHounds to the second and third of their three consecutive Texas League championships, manager Ryan Christenson has been promoted to the Triple-A level, where he will manage Oakland's Pacific Coast League club, the Nashville Sounds, in 2017.
The first team to capture back-to-back-to-back league crowns in 91 years (2014-16), the RockHounds begin defense of their Texas League championship on Thursday, April 6, at Security Bank Ballpark, hosting the Tulsa Drillers in the 2017 home (and season) opener.
The 2017 season also marks the 19th year in the affiliation between the RockHounds and A's, the longest in the franchise's 46-year history (previous parent clubs were the Cubs from 1972-84, a span of 13 seasons, and the Angels for 14 years, from 1985-98). The working agreement is among the longest-tenured in all of Minor League Baseball, ranking 26th out of 160 in the nation (not including non-travel "complex" leagues). The partnership is tied for the eighth-longest among the 30 class Double-A clubs and is second in the Texas League, trailing only Kansas City's affiliation with Northwest Arkansas (which began in 1995 in Wichita).
FRAN RIORDAN - MANAGER
Following a very successful 14-year run managing at the independent level, Fran Riordan signed with the Oakland organization in 2015 and now enters his third season as a manager on the A's farm.
A native of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Riordan attended Allegheny College (NCAA Division III) in Meadville, Pennsylvania, followed by a seven-year playing career (1997-2003). He spent the first six of those seasons in the Frontier League, the last three as a player-manager (see below), before spending 2003 with the North Shore Spirit of the Northeast League. He finished his professional career with a .281 batting average (in 501 games), with 55 home runs and 349 runs batted in.
Primarily a first baseman, Riordan was among the Frontier League's top players and also assumed managerial duties relatively early in his career, taking on his first player-manager assignment in just his fourth pro season (with Dubois County in 2000). In that same capacity in 2001 and 2002, he guided the Richmond Roosters to back-to-back Frontier League championships.
Moving exclusively to the dugout in 2004, he won his third Frontier League crown, this one with the Kalamazoo Kings, in 2005. Overall, Riordan's clubs reached the playoff seven times, reaching the championship series in five of them and taking home three Frontier League championships. Before signing with Oakland, he spent his final four Frontier League seasons managing the Florence (Kentucky) Freedom. He enters 2017 with an overall managerial mark of 802-786 (.505).
On July 26, 2009, he won his 413th game as a Frontier League manager, becoming the winningest manager in league history, and went on to win a total of 647 games, most ever in the circuit. On June 21, 2014, Riordan was named to the Frontier League's inaugural Hall of Fame class.
His path to the Oakland organization is very similar to that of former RockHounds manager Darren Bush, who led the club in 2009 and 2010. "Bushy," now on Bob Melvin's big league staff in Oakland, spent his entire pro career, both as a player and manager, in the independent ranks before signing with the A's.
Riordan now makes his home in Buffalo, New York, with his wife, Cassie, and children, Brooke, Sadie and Trent.
JOHN WASDIN - PITCHING COACH
Now in his seventh season as a pitching coach in the Oakland organization, and entering his third season with the RockHounds, Wasdin's 2016 staff made "history within history."
On their way to the league championship, the 'Hounds pitching staff captured the first team earned run average title in the franchise's first 45 seasons. The club's 3.46 team ERA was second-best in franchise history (Cubs, 3.42 in 1975) and included what is thought to be the lowest team ERA for any month in team history (2.19 in July).
Oakland's first round draft choice in 1993 (selected 25th overall) after his junior season at Florida State University, the right-hander went on to a 12-year career in the Major Leagues (1995-2007), pitching for seven clubs (primarily Boston and the Texas Rangers). His career record was 39-39 and a 5.28 earned run average, with 19 of his wins coming in a Red Sox uniform (he also appeared with Boston in the 1998 and 1999 ALDS, both versus Cleveland). He went from Oakland to the Red Sox in 1997 in a one-for-one (plus cash) trade that sent Jose Canseco back to the A's. In addition to his time in "the Show," Wasdin spent two seasons (2002 and 2009) in Japan's major leagues and tossed a perfect game with (Triple-A) Nashville in 2003.
Wasdin began his coaching career in 2011 with the Vermont Lake Monsters of the (Short Season Single-A) New York-Penn League, followed by two seasons with Oakland's clubs in the (Single-A) Midwest League - - the Burlington Bees in 2012 and the Beloit Snappers in 2013. After one season (2014) with Stockton of the (Advanced-A) California League, he was named to the RockHounds staff in 2015. The last four of those seasons, he was apart of Ryan Christenson's staff, including the second and third of the RockHounds' three consecutive Texas League championship clubs.
The 44-year-old native of Fort Belvoir, Virginia, now makes his home in Jacksonville, Florida.
BRIAN McARN - HITTING COACH
Entering his 20th season with the Oakland organization, "Mac" served as hitting coach for the RockHounds in 2004 and in 2013 before returning to the club last season. The '16 RockHounds recorded another franchise first, winning both the team ERA title (see above) and the team batting title with a .260 average. The 'Hounds also led the league in on-base percentage (.332).
Over two decades, McArn has guided A's hitters at the Advanced-A (10 seasons in the California League), Double-A (now in his fourth season with the RockHounds) and the Triple-A levels (he spent six seasons with the Pacific Coast League Sacramento RiverCats, from 2005-10).
McArn was Oakland's 26th-round selection in the 1991 draft, following an outstanding career at the University of Nebraska. He earned All-Big Eight honorable mention all-conference honors in both 1990 and 1991 and his career .369 batting average still ranks eighth all-time in Nebraska history (just ahead of former RockHounds Jed Morris and Dan Johnson). McArn's pro career lasted just two seasons before being cut short due to injuries.
Before joining the A's organization, the 48-year-old California native (born in Davis and makes his home in Elk Grove) coached at American River Junior College in Sacramento and with the Vermont Expos, Montreal's Short-A club in the New York-Penn League at that time.
JUSTIN WHITEHOUSE - ATHLETIC TRAINER
The 2017 season will mark Whitehouse's 17th as an Athletic Trainer with the A's organization and his 10th serving in that capacity with the RockHounds. In that time, he has been a part of four of the franchise's five Texas League championship clubs (2009, 2014, 2015 and 2016).
He joined the A's training staff in 2001, working in the California (2001-02) and Midwest (2003-07) Leagues before being promoted to the RockHounds in 2008. In his final season with the Kane County Cougars (2007), he was named Midwest League Athletic Trainer of the Year and, after his first season with the RockHounds (2008), was selected to work the prestigious Arizona Fall League.
The Stockton, California, native is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, where he earned a degree in health education. His wife, Susan, also attended the university and is a member of the Wolfpack's Athletic Hall of Fame (swimming & diving). The couple, with children Cassie and Lance, make their home in Reno.
A Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC), Whitehouse earned his master's degree (physical education with an emphasis in athletic training and biomechanics) at San Diego State University. His resumé also includes two seasons as an intern with the San Francisco 49ers (he worked with the NFL club during its spring and summer training camps in 1997 and 1998).
MATT RUTLEDGE - STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH
Rutledge is also a product of the University of Nevada, Reno, graduating in 2013 with bachelor's degree in Community Health Sciences. He later attended the Cortiva Institute (Scottsdale, Arizona), becoming a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT). He joined the Oakland organization last year, with the assignment in Beloit (on Fran Riordan's staff) was his first in professional baseball.
ROCKHOUNDS FIELD STAFF ALUMNI NOTES / OAKLAND ORGANIZATION
Steve Scarsone (RockHounds manager, 2011-12) begins his first season as a Traveling Instructor in the A's Minor League system after spending four seasons managing at Triple-A.
Craig Lefferts (RockHounds pitching coach, 2004) enters his third season as minor league pitching rehab coordinator.
A.J. Seeliger (strength & conditioning coach, 2015) is now the A's minor league Strength & Conditioning Coordinator.
Ryan Christenson (RockHounds manager, 2015-16) moves up to manage the (Triple-A) Nashville Sounds after winning back-to-back Texas League titles with the RockHounds.
Eric Martins (RockHounds hitting coach, 2015) enters his second season as Nashville's hitting coach.
Henry Torres (RockHounds strength & conditioning coach, 2016) joins Ryan Christenson's staff in Nashville.
Tommy Everidge (RockHounds, 2007-09) is in his fourth season as a hitting coach with the A's and his second with the Advanced-A Ports. Everidge was the Texas League RBI champ (115) and a TL Postseason All-Star in 2008.
Don Schulze (RockHounds pitching coach, 2011-14) enters his 12th season as a pitching coach on the A's farm and his second with the Snappers.
Brian "Doc" Thorson (RockHounds Athletic Trainer, 1999-2004) enters his 34th season with the A's and his fifth in Beloit.
Aaron Nieckula (RockHounds manager, 2013-14) enters his 15th season on the A's farm (11 of those as a manager) and his second with Vermont. "Nuke" is again doing double-duty; he is also in his second season serving as the A's Minor League Field Coordinator.
Lloyd Turner (RockHounds player, 2005-06) enters his fifth season as a hitting coach with the A's and his third in Vermont. "LT" was a member of the '05 TL championship club.
Webster Garrison enters his 19th season on the A's farm, more than half of that time as a member of the RockHounds (10 seasons between 1999 and 2014), serving as a player-coach, coach and manager. "Webby," now in his second season in Arizona, has managed or coached at virtually every level of the A's minor league system.
Gabe Ortiz (RockHounds player, 2009-10) enters his third season as a hitting coach at the Rookie level on the A's farm.
Terence Brannic (RockHounds strength & conditioning coach, 2014) enters his fourth season with Oakland and his second in Arizona.