Hardtke, Drabek returning to Rawhide
Arizona also sent former Major League All-Star Doug Drabek back to Tulare County as the Rawhide pitching coach, while nine-year big league veteran Jacob Cruz will be Visalia's new hitting coach.
Also returning to the Rawhide are strength and conditioning coach Jordan Wolf and trainer Ben Fraser.
Jason Hardtke, 39, will enter his fourth season in the organization and his second as a manager. The San Jose, Calif., native was signed by the Cleveland Indians out of high school in 1990.
During Hardtke's 12-year playing career, he spent time in the Indians, Padres, Mets, Cubs, Reds, Rockies and White Sox organizations. He played in the Major Leagues from 1996-98 with the Mets and Cubs and also spent a season in Japan with the Hanshin Tigers.
Drabek begins his second season in Visalia and third with the D-backs. The 49-year-old recorded 155 victories during a 13-year Major League career with the Yankees, Pirates, Astros, White Sox and Orioles. He won the 1990 National League Cy Young Award after posting 22 wins and a 2.76 ERA and is most remembered for his tenure with the Pirates teams that won the National League East title from 1990-92.
Drabek has two sons that have played pro ball. Kyle Drabek has split time between the Blue Jays' Major League and Triple-A teams the past two years after he was acquired by from Philadelphia in the 2009 trade involving Roy Halladay. Justin Drabek played in independent leagues from 2006-08.
Cruz, 38, enters his second season as a coach with the D-backs and his first in Visalia. He spent last year as the hitting coach for the short-season Yakima Bears. A 1994 first-round Draft pick by the Giants, Cruz played parts of nine seasons in the Majors with the Giants, Indians, Rockies, Tigers and Reds. He also toiled professionally in South Korea, Japan and Mexico.
"We are looking forward to having Jason Hardtke and Doug Drabek back to lead the 2012 Rawhide," said club President Tom Seidler. "It will be our sixth season with the Arizona Diamondbacks, who have been a great partner to the ballclub and the Visalia community."
The Rawhide open their 2012 home season on Thursday, April 12 against Rancho Cucamonga. For ticket information, call (559) 732-4433, ext. *826.