Astros announce Minor League field staffs
"We are very excited to have Rodney return to manage our team in 2008. It will be the first time since we have been in Greeneville that we'll have a manger come back for a second season," said Greeneville Astros General Manager David Lane, adding "We are also eager to work with the rest of the new staff."
Several members of previous field staffs in Greeneville are still in the Astros organization. Russ Nixon is returning as a roving instructor after managing in Greeneville in 2005. Stubby Clapp, Greeneville's hitting coach in 2007, will join athletic trainer J.D. Shields, Greeneville's trainer from 2004-06, on the Lexington Legends staff. Bryan Baca, Greeneville's 2007 athletic trainer, will have the same role with the Tri-City ValleyCats. Pete Rancont, who coached for Greeneville from 2004-06, is returning to manage the Tri-City ValleyCats for a second season.
Also announced today were the field staffs for the Astros other minor league affiliates in 2008.
Two new minor league coordinators will join the Astros organization in 2008. Britt Burns will begin his first season with the organization as the minor league pitching coordinator. Gary Redus joins the organization as outfield/baserunning instructor after spending 2007 in the Pittsburgh system.
The remainder of the Astros minor league coordinators will remain the same from the 2007 season. Tom Wiedenbauer will begin his seventh year as the organization's minor league field coordinator; Orv Franchuk will begin his second season as the minor league hitting coordinator and has more than 21 years of pro baseball experience; Jaime Garcia returns for his second season as the minor league assistant pitching coordinator; 2008 will mark Russ Nixon's 56th year in professional baseball, his sixth in the Astros system and his third as a roving instructor after serving as manager at Greeneville in 2005; Mike Smith begins his second season as minor league strength and conditioning coordinator; and Pete Fagan will start his seventh season in the Astros system as medical coordinator.
The Round Rock Express are set to begin their first season under the guidance of manager Dave Clark and their fourth as the Triple A Pacific Coast League affiliate of the Astros. Clark led the Double A Corpus Christi Hooks to a 67-73 season in 2007, while the Express are coming off a 61-81 record in 2007. Clark will guide an Express team that has recorded six winning seasons in eight years of existence, all as a Houston affiliate. Round Rock has made five postseason appearances in eight years from 2000-2007, and will look to continue their winning ways behind Clark, who guided Double A Corpus Christi to the 2006 Texas League Championship. Before joining the Astros system as Corpus Christi's first manager, he spent five seasons as an instructor, coach and manager in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Clark also played 13 seasons as an outfielder in the Major Leagues, including one season with Houston in 1998.
Former Major League pitcher Burt Hooton returns to the Express for a fourth consecutive season as the team's pitching coach. Hooton also served as Round Rock's pitching coach for the first half of the 2000 season before joining Houston on June 23, where he remained as the Astros pitching coach for parts of five seasons (2000-04). Ron Jackson will resume his duties as the hitting coach at Round Rock.
Jackson served as hitting coach for the Chicago White Sox (1997-98), Milwaukee (1999) and Boston (2003-2006), and 2008 represents Jackson's 20th year as a Major or minor league hitting coach.
Double A Corpus Christi's new manager and the Hooks' 2008 field staff will be announced at a December press conference.
Jim Pankovits will return to manage Class A Salem of the Carolina League for the third consecutive season after guiding the Avalanche to a 79-60 record and an appearance in the Mills Cup Championship Series. Pankovits had two previous stints as a minor league manager with the Houston Astros organization, including two seasons (1995-96) as manager at Class A Quad City of the Midwest League and two seasons as manager at Double A Jackson (1998-99). Pankovits was named the Astros minor league infield coordinator in 2000 and served as the club's minor league defense coordinator from 2001-2005. Pankovits spent parts of five seasons as an infielder with the Astros from 1984-88. Former Astros minor league infielder Alex Eckelman begin his first season as hitting coach for Salem after spending the 2007 season as hitting coach for Lexington. Eckelman played in the minors from 1997-2005. The pitching coach for Salem will be announced at a later date. Eric Montague will return for his fifth season as Salem's athletic trainer and his eighth year overall in the Astros organization.
Gregg Langbehn will resume his role as manager of Class A Lexington, marking his fifth year as a manager in the Houston organization. Before joining Lexington, Langbehn was manager of the Short-Season Class A Tri-City ValleyCats, as they captured the 2006 New York-Penn League's Stedler Division with a 43-31 record, marking their second division title in three years. Stubby Clapp will enter his first season as the Legends hitting coach and his second in the Houston organization. In 2006, Clapp served as the hitting coach for Rookie League Greeneville. Charley Taylor will return to the Legends for his eighth season as pitching coach with the team and his 27th year overall in the Houston system. J.D. Shields begins his second season as Lexington's athletic trainer after serving in the same position at Greeneville for three seasons from 2004-06.
Pete Rancont begins his second season as manager of Short-Season Class A Tri-City. Rancont has been a coach since 2001, including three seasons as coach for Rookie League Greeneville. Joel Chimelis returns to the ValleyCats as the hitting coach for the third season. Also returning to Tri-City for his fourth season is pitching coach Don Alexander. Bryan Baca enters his first season as the team's athletic trainer.
2008 MINOR LEAGUE STAFF
ROVING INSTRUCTORS
TOM WIEDENBAUER - FIELD COORDINATOR
BRITT BURNS - MINOR LEAGUE PITCHING COORDINATOR
ORV FRANCHUK - HITTING COORDINATOR
MIKE SMITH - STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COORDINATOR
PETE FAGAN - MEDICAL COORDINATOR
RUSS NIXON - ROVING INSTRUCTOR
JAIME GARCIA - ASSISTANT PITCHING COORDINATOR
DANNY SHEAFFER - CATCHING INSTRUCTOR
MATT GALANTE/ AL PEDRIQUE - INFIELD INSTRUCTORS
GARY REDUS - OUTFIELD/ BASERUNNING INSTRUCTOR
ROUND ROCK
DAVE CLARK - MANAGER
RON JACKSON - HITTING COACH
BURT HOOTON - PITCHING COACH
MIKE FREER - ATHLETIC TRAINER
SALEM
JIM PANKOVITS - MANAGER
ALEX ECKELMAN - HITTING COACH
TBA - PITCHING COACH
ERIC MONTAGUE - ATHLETIC TRAINER
LEXINGTON
GREGG LANGBEHN - MANAGER
STUBBY CLAPP - HITTING COACH
CHARLEY TAYLOR - PITCHING COACH
JD SHIELDS - ATHLETIC TRAINER
TRI-CITY
PETE RANCONT - MANAGER
JOEL CHIMELIS - HITTING COACH
DON ALEXANDER - PITCHING COACH
BRYAN BACA - ATHLETIC TRAINER
GREENEVILLE
RODNEY LINARES - MANAGER
TONY JARAMILLO - HITTING COACH
TRAVIS DRISKILL - PITCHING COACH
JOHN PATTON - ATHLETIC TRAINER