2008 Jacksonville Suns Field Staff Named
Jacksonville, Fla. - The 2008 Jacksonville Suns field staff has been set, headlined by the return of the winningest manager in Jacksonville's Southern League history, John Shoemaker.
Shoemaker is joined by hitting coach Luis Salazar, back for his second season in Jacksonville. Glenn Dishman makes his Jacksonville debut as pitching coach while Carlos Olivas returns to the Suns for his second season as athletic trainer.
In four seasons at the helm in Jacksonville, John Shoemaker has led the Suns to three Southern League playoff appearances with two Southern League Championships (2001, 2005). In addition the 2007 club finished with the second-best record in the league at 80-60. Shoemaker has accumulated a 328-231 regular season record in his previous four seasons with the Suns. His 79-win total in the championship season of 2005 is Shoemaker's lowest win total in Jacksonville.
"The Dodgers and Suns have had a great relationship since 2001 and I am excited about returning to Jacksonville to manage," Shoemaker said. "The Bragan family and the Suns fans make it very comfortable for our players and our staff with a great stadium and tremendous fan support, and we just hope that we can provide them with another exciting year."
Last year, Shoemaker surpassed Tommy Thompson (302 wins, 1985-88) with the most wins of any manager in Jacksonville's Southern League history, dating to 1970. "Shoe" has been a member of the Dodgers' farm system since 1977 and picked up his 1,000th career victory as a minor league skipper in 2006.
Luis Salazar enters his second season as hitting coach with the Jacksonville Suns. Salazar managed the Single-A Vero Beach Dodgers in 2005 and has managed three seasons with the Gulf Coast League Dodgers. Last season under Salazar's guidance, the Suns offense finished with the second-most runs (679) and homeruns (119) of any offense in the Southern League. In addition, Suns batters had the third-lowest strikeout total of any team in the league.
During his 13-season Major League playing career, the Venezuelan played for the San Diego Padres (1980-84, 1987, 1989), Chicago White Sox (1985-86), Detroit Tigers (1988) and Chicago Cubs (1989-92). In that time Salazar played every position except for catcher, having pitched twice for San Diego during 1987.
Glenn Dishman, who pitched for three Major League seasons (1995-97), enters his fourth season in the Dodgers organization and first with the Jacksonville Suns as pitching coach. Last season, Dishman served as pitching coach for the Single-A Great Lakes Loons, working on the development of left-handed pitching prospect Clayton Kershaw. Dishman played eleven seasons professionally after signing out of Texas Christian University by the San Diego Padres in 1993.
The left-hander made his big league debut with the Padres in 1995, pitching the following season with both the Padres and Philadelphia Phillies, then with the Detroit Tigers in 1997, appearing in 33 big league games overall. While in the minors, Dishman earned Northwest League All-Star honors with Spokane in 1993 and Texas League All-Star accolades in 1994. In addition, Dishman pitched in 42 games with one start as a member of the Huntsville Stars of the Southern League during the 2000 season. He pitched twice against the Suns for a total of two and one-thirds innings, allowing one run on three hits.
Athletic Trainer Carlos Olivas returns to Jacksonville for his second season, after spending 2007 overseeing the entire Los Angeles Dodgers Minor League training staff. The New Mexico native served as Suns trainer during the 2006 season. He and his wife Toni are expecting their first child near the end of Spring Training. The Strength and Conditioning Coach will be named at a later date.
The Jacksonville Suns, Double-A Southern League affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, open the 2008 season at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville on Thursday, April 3, against the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx at 7:05 p.m. Season and group tickets are available now by calling (904) 358-2846 or by visiting the official website of the Suns, jaxsuns.com.
Shoemaker is joined by hitting coach Luis Salazar, back for his second season in Jacksonville. Glenn Dishman makes his Jacksonville debut as pitching coach while Carlos Olivas returns to the Suns for his second season as athletic trainer.
In four seasons at the helm in Jacksonville, John Shoemaker has led the Suns to three Southern League playoff appearances with two Southern League Championships (2001, 2005). In addition the 2007 club finished with the second-best record in the league at 80-60. Shoemaker has accumulated a 328-231 regular season record in his previous four seasons with the Suns. His 79-win total in the championship season of 2005 is Shoemaker's lowest win total in Jacksonville.
"The Dodgers and Suns have had a great relationship since 2001 and I am excited about returning to Jacksonville to manage," Shoemaker said. "The Bragan family and the Suns fans make it very comfortable for our players and our staff with a great stadium and tremendous fan support, and we just hope that we can provide them with another exciting year."
Last year, Shoemaker surpassed Tommy Thompson (302 wins, 1985-88) with the most wins of any manager in Jacksonville's Southern League history, dating to 1970. "Shoe" has been a member of the Dodgers' farm system since 1977 and picked up his 1,000th career victory as a minor league skipper in 2006.
Luis Salazar enters his second season as hitting coach with the Jacksonville Suns. Salazar managed the Single-A Vero Beach Dodgers in 2005 and has managed three seasons with the Gulf Coast League Dodgers. Last season under Salazar's guidance, the Suns offense finished with the second-most runs (679) and homeruns (119) of any offense in the Southern League. In addition, Suns batters had the third-lowest strikeout total of any team in the league.
During his 13-season Major League playing career, the Venezuelan played for the San Diego Padres (1980-84, 1987, 1989), Chicago White Sox (1985-86), Detroit Tigers (1988) and Chicago Cubs (1989-92). In that time Salazar played every position except for catcher, having pitched twice for San Diego during 1987.
Glenn Dishman, who pitched for three Major League seasons (1995-97), enters his fourth season in the Dodgers organization and first with the Jacksonville Suns as pitching coach. Last season, Dishman served as pitching coach for the Single-A Great Lakes Loons, working on the development of left-handed pitching prospect Clayton Kershaw. Dishman played eleven seasons professionally after signing out of Texas Christian University by the San Diego Padres in 1993.
The left-hander made his big league debut with the Padres in 1995, pitching the following season with both the Padres and Philadelphia Phillies, then with the Detroit Tigers in 1997, appearing in 33 big league games overall. While in the minors, Dishman earned Northwest League All-Star honors with Spokane in 1993 and Texas League All-Star accolades in 1994. In addition, Dishman pitched in 42 games with one start as a member of the Huntsville Stars of the Southern League during the 2000 season. He pitched twice against the Suns for a total of two and one-thirds innings, allowing one run on three hits.
Athletic Trainer Carlos Olivas returns to Jacksonville for his second season, after spending 2007 overseeing the entire Los Angeles Dodgers Minor League training staff. The New Mexico native served as Suns trainer during the 2006 season. He and his wife Toni are expecting their first child near the end of Spring Training. The Strength and Conditioning Coach will be named at a later date.
The Jacksonville Suns, Double-A Southern League affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, open the 2008 season at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville on Thursday, April 3, against the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx at 7:05 p.m. Season and group tickets are available now by calling (904) 358-2846 or by visiting the official website of the Suns, jaxsuns.com.