Former Captains Coach and Trainer Added to Big League Staff

(Eastlake, OH) - The Cleveland Indians have announced that former Lake County Captains pitching coach Ruben Niebla and former trainer Jeff Desjardins have been added to Manager Manny Acta's big league staff. Niebla will be an Assistant to the Major League Coaching Staff and Desjardins an Assistant Athletic Trainer.

Niebla, 37, has been a Pitching Coach in the Cleveland Indians Player Development System for each of the last nine (9) seasons since joining the organization in 2001. He was the pitching coach for the Captains for three seasons, 2006 through 2008. Last year he served as the Pitching Coach for the club's Double-A affiliate in Akron which won the Eastern League Championship while posting the league's lowest team ERA.

Prior to beginning his coaching career, Niebla was signed by the Montreal Expos as a non-drafted free agent in 1995. He played professionally for six seasons with the Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Dodgers and in the independent leagues.

Desjardins joins Director of Medical Services Lonnie Soloff & Assistant Athletic Trainer Rick Jameyson on the big league staff after spending the last nine (9) seasons as an Athletic Trainer in the Cleveland Indians Player Development System. He was the Captains trainer in 2003.

Desjardins has spent the last three (3) seasons since 2007 as the Athletic Trainer for the club's Triple-A affiliates in Buffalo and Columbus. In 2006, he was named the Eastern League Athletic Trainer of the Year while at Akron.

Desjardins originally joined the Indians organization in 2001 as the Athletic Trainer at Burlington after serving as the Athletic Trainer at Dover High School in Dover, New Hampshire from 1996-2001. A graduate of Plymouth State College in Plymouth, New Hampshire, Desjardins is a certified athletic trainer and a certified strength and conditioning specialist.

Discounted full season tickets plans, 12-, 20-, and 35-game mini ticket plans for the 2010 season are on sale now and information can be found at the Captains website www.CaptainsBaseball.com.

The Captains will join the Midwest League in 2010 and will open the season at Classic Park on Thursday April 8 at 6:30 pm versus the West Michigan Whitecaps, the class A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers.

The Lake County Captains are a Class A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians and play their home games at Classic Park in Eastlake, at the corners of State Route 91 and Vine Street. For more information on the Captains, please visit the team's official website at www.CaptainsBaseball.com.