The RockHounds Announce 2026 Coaching Staff

MIDLAND, Texas (February 12, 2026) - The A’s have announced their minor league field staff assignments for the 2026 season, with Gregorio Petit at the helm.

Joining Petit on the staff are pitching coach Javy Guerra, bullpen coach Dave Burba, hitting coach Juan Dilone, assistant hitting coach Beau Taylor, athletic trainer Noah Huff, athletic trainer Audyanna Merrick, and sport performance coach Jake Kistaitis

Gregorio Petit enters his third season as manager for Midland after serving as manager for Stockton in 2023. He was signed by the A’s in 2001 and made his Major League debut with Oakland in 2008. After an 18-year professional career, Petit began his managerial career with Double-A Corpus Christi in the Astros organization, a role he held through the 2022 season.

Javy Guerra will serve as pitching coach for the RockHounds for the second straight season. He was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2004 and played in parts of 11 Major League seasons, winning a World Series with Washington in 2019.

Dave Burba takes on the role of bullpen coach after serving as pitching coach with Lansing in 2025 and as assistant pitching coach for the Arizona A’s in 2024. He previously spent 13 seasons as a pitching coach at various levels of the Colorado Rockies organization, most recently as pitching coach for the ACL Rockies.

Juan Dilone enters his third season as hitting coach after serving three seasons as assistant hitting coach for Midland. He previously spent four years as the hitting coach for Beloit after spending the prior seven years in the same role with rookie-level Arizona.

Beau Taylor rejoins the A’s organization as a coach after originally being drafted by them in the fifth round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft. Following an 11-year career as a player at various minor league levels, along with parts of three Major League seasons with Oakland, Toronto, and Cleveland, Taylor will serve as assistant hitting coach for the RockHounds.

Noah Huff joins Midland as athletic trainer after previously serving in the same role with Lansing (2024-25), Stockton (2023) and the Arizona A’s (2022) and spending the two seasons prior to that as head athletic trainer at the A’s Dominican complex.

Audyanna Merrick also joins the Midland staff as an athletic trainer after two seasons as head athletic trainer for Stockton (2024-25). Her previous three seasons were spent with the Arizona A’s, serving as athletic trainer in 2023 after spending 2021-22 as assistant athletic trainer.

Jake Kistaitis continues in his third season as sport performance coach for Midland, a role he previously held with the ACL A’s in 2023. In 2022, he served as a strength and conditioning coach in the Dominican Republic where he oversaw the strength and conditioning program for the A’s academy.