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Dave Brundage to return as River Cats Manager for 2019

New fundamentals coach Jolbert Cabrera will join returning hitting coach Damon Minor and pitching coach Steve Kline
(Ralph Thompson Anysportphoto.com)
January 24, 2019

West Sacramento, CA - The Sacramento River Cats, in conjunction with the San Francisco Giants, are excited to welcome Dave Brundage back for his third season as manager of the River Cats for the 2019 season.Brundage will again be joined by Damon Minor, who will return for his fourth season

West Sacramento, CA - The Sacramento River Cats, in conjunction with the San Francisco Giants, are excited to welcome Dave Brundage back for his third season as manager of the River Cats for the 2019 season.
Brundage will again be joined by Damon Minor, who will return for his fourth season as the River Cats' hitting coach, and pitching coach Steve Kline, who will enter his second season in Sacramento. One of two newcomers for 2019 will be fundamentals coach Jolbert Cabrera . The training staff will be made up of athletic trainer David Getsoff and strength and conditioning coach Andy King who are each returning for their second season. Lastly, the staff will welcome Hiro Sato, who will also serve as athletic trainer in Sacramento.
An Oregon native, Brundage joined the River Cats in 2017 and has compiled a 119-162 record in his two seasons at the helm in Sacramento. Before coming to the River Cats, the veteran manager spent the previous four seasons with the International League's Lehigh Valley IronPigs. In 2016, Brundage led the IronPigs to an 85-58 record, the second best mark in all of Triple-A baseball.
Brundage, 53, made his managerial debut in 1995 with the Riverside Pilots (Seattle Mariners Class A-Advanced) but has spent most of his managerial career at either the Double- or Triple-A levels. Prior to his four seasons with Lehigh Valley, Brundage helmed the Richmond/Gwinnett Braves for six seasons from 2007 through 2012. He made his Triple-A debut in 2006 with the Pacific Coast League's Tacoma Rainiers. Brundage has a career record of 1,490-1,477 (.502) in 21 seasons as a manager including a 912-943 (.492) mark at the Triple-A level.
Drafted in the 4th round of the 1986 Amateur Draft out of Oregon State University, Brundage spent 10 seasons as a player in the minor leagues with the Phillies and Mariners organizations.
Minor, 43, returns to the River Cats for his fourth season as hitting coach. In his third year with the team, Minor worked closely with Triple-A newcomers and top Giants' prospects Steven Duggar, Chris Shaw, and Aramis Garcia as they prepared for their Major League debuts.
A former Giant, Minor was drafted by San Francisco in 1996 before making his Major League debut in 2000. In 136 games over parts of four seasons, Minor hit .232 with 13 home runs. He set a career-high in 2002 when he played in 83 games and slugged 10 home runs, helping the Giants claim the National League pennant. While in the Giants farm system, he compiled a .277 batting average with 179 home runs and 648 RBI across nine seasons.
Kline, 45, returns to the River Cats for his second season as pitching coach. Kline joined the Sacramento staff following three seasons with the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels and nine seasons overall with the organization. In 2018, Kline helped develop Giants' prospects Andrew Suárez, Dereck Rodríguez, and Ray Black before each were called up to the big club in San Francisco. Kline led the Giants Double-A affiliate to a league-leading 3.12 team ERA in 2015.
Kline completed his 11-year Major League career as a lefty reliever with the Giants in 2007. All told, he appeared in 796 MLB games with five different organizations. The Pennsylvania native was an 8th round selection by the Cleveland Indians in the 2003 draft out of the University of West Virginia. He set the single-season record for appearances by a left-hander (89) in 2001 while with St. Louis, and led the National League in games played as a pitcher for three consecutive seasons (1999-2001).
Cabrera, 46, comes to the River Cats coaching staff as fundamentals coach following managerial stints with the San Francisco Giants' Class-A Short Season affiliate Salem-Keizer Volcanoes in 2017, and Single-A affiliate Augusta GreenJackets in 2018. 2019 will be his fourth season with the San Francisco Giants as a coach.
As a player, Cabrera signed with the Montreal Expos in 1990, and played in the Major Leagues for the Cleveland Indians (1998-2002), Los Angeles Dodgers (2002-2003), Seattle Mariners (2004), and Cincinnati Reds (2008). Cabrera also played in 1,274 minor league games over the course of his career, and even visited Raley Field in 2007 as a member of the Colorado Springs Sky Sox.
The River Cats will also add a second athletic trainer to round out the 2019 field staff. David Getsoff will return to the River Cats as athletic trainer in his 11th season with the Giants organization, while Andy King will be the River Cats' strength and conditioning coach in what will be his sixth season with the Giants. Finally, Hiro Sato will be joining the River Cats' staff as athletic trainer. He spent 2018 with the Richmond Flying Squirrels will be entering his fifth season with the Giants.
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About the Sacramento River Cats
The Sacramento River Cats are the Triple-A affiliate of the three-time World Champion San Francisco Giants. The team plays at Raley Field in West Sacramento, consistently voted one of the top ballparks in America. Season Tickets, Mini-Plans, and Flex Plans can be purchased for the River Cats' 20th season by calling the River Cats Ticket Hotline at (916) 371-HITS (4487). For more information about the River Cats, visit www.rivercats.com. For information on other events at Raley Field, visit www.raleyfield.com.