Tampa Tarpons Announce Coaching Staff for 2019 Season

Tampa, Fla. - The New York Yankees Player Development office has officially announced the 2019 Tampa Tarpons Field Staff. New to Tampa, the team welcomes Manager Aaron Holbert, Hitting Coach Joe Migliaccio and Defensive Coach Kevin Mahoney. Returning from the 2018 season are Pitching Coach Jose Rosado, Catching Coach Michel Hernandez, Athletic Trainer Michael Becker, and Strength and Conditioning Coach Jacob Dunning.
"We are very excited to have Aaron Holbert as the Manager for the 2019 season," said Tarpons GM Matthew Gess. "With Aaron and the rest of the coaching staff, I believe we are in position to have a great season."
Aaron Holbert begins his first season as a coach in the Yankees organization and his first season with Tampa as Manager. Holbert is a former MLB infielder for the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds. In 2009, Holbert managed the Lake County Captains in the Cleveland Indians organization, leading them to a third-place finish in the Northern Division of the South Atlantic League. In December of 2009, Holbert was named the manager of the Indians Carolina League Affiliate Kinston Indians. For the past three seasons, Holbert has been a member of the New York Yankees professional scouting staff.  
Jose Rosado enters his ninth season as a coach in the Yankees organization and his second with Tampa as Pitching Coach. In 2018, his Tarpons pitching staff led the Florida State League in strikeouts (1,257). He served in the same role for Double-A Trenton from 2015-17. Rosado served as pitching coach for Puerto Rico for the second consecutive World Baseball Classic in 2017, filled the same role for the World Team in the 2015 All-Star Futures Game, and for the Surprise Saguaros in the 2015 Arizona Fall League. He spent 2011-14 as a pitching coach in the GCL. He was selected by Kansas City in the 12th round of the 1994 First-Year Player Draft. In five seasons with the Royals (1996-2000) he went 37-45 with a 4.27 ERA in 125 games (112 starts). The two-time AL All-Star earned the win in the 1997 game in Cleveland and was the only left-handed pitcher selected to the AL team for the 1999 game at Fenway Park.
Joe Migliaccio begins his first season as a coach in the Yankees organization and his first season with Tampa as Hitting Coach. In 2018, Migliaccio served his first season as the Hitting Coach at the University of Iowa. Migliaccio spent the 2017 season as a graduate assistant at Missouri. He helped guide the Tigers to their best record since 2008, a season where the team finished 36-22. In 2016, he spent the season at Southeast Missouri as a volunteer assistant coach, helping the Redhawks to the 2016 OVC regular season and tournament championships and a berth into NCAA Regionals. In 2014 and 2015, Migliaccio served as a volunteer assistant at Siena College. He also spent the summer of 2014 as an assistant coach with the Liberal Bees in the Jayhawk Baseball League. As a player, Migliaccio was an infielder at Florida International (2009-10), Parkland College (2010-12), and Oral Roberts (2012-14). The West Melbourne, Florida, native graduated cum laude from Oral Roberts in 2014 with a degree in recreation administration with a minor in humanities. He earned his master's degree in education from Missouri in 2018.
Kevin Mahoney enters his fifth season in the Yankees organization and his first with Tampa as Defensive Coach. In 2018, he joined the GCL Yankees East after spending 2017 as the hitting coach at short-season Single-A Staten Island. Mahoney was also Pulaski's hitting coach in 2016, when his hitters tied for the league lead with 60 HR. Kevin made his coaching debut with the GCL Yankees East in 2015. Mahoney was selected by the Yankees in the 23rd round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft. In five minor league seasons, the infielder batted .252 with 183R, 34HR and 160RBI in 381 games, reaching Triple-A. He retired in 2014 after one season with Amarillo in the independent American Association.
Michel Hernandez enters his seventh season as a coach in the Yankees organization and his fourth with Tampa as Catching Coach. He served as a defensive coach for Double-A Trenton in 2015 after spending his first two professional coaching seasons with the GCL Yankees. He was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Yankees in 1998, playing in 45 games in parts of three seasons in the Majors with the Yankees (2003) and Tampa Bay (2008-09), combining to hit .237 with 1HR and 12RBI.
 
Michael Becker enters his eighth season as a trainer in the Yankees organization and sixth with Tampa. In 2017, he was named the Florida State League Trainer of the year. He worked with Single-A Charleston in 2013 and short-season Single-A Staten Island in 2012. He previously worked as an athletic training student intern at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre during the 2010 season and graduated from Ithaca College with a B.S. in athletic training in 2011.
Jacob Dunning enters his third season as Tampa's strength and conditioning coach after one season with Double-A Trenton (2016) and two seasons with short-season Single-A Staten Island. He joined the Yankees organization in March of 2013 as a member of the GCL staff. Dunning graduated from the University of South Florida in 2012 with a B.S. in Exercise Science and was a member of the United States Army from 2004-08 and served in Afghanistan.
The 2019 season will begin in Lakeland on Thursday, April 4^th at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. Opening night at George M. Steinbrenner Field will take place on Saturday, April 6^th against the Lakeland Flying Tigers.
The Tampa Tarpons are the Single-A Advanced Affiliate of the New York Yankees. For more information, contact the Tampa Tarpons office at (813) 673-3055 or visit www.tarponsbaseball.com.