Wind Surge Announce 2022 Coaching Staff

WICHITA, Kansas – The Minnesota Twins have announced the 2022 coaching staff for their Double-A affiliate Wichita Wind Surge.

AA Central Manager of the year Ramon Borrego will return to Wichita after leading the club to the best record in the league (69-51) and a Division Championship. He will be joined on the staff by hitting coach Derek Shomon, pitching coaches Peter Larson and Dan Urbina, catching coach Joe Mangiameli, athletic trainers Tyler Blair and Taylor Carpenter and strength and conditioning coach John Gentile.

Borrego, who has led his past four teams to the postseason, including the Surge in ’21 and the Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels (Single-A Advanced) to the 2018 Florida State League Championship, will be entering his 13th season as a manager in the Twins organization. This year will be Ramon’s third at the Double-A level having led the Southern League Pensacola Blue Wahoos to a 76-63 record and the league playoff semifinals in 2019. Originally signed by Minnesota on October 9, 1995 as an undrafted free agent, Borrego played in the Twins organization from 1996-2002. He was a coach at the Twins Venezuelan Baseball Academy from 2004-2008, prior to starting his managerial career at the Twins’ Dominican Republic Baseball Academy in 2009.

“We are thrilled to have Ramon back in Wichita and look forward to the season,” said Jordan Kobritz, Wind Surge CEO. “Ramon and his staff did a fantastic job developing players last season, with two Wind Surge players promoted to the Majors and several others to Triple A.”

Derek Shomon will begin his second season in the Twins organization after serving as hitting coach for the Single-A Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels in 2021. Shomon spent several seasons in the independent Frontier League with the Schaumburg Bombers and Lake Erie Crushers. Peter Larson enters his fourth season with the Twins organization after spending the 2021 season as the pitching coach in Single-A, Ft. Myers, where the Mussels led the league in ERA. Larson was the minor league rehab pitching coach in 2019. He spent four seasons in the collegiate ranks with Fordham University (2018), University of Albany (2017), Siena College (2016), and King University in Bristol, TN (2015).

Dan Urbina enters his fourth season in the Twins organization and 2021 will mark his first time at Double-A. Urbina led the pitching staff for the Twins’ Florida Complex League team in 2021. Prior to that he served as pitching coach with the Twins’ Dominican Summer League affiliate. He was a pitching coach in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization for 18 seasons and pitched in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization for three seasons.

Joe Mangiameli will begin his second year with the Twins organization and returns to Wichita. Prior to joining the Twins, Mangiameli spent four years coaching at the collegiate level. Tyler Blair and Taylor Crawford will work as Athletic Trainers for the club and John Gentile will serve as the strength and conditioning coach.

The Surge open their second season on April 8th at Riverfront Stadium against the Tulsa Drillers.