Obviously, with the MLB lockout (make sure you get that right, the players have not gone on strike) there’s a lot more attention being paid to what’s usually a checkbox item for the PR department.
But even a MASN Commenter can tell that this is different. The Nats had been called out for the lack of size/depth of their coaching ranks* and clearly this is their response.
* No, I will not parrot the “PD” sophistry. I get enough of that during the day.
The Nats boasted of 14 new hires and 20 new roles in yesterday’s statement, including a the hiring of a nutritionist. This, coupled along with MLB announcing it will pay for players’ housing is a huge step in the right direction.
Why? Aside from the fact that I ate just as poorly when I was in a similar position of living at the poverty line (a.k.a. grad school) – and for much the same reasons (quick and cheap was all I could afford), in the early days of this site, we had a player’s father tell us insistently in the comments that his son would lose 15-20 lbs from March to September. I didn’t believe it then, but now that my two sons are the age of players, it’s no longer hard for me to believe.
So if they can get the players off futons and air mattresses, it only makes sense to start teaching them how to eat like an elite athlete. I could be wrong, but well-rested and well-fed players may actually perform/produce better.
Anyway, here’s a look at the new slate:
* = New Assignment for 2022 | Italics = New to the organization
ROCHESTER
Manager – Matthew LeCroy
Hitting Coach – Brian Daubach
Pitching Coach – Rafael Chaves
Athletic Trainer – Eric Montague
Strength/Conditioning – Mike Warren
Developmental Coach – Billy McMillon
HARRISBURG
Manager – Tripp Keister
Hitting Coach – Micah Franklin
Pitching Coach – Justin Lord*
Athletic Trainer – TD Swinford
Strength/Conditioning – RJ Guyer
Developmental Coach – Oscar Salazar
WILMINGTON
Manager – Mario Lisson*
Hitting Coach – Tim Doherty
Pitching Coach – Mark DiFelice
Athletic Trainer – Don Neidig
Strength/Conditioning – Brandon Pentheny
Developmental Coach – Mark Harris*
FREDERICKSBURG
Manager – Jake Lowery*
Hitting Coach – Delwyn Young
Pitching Coach – Joel Hanrahan
Athletic Trainer – Kirby Craft
Strength/Conditioning – Ryan Grose
Developmental Coach – Carmelo Jaime
FLORIDA COMPLEX LEAGUE
Manager – Luis Ordaz*
Hitting Coach – Ender Chávez
Pitching Coach – Franklin Bravo
Athletic Trainer – Jacob Meyer
Strength/Conditioning – Shane Hill
Developmental Coach – Destin Hood
DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE
Manager/Field Coordinator – Sandy Martinez
Hitting Coach – Freddy Guzman
Assistant Hitting Coach – Feliberto Sanchez
Pitching Coach – Edwin Hurtado
Infield Coach – Wilson Valdez
Outfield Coach – Emiliano Alcantara
Put Me In Coach – I’m Ready To Play
Athletic Trainer – Miguel Cabrera
Strength/Conditioning – Santo Del Rosario
Latin American Training Coord. — Manny Moore
Tryout Assistant — Anthony Rosario
Two managers and one coach were reassigned upward – Lisson, Lowery, and Lord – while longtime hitting coach Luis Ordaz was given the reins at the FCL. This is usually where we’d end this post, but given the tenor here, let’s look at the rest of the assignments, per the Nats PR:
# = new position | new to the organization
Director, Player Development — De Jon Watson
#Senior Advisor, Player Development — Dave Jauss*
Senior Advisor, Player Development — Spin Williams
Director, Minor League and Florida Operations — Ryan Thomas
#Director, Player Development Technology & Strategy — David Longley*
Assistant Director, Player Development — John Wulf
Assistant Director, Minor League Operations — JJ Estevez
Manager, Florida Operations — Dianne Wiebe
Player Education and Cultural Development Coordinator — Andrew Scarlata
Minor League Clubhouse & Equipment Coordinator — Carlos Felix
Minor League Clubhouse Operations — Scott Paquin
DSL Academy Administrator — Eduardo Castro
DSL Clubhouse Assistant — Edniel Rouancourt
DSL Academy Administrative Assistant — Lorena Rosario
Field Coordinator — Bob Henley
Assistant Field Coordinator — Jeff Garber
Hitting Coordinator — Joe Dillon*
#Lower Level Hitting Coordinator — Troy Gingrich
Pitching Coordinator — Sam Narron
#Lower Level Pitching Coordinator — Michael Tejera
Outfield/Baserunning Coordinator — Coco Crisp*
Infield Coordinator — José Alguacil*
Catching Coordinator — Randy Knorr
#Quality Control Coordinator — Bill Mueller*
Rehabilitation Pitching Coordinator — Mark Grater
Medical Rehab Coordinator — Gene Basham*
Assistant Medical Rehab Coordinator — Jeff Allred
Strength and Conditioning Coordinator — Gabe Torres
#Athletic Trainer — Cesar Roman*
#Mental Skills Coordinator — Dana Sinclair*
#Nutritionist — Emily Kaley*
Alou2Alu has already weighed in on some of these and I’m sure others will have their say, too. I think the biggest takeaway here is that, despite their claims to the contrary, the Nats have finally recognized that their… wait for it… minors org chart needed to be updated if not upgraded.