PITTSBURGH -- On Friday, the Pirates announced their 2009 Minor League coaching staffs, which included the addition of four new affiliate managers.

Heading the list of new managers is Frank Kremblas, who will take over as manager for the Pirates' Triple-A club in Indianapolis. Kremblas has 11 years of managerial experience in the Minors and has spent the past four managing the Brewers' Triple-A affiliate in Nashville.

Kremblas' club in Nashville won three straight division titles (2005-07), and in '07, Kremblas took home Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year honors. He was dismissed by the Sounds after his club finished 59-81 this past season.

Interestingly, this marks the second time Kremblas has succeeded Trent Jewett as a Triple-A manager. Jewett served as Nashville's manager until he moved to Indianapolis in 2005, when the Pirates changed affiliations.

Kremblas' field staff will include returning pitching coach Ray Searage and hitting coach Jeff Branson.

Matt Walbeck will take over managerial duties for Double-A Altoona. Walbeck returns to Minor League managing after spending the past year as the Rangers' third-base coach. He has four years of experience managing in the Minors and will be joined by a new pitching coach (Dean Treanor) and hitting coach (Ryan Long).

High Class A Lynchburg will be managed by PJ Forbes, who has spent the past five seasons as a skipper in the Phillies' farm system. His coaching staff, too, will feature new faces for the Hillcats, as Dave Howard takes over as hitting coach and Wally Whitehurst as the team's pitching coach.

Former college coach Gary Robinson has been hired as the next manager for the short-season State College club. After serving as the head coach at UNC Charlotte from 1981-90, Robinson has since worked as a Minor League coach and as a Major League Baseball umpire supervisor/evaluator at the Triple-A level.

Robinson will be joined in State College by hitting coach Brandon Moore and pitching coach Mike Steele.

The Pirates retained the managers from their other two affiliates, with Gary Green staying with the low Class A club (now in Charleston, W.V.) for the second straight year and Tom Prince returning as the organization's Gulf Coast League manager for the third season.

Assisting Green in West Virginia will be a new hitting coach, Edgar Varela, and a new pitching coach, Jeff Johnson. Varela served as the hitting coach for the Pirates' GCL team last season. Rudy Pena, who was the low Class A hitting coach this past season, will now be the GCL hitting coach, while Miguel Bonilla will return to Bradenton, Fla., as the GCL Pirates' pitching coach again.